Dear colleagues,
Below is the ILTHE's October briefing for the Funding Councils, the DfES,
Universities UK, SCoP and other stakeholder organisations.  It may be freely
circulated or published.  Please pass it on to anyone who may be interested
in receiving it within your own organisation and contact me if you would
like more detailed information on any of the items mentioned.  Previous
briefings can be accessed on our website at http://www.ilt.ac.uk/news.html.

> Andrea L. T. Rayner
> Assistant Director: External Relations
> Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE)
> Tel: 01904 434025
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> http://www.ilt.ac.uk
> 
> OCTOBER 2002 BRIEFING FROM THE INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING (ILTHE)
> 
> *     As from this month, the Institute for Learning and Teaching in
> Higher Education (ILTHE) is modifying its logo and its abbreviation to
> reinforce its identity in the higher education sector and avoid confusion
> with another organisation (the Institute of Logistics and Transport).  It
> will henceforth be known by the abbreviation 'ILTHE'.  Its new corporate
> identity will be introduced on a rolling basis over the next few months to
> keep costs down.
> *     The ILTHE has responded to the interim report of the Teaching
> Quality Enhancement Committee (TQEC), which is reviewing relationships
> between the three main agencies concerned with the enhancement of learning
> and teaching quality in higher education: the ILTHE, the Higher Education
> Staff Development Agency (HESDA) and the Learning and Teaching Support
> Network (LTSN).  The ILTHE welcomes this opportunity to consider ways in
> which it can continue and broaden its existing areas of collaboration with
> the LTSN and HESDA.  The ILTHE's comments on the report can be viewed on
> our website at http://www.ilt.ac.uk/news/n20020911.html.
> *     The ILTHE's Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 23 October will be
> preceded by a Symposium on 'The intersections between research and
> teaching', with guest speaker Professor Roderick Floud ILTM, President of
> Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of London Metropolitan University.
> There will also be a discussion on how members view the ILTHE's future
> direction and possibilities for collaboration with other organisations in
> the light of the TQEC's review.
> *     To date the ILTHE has received nearly 17,000 applications for
> membership.  Its current membership stands at over 11,800.  ILTHE
> accreditors have been working hard over the summer to catch up with the
> backlog of applications dating from the end of July, when 3,000
> applications were received in the final week leading up to the deadline
> for the Initial Entry Route for Experienced Staff. 
> *     Of the current membership, the great majority (72%) have joined
> through the individual route.  The remaining 28% have joined on completion
> of an ILTHE- accredited course or through collaborative agreements with
> other professional bodies, such as the General Teaching Council for
> England and the General Social Care Council.
> *     The ILTHE has accredited 133 programmes from 107 institutions as
> routes to Membership.  A further 20 programmes (from 20 institutions) have
> been accredited as routes to Associateship.
> *     40% of current members come from pre-1992 universities, 37% from
> post-1992 universities, 13% from HE colleges and 9% work in other areas.
> *     'Small Grants to Make a Difference' of up to £1,000 have been
> awarded to 17 successful applicants from a field of 66.  The grants are
> available for activities that further the ILTHE's aims to enhance the
> status of teaching, improve the experience of learning or support
> innovation in learning, teaching and assessment.  Five grants of £1,000
> have been sponsored by TechDis (the Technology for Disabilities
> Information Service) and have been awarded to projects that will make an
> impact on disabled students by means of technology.  Details of the
> recipients and their projects will be posted on the ILTHE website.
> *     The ILTHE has recruited its first cohort of 35 'advocates' who have
> volunteered to promote membership to colleagues in their own institutions,
> professional associations or subject bodies.  Advocates are invited to
> provide an ILTHE presence at events and offer workshops on joining the
> ILTHE.  They will also act as the Institute's 'eyes and ears', advising on
> how it can improve its services, keeping it informed on local issues and
> 'talent spotting' members who can contribute to its work.  A successful
> training day for advocates was held in October and a second day is planned
> for November, which further volunteers are welcome to attend.  More
> advocates are sought from among the membership and another training day
> will be held in December if there is sufficient demand.
> *     A full programme of 11 Members' Regional Network Forums and two
> Special Interest Groups has been organised for this semester.  These
> Forums form an important step towards increasing the direct involvement of
> members in the ILTHE's activities, giving members opportunities to air
> their views on the organisation's future and to meet and work with other
> members.
>