A staff swap between teaching staff at London Met and Leyton College will explore the transition from college to higher education.
Date: 25 February 2020
Academics and Professional Services at London Met have undertaken a staff swap with teachers at Leyton College, to better understand the transition period for students moving from college to higher education and to find ways to narrow the attainment gap of students.
The pilot project has been developed by Sophie Cloutterbuck and Funmi Ajibodun from London Met’s Outreach team, and Gabrielle Jones from the Professional Learning and Development team at Leyton College. It has been supported by the University’s Centre for Professional and Educational Development (CPED), with input coming particularly from Tom Burns.
Staff members from London Met were matched with a colleague working in a similar subject area at Leyton College to learn from each other’s experiences and gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing each other. In their partnerships, they will design and implement projects around key themes, such as degree-awarding gaps, classroom techniques, specific subject skill, assessment methods and curriculum integration. They will be looking to uncover new insights around each others’ practice, and what the implications for learning, teaching and assessment could be.
The staff members who took part from London Met are:
- Nino Folic, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics
- David Brown, Lecturer in Maths
- Karen Thomas, Student Liaison Advisor
- Steph Aman, joint Head of Fashion and Textiles
- James Hunting, joint Head of Fashion and Textiles
- James Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Criminology
It is hoped that the projects will lead to collaborative research between the University and the college, which could include the publication of a paper about their findings, or a presentation or poster at London Met’s Teaching and Learning Conference.
In time, the scheme may open up to other colleges which are part of the Partners in Education scheme. The scheme, which was launched in June 2019, aims to strengthen our partnerships with further education institutions and provide clear learning routes for prospective students. This includes unique opportunities to enter higher education, while London Met also offers support around widening participation. Partner schools and colleges are offered activities specially customised to their institution and students, designed to help students make informed decisions about their progression to higher education.
