Resilient Learning Communities (Enhancement Themes) projects at QMU
The Enhancement Themes were a sector wide initiative within Scottish Higher Education that ran over a 20 year period (2003 to 2023), facilitated and funded by QAA Scotland
"The Enhancement Themes aim to improve the learning experience of students studying within the Scottish higher education sector. The sector achieves this by identifying and agreeing a specific area to work on (known as a Theme). The Themes encourage institutions, staff and students to work together to develop new ideas and models for innovation in learning and teaching. Each Theme also allows the sector to share and learn from current and innovative national and international practice."
(from Enhancement Themes website)
For information, the Scottish sector is moving to a new Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF) from 2024-25.
This webpage provides a summary of the work undertaken through the QMU institutional project for the Resilient Learning Communities (RLC) Enhancement Theme that ran between 2020 and 2023 (and extended into 2024).
This work was led by an institutional team of QMU students and staff and our QMU project initially focused around a major piece of research on Loneliness and Isolation. This subsequently led to three offshoot projects/initiatives which developed in an interlinked, iterative manner between 2020 and 2024. This was developed in response to the changing needs of our QMU learners as they adapted from the challenges of a pre-COVID world, to those of multiple pandemic lockdowns, and then to the Cost-of-Living crisis.
Main project: Loneliness and Isolation research project (with key findings around Community and Belonging)
Project 1: Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) project
Project 2: Student Champions initiative
Project 3: Thank Goodness It’s Thursday (TGIT) initiative
These projects/initiatives produced a number of excellent outputs which are detailed further through the tabs on this page.
- Main Project
- Additional Projects
- Evaluation
- Events
Loneliness and Isolation research project (with key findings around Community and Belonging)
Years 1 to 3 activity (2020 – 2023)
Focus: Identifying key issues around loneliness and isolation, raising awareness, and signposting students and staff to available resources.
Our ‘Lonely Learning & Learning to be Lonely’ research project formed the core of our institutional project and was led by Prof Olivia Sagan with key input from project Research Assistants, Linnea Wallen and Mhairi Scally-Robertson. It comprised a robust mixed methods research project, which using a psychosocial and analytical approach. Results from Phase 1 of this project then informed the iterative development of three additional related projects during Years 2 and 3 of the Resilient Learning Communities (RLC) project.
Resilient Learning Communities - Research Report (Phase 1) (PDF)
Resilient Learning Communities - Research Report (Phase 2) (PDF)
Resilient Learning Communities - Researcher Poster (PDF)
Resilient Learning Communities - Loneliness and Isolation Map (PDF)
Peer reviewed publication (External link)
Project 1: Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) project
Year 2 and 3 activity (2021 - 2023)
Focus: Enhance and formalise training for Personal Academic Tutors (PATs) to promote signposting to key support services and to pilot new approaches to recording PAT meetings.
Project 2: Student Champions initiative.
Year 3 activity (2022 - 2023)
Focus: Embed student voice and co-created approaches to understanding and supporting learner journeys for different cohorts of QMU students. Student partners designed and delivered a project to co-created QMU Learner Journey maps through a Students as Partners approach.
Project 3: Thank Goodness It’s Thursday (TGIT) initiative
Year 3 activity (2022 - 2023)
Focus: Community building (to address Loneliness and Isolation) in parallel with Cost of Living Support for QMU students through weekly events for students on campus which offered free hot meals, take home meal packs, and a themed social activity.
An annual evaluation of the Resilient Learning Communities project was undertaken, and the overall evaluation approach (across the three years of the projects) received the following feedback from QAAS external project consultants:
"Regarding the quality of the overall evaluation approach, this is an exemplary report which highlights strong use of evidence to inform intervention progress, per se, alongside influencing connections with other strategic imperatives. In terms of impact, excellent impact approaches are identified which drive connections and ensure sustainability of projects beyond their obvious lifecycle"
Resilient Learning Communities - Year 1 Report (PDF)
Resilient Learning Communities - Year 2 Report (PDF)
Resilient Learning Communities - Year 3 Report (PDF)
Resilient Learning Communities - Year 3 Evaluation Guide (PDF)
The QMU institutional team also arrange two linked events in order to disseminate RLC project outputs to QMU staff and students:
Enhancement Themes showcase event – Jan 2024
Festival of Learning (with focus on ‘Belonging’) – May 2024
