Following the launch of the Supporting Programme Leadership Development Network (SPLDN), Dr Sarah Broadberry, Associate Professor, Nottingham Trent University and Dr Kelly Sisson, Associate Professor, University of Lincoln, reflect on the inaugural event, exploring the role of the Programme Leader.
The Supporting Programme Leadership Development Network (SPLDN) was established in early 2025 by a group of colleagues from across the sector who all play a role in supporting programme leaders (PL) within their own institutions. The purpose of the network is to create a space in which those in similar roles can raise ideas, discuss challenges and share good practice.
Exploring the role of the programme leader
The first event, held on 28 April 2025, focused on exploring variations in the titles, roles and responsibilities of programme leaders (PL) across the sector, with an opportunity for good practice established at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to be shared with the group. It was attended by 54 individuals from a range of UK higher education institutions and led to healthy discussions around how the PL role varies across institutions and how it continues to evolve.
As an initial activity, participants were asked to respond to the question, “what do you call those who lead your courses?”. The results showed that the most common title used was Programme Leader(s) followed by Programme Director and confirmed what the literature has suggested (see Mitchell, 2015) that the role is ill defined with multiple names being used, sometimes within the same institution.
Many hats: many masters
Changes to the wider political, economic and social context and consequent restructuring within organisations has resulted in increasing pressure on programme leaders. The role requires them to respond to both internal and external stakeholders (“many masters”); they are placed under increasing pressure to be more productive and are expected to undertake a complex range of challenging activities (“many hats”) (Cahill et al. 2016). The figure below was shared with attendees as a way of conceptualising the competing demands on the PL role.
The term “Academic Developer” is used and included here to represent the broad range of roles who support PLs formally and informally within institutions.
Diverse roles and responsibilities
To explore the diversity of expectations and support PLs receive in their roles across the sector, break out rooms were used to facilitate discussion in response to the four questions displayed below which were informed by the work of Cahill et al (2016).
Participants described a role that incorporates a varied range of tasks. Some were very clear about what the role encompasses, others less so. Three main themes were apparent, the first including a range of practical tasks including day-to-day course management, resolving staffing issues and timetabling; the second capturing pastoral support for students and working with student representatives and a final area around quality oversight and course development. The most common forms of support provided for PLs include communities of practice (PL networks and forums), resource hubs, workshops and courses specifically tailored for PLs.
Interestingly, the conversation about the most challenging aspects of Programme Leadership did not relate to the academic (programme design, quality assurance) or pastoral (student support) aspects of the role. The focus of conversation here was about the lack of clarity around the remit, limited guidance and support and lack of time allocated to carry out the role. Although some organisations have made very positive steps towards creating clear descriptions of the role, there was widespread discussion about the challenges of informal leadership and managing others without authority, all of which is consistent with existing literature (Moore, 2022).
When asked how we could support PLs better in their roles, the conversation divided into two themes, one about recognition and benefit, and another about provision of resources. There was a strong sense that institutions need to ensure that the value of the PL role is recognised, effectively work loaded, rewarded and possibly remunerated and the benefits of undertaking the role are effectively articulated to everyone. Due to the recognition that this required both investment and cultural change, many practical suggestions for creating resource banks and spaces for PLs to connect were also discussed.
Sharing good practice: supporting programme leaders at NTU
In the final part of the session, Dr Sarah Broadberry outlined the development of a holistic approach to supporting PLs at NTU, with the highly successful annual Trent Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT) Course Leaders’ conference, which has recently led to the development of a TILT Course Leaders’ Network to support community building between PLs across the University. Additionally, a level 7 ‘Enabling Effective Course Leadership’ micro-credential has been developed, for both PLs, and those supporting PLs in their role, recognising the value of effective cross-functional collaboration between academic and professional services roles.
Using an annual calendar developed for PLs at NTU, discussions around how the approach to supporting PLs varied across institutions revealed an appetite for more opportunity for resources sharing and sharing of good practice.
Positive impact
The event provided further evidence that the titles, roles and responsibilities of programme leaders cross the UK HEI sector continue to be varied. The PL role is often an invisible form of academic leadership which fails to garner the recognition it deserves for its positive impact on the student experience and outcomes, but there are many dedicated professionals working in this space to try and improve the experience. The SPLDN is well placed to support this endeavour through the facilitation of networking and resource sharing.
What next for the network?
Events are taking place every other month and are advertised widely across mailing lists social media and Advance HE Connect. If you are interested in joining us, you can also reach out to any of the members of the steering group.
Each event will produce a resource that can be freely used by the sector. A guide to planning programme leader inductions generated following the second event in July 2025 is now available on the SPLDN group in Advance HE Connect. It will shortly be joined by a guide to creating and sustaining communities of practice for programme leaders following the third event which took place on 20 October.
Dr Sarah Broadberry and Dr Kelly Sisson are Associate Professors in Scholarship at Nottingham Trent University and the University of Lincoln, respectively. Both are experienced programme leaders and passionate about developing effective support for programme leaders. They are founding members of the SPLDN steering group.
References
Cahill, J., Bowyer, J., Rendell, C., Hammond, A., & Korek, S. (2016) An exploration of how programme leaders in higher education can be prepared and supported to discharge their roles and responsibilities effectively. Educational Research. 57(3) 272-286.
Mitchell, R. (2015) “If there is a job description I don’t think I’ve ever read one”: A case study of programme leadership in a UK pre-1992 university. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 39(5), 713-732.
Moore, S. (2022) Empowering programme leaders: Developing relational academic leadership. In: Lawrence, J., Moron-Garcia, S., & Senior, R. (Eds)(2022) Supporting course and programme leaders in HE: Practical wisdom for leaders, Educational developers and programme leaders (SEDA series). London: Routledge.
