full report - Higher Education Academy

Funding
The HEA’s Doctoral Programme, which forms part of the HEA’s
strategy to undertake research to develop pedagogical knowledge
and evidence-based practice in higher education, made 15 awards
this year (133 applications were received). This amounted to
over £800,000 of funding for academics to support doctoral
studentships in fields including the impact of retention strategies
on part-time mature students in HE, and unpacking the dynamics
of group interaction in problem-based learning. The research
outcomes from the doctoral studentships will be disseminated
across UK higher education.
The HEA workshop and seminar series invites subscribing
institutions to seek funding to host and deliver a seminar and
produce an associated report for the sector. This year 236
seminars were held attracting over 5,000 attendees, including:
194 across the disciplines; 32 in the thematic areas of assessment
and feedback, retention and success, and internationalisation; and
seven on open educational resources.
Following on from the recommendations of the BME students
learning and teaching summit, the HEA awarded eight Strategic
Development Grants, providing funding for projects that improve
the attainment of BME students within higher education. Funding
of just under £70,000 was granted across the projects to
implement the ‘guiding principles’ published from the summit, and
to increase BME student successes and contribute to the HEA’s
knowledge about effective approaches to improving the retention
of BME students. The HEA Strategic Development Grants are for
one-year projects, but the impact of the funding will be evaluated
over three years.
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