Advance HE’s membership offer for Northern Ireland is informed by institutional and sectoral priorities and is structured under our four strands of expertise – teaching and learning; leadership and management; equality, diversity and inclusion; and governance. Member institutions in Northern Ireland will have access to the full range of Advance HE member benefits detailed here.
These benefits include participation in themed projects, access to our portfolio of resources (including reports, webinars and blogs), and access to our online networking platform, Advance HE Connect. Your membership for the coming year has been shaped through consultative conversations with our members and our strategic advisory groups. Our delivery teams, including associates across Ireland and internationally, are all committed to suitably contextualising training and consultancy offers to the higher education sector within Northern Ireland.
Contact your Head of Membership
If you would like to speak with your dedicated Head of Membership for Northern Ireland Laura Coutts, please click the link below.
Northern Ireland Exclusive member benefits
In addition to the UK member benefits, member institutions in Northern Ireland also have access to a suite of tailored member benefits themed around contemporary challenges facing the Northern Irish sector. Consultation is still ongoing with member institutions to finalise these priorities, however, they may include:
Programmes
- Tertiary Sector Evolution – continued focus with global perspectives
- A focus on cross-nations practice sharing and convening
- Linked events and resources for cascading to operational leads through our networks
Events and workshops
- Developing a strategic approach to embedding sustainability
- Flexible pedagogies and pathways to Fellowship recognition
- Getting to Grips with Principal Fellowship – for applicants
Events
What member benefit would you like to see Advance HE deliver bespoke for Scotland in the future? Get in touch with the Head of Membership (Northern Ireland) Laura Coutts.
Strategic and Sustainable: Embedding SDGs in HE
31 Jan 2023 (Dublin, 10:30-4:00)
Advance HE will host strategic leaders from member institutions to consider how they shape their strategies to drive change in sustainability. Institutions across the island of Ireland have been early and successful participants in the Times Higher Impact Rankings, recognising the value of sustainability to their students and other stakeholders. However, as the number of institutions submitting to the rankings increases, there is a greater need for institutions to ensure all their strategies are aligned to continue to be successful in both the rankings and in driving change.
This collaborative event will support strategic leaders in promoting and utilising the SDGs to drive institutional change by applying a strategic enhancement framework to their institutional practices across research, curricula, and their impact on the community. A consultant from Times Higher will deliver a plenary session on the Impact Rankings and their work on TNE and sustainability. Advance HE Lead Consultant on Education, Dr Catherine Hack, will lead all participants in a collaborative workshop session. We will also be joined by other speakers from the sector to discuss embedding SDGs in strategic development.
This in-person member benefit event is invite-only to our members in Ireland and Northern Ireland and will draw participation from executive leadership teams. Lunch will be provided
Advance HE will host strategic leaders from member institutions to consider how they shape their strategies to drive change in sustainability. Institutions across the island of Ireland have been early and successful participants in the Times Higher Impact Rankings, recognising the value of sustainability to their students and other stakeholders. However, as the number of institutions submitting to the rankings increases, there is a greater need for institutions to ensure all their strategies are aligned to continue to be successful in both the rankings and in driving change.
This collaborative event will support strategic leaders in promoting and utilising the SDGs to drive institutional change by applying a strategic enhancement framework to their institutional practices across research, curricula, and their impact on the community. A consultant from Times Higher will deliver a plenary session on the Impact Rankings and their work on TNE and sustainability. Advance HE Lead Consultant on Education, Dr Catherine Hack, will lead all participants in a collaborative workshop session. We will also be joined by other speakers from the sector to discuss embedding SDGs in strategic development.
This in-person member benefit event is invite-only to our members in Ireland and Northern Ireland and will draw participation from executive leadership teams. Lunch will be provided
Getting to Grips with Principal Fellowship
19 April 2023 (Online 09:30-15:30)
This online workshop is aimed at strategic leaders wishing to apply for Principal Fellowship or considering an application. This comprehensive workshop allows potential applicants to explore the Professional Standards Framework and how it relates to Principal Fellowship, what a successful claim requires and how best to prepare a submission.
This informal workshop brings together applicants from across Northern Ireland with each member receiving 1 free place.
This online workshop is aimed at strategic leaders wishing to apply for Principal Fellowship or considering an application. This comprehensive workshop allows potential applicants to explore the Professional Standards Framework and how it relates to Principal Fellowship, what a successful claim requires and how best to prepare a submission.
This informal workshop brings together applicants from across Northern Ireland with each member receiving 1 free place.
Flexible Pedagogies
Designing a flexible learning experience - 13 June 2023
Building on the experiences of the last two years, where institutions were forced to think about delivering online, colleagues from across the global HE sector are now thinking about how we can use what worked well, to provide a quality, accessible and inclusive higher education experience.
This interactive workshop is designed to support academic developers and lecturers think about the design of a flexible learning experience: how can we leverage pedagogy and technology to provide an effective combination of online and in-person learning and develop and sustain engaged and vibrant learning communities.
Building on the experiences of the last two years, where institutions were forced to think about delivering online, colleagues from across the global HE sector are now thinking about how we can use what worked well, to provide a quality, accessible and inclusive higher education experience.
This interactive workshop is designed to support academic developers and lecturers think about the design of a flexible learning experience: how can we leverage pedagogy and technology to provide an effective combination of online and in-person learning and develop and sustain engaged and vibrant learning communities.
The Evolution of Tertiary
In parts of the world, post-compulsory education is experiencing national system-level changes. Collaboration is at the core of shaping these emergent and developing tertiary sectors globally. Leaders in institutions big and small are forging new networks, navigating new systems, and building flexible and inclusive learning and teaching models. Tertiary, in all its moving parts, is centred on the learner and their journey – often nonlinear and lifelong. Advance HE appreciates that tertiary education is shaped differently across regions and we are committed to supporting sectoral and institutional agendas within the policy and regulatory context of Northern Ireland.
Advance HE will follow up our work in 2021-22 to bring leaders and practitioners together from across national and international contexts to share experiences and navigate a way forward together. We will use existing networks to convene targeted conversations, and wider member benefit themes to ensure best practice is shared and lessons are learned globally. Woven through our work is a commitment to build collaboration and develop change agency as a core skill in leaders as they work from within teams and across nationwide and international sectors.
Head of Membership (Northern Ireland) - Laura Coutts
Laura joined Advance HE in March 2022 as Head of Membership supporting member colleges and Universities in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In her previous role as Senior Director of University Partnerships with CEG Digital, she specialised in the implementation, launch and delivery of online programmes with a host of UK partner universities.
