Enhancement themes
National Enhancement Themes formed part of the former Quality Enhancement Framework (QEF) in Scotland. This was replaced by the Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF) from 2024/25.
Enhancement Themes were selected by the Scottish higher education sector and provided a means for institutions, academic staff, support staff and students to work together in enhancing the learning experience.
Each Theme facilitated both sharing and learning from current and innovative national and international practice. In addition, the Themes promoted the collective development of new ideas and models for innovation in learning and teaching.
Support for the Enhancement Themes was provided by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Scotland (QAA).
Further information on the national Enhancement Themes is available on the dedicated website
Resilient Learning Communities, 2020- 2023
This theme focussed on meeting the changing needs and values of an increasingly diverse student community and a rapidly changing external environment.
The University focussed institutional activity in three priority areas:
- Support for students
- Technology Enabled Education
- Students as Partners in Learning
University staff worked closely with the Students’ Union on the theme, and led a sector wide collaborative cluster on “Decolonising the curriculum in the time of pandemic”.
Evidence for Enhancement: Improving the Student Experience, 2017 – 2020
The University focused institutional activity in three key areas:
- investigating and developing the use of learning analytics;
- creation of a new approach to Personal Development Planning and an e-portfolio to support this; and
- more effective use of evidence and data available for faculty and academic staff to improve student retention.
Transition 2014-17
The University has retained a commitment to providing an excellent student experience, and student transition is a priority within this, to ensure that transition is facilitated and fully supported.
The opportunity, therefore, to develop and carry out a programme of work related to the QAA Enhancement Theme, ‘Student Transitions’ in 2014-2017 was fully aligned with institutional priorities and identified student needs. This theme provided a framework to take these aspects of the student experience forward. The following working definition was adopted for the purposes of our work:
‘Transition’ refers to the process or period of adaptation and change, which a student experiences on their journey from the point of application, throughout their time at university and ultimately into employment.
In designing the institutional engagement with the transition theme, the aim was to investigate key points in the student journey with a range of projects focusing on particular cohorts of students.