Hello
CDN Update

I hope you are well and had a lovely Easter break.

I am delighted to be supporting CDN as Interim Chief Executive, as we bid a fond farewell to Jim Metcalfe and wish him the best of luck as Principal and Chief Executive at Fife College, and eagerly await the arrival of CDN's new Chief Executive, Marie Hendry, who will be joining the team on 29 May.

The College Expo Roadshow is well underway, with two extremely successful Roadshows having taken place at Borders College and Forth Valley College. The final Roadshow will take place at UHI Inverness, exploring 'Curriculum Design' - we hope to see you there on Thursday 25 May.

Last month, colleges across Scotland opened their doors to mark the first national Big College Open Week – aka #BigCOW. The campaign saw a wide range of exciting activities attracting potential students into colleges the length and breadth of Scotland. Organised by CDN's Marketing and Communications Network, the purpose of the week was to demonstrate all that colleges offer – including the variety of learning pathways and options open to students. Well done everyone who was involved!

We continue to offer a wide range of impactful Courses, Events and Research to support your professional development. Take a moment and have a look at what's on offer below and on CDN’s website.
Grant Ritchie, Interim Chief Executive, CDN
College Expo23

College Expo is the most exciting professional learning event for tertiary education in Scotland. This year's theme explores: ‘Developing Practice Across Tertiary Education.’

College Expo Roadshow

In addition to the two-day Virtual College Expo, we’re excited to be extending College Expo this year by introducing the College Expo Roadshow, which includes three lively face-to-face panel sessions hosted by colleges around Scotland.

The first Roadshow took place on Tuesday 28 March, at Borders College, exploring 'Student Experience', recording of this session is available here.

The second Roadshow took place last week on Thursday 20 April, at Forth Valley College, exploring 'Professional Learning', recording of this session will be available here shortly.

Jump on board and join our expert panel to debate the final theme:
Thursday 25 May (1330-1600)
Curriculum Design
UHI Inverness

Discussion will focus on what the future of curriculum design is beginning to look like in a post-Covid world, taking on board learning from the past 24 months as well as recent developments.

The expert panel confirmed so far includes:

Chair: Simon Hewitt, Principal, Dundee and Angus College

And Panel Members;

  • David Gourley, Head of Learning and Teaching Enhancement, Perth College UHI
  • Carrie Higgins, Tertiary Education Leader, UHI Inverness
  • Robin McGregor, Vice Principal – Curriculum and Quality, North East Scotland College

This Hybrid event can be attended in-person with excellent networking opportunities, and the chance to meet our wonderful Research and Enhancement Centre Team or online via CDN's Virtual Conference Centre.

Virtual College Expo

Virtual College Expo returns this year to offer inspirational keynotes, interactive workshops, and thought-provoking seminars. Coming to your screen on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 June.

The Virtual College Expo Programme will be launched this week.
Watch this space!

Students’ Stories – in 2023 we welcome the hugely popular movie series: Students’ Stories back to Virtual College Expo. This year the focus will be on student pathways, celebrating and sharing real-life examples of learning pathways in action, from across Scotland – as told by the students themselves.
Please provide your short (max 5 minutes) videos in MP4 format, featuring student/s sharing the stories of their learning pathways and what that has meant to them. The videos will be hosted on CDN’s YouTube Channel and Virtual Expo Platform.

Please share with your students, and ask them to email their stories to expo@cdn.ac.uk by Friday 28 April 2023.
CDN Leadership and Governance Summit: Shaping Tertiary Education in Scotland
The CDN Leadership and Governance Summit, taking place via CDN's Virtual Conference Centre this Friday, is the highlight of our annual National Leadership and Board development Programmes.
 
Titled Shaping Tertiary Education in Scotland, this year’s Summit will focus on developing a coherent tertiary system in Scotland and brings together sector leaders and board members from across the tertiary landscape to discuss how the college and university sectors can shape the future of tertiary education in Scotland.
 
The Summit will have an international focus, bringing case studies from around the world to share how others have shaped tertiary education. It will also explore the work currently ongoing internationally to align skills and meet the changing needs of learners, business and economies.
Professional Learning in Scotland's Colleges
Action Research March 2023
Following on from the Professional Learning Action Research published in June 2022, this new Action Research takes a broad look at the structure and content of professional learning in all of its forms for everyone who works within a college in Scotland.

Three questions have been influential in directing this research and each of these help to create a snapshot of professional learning post-pandemic, during the academic year of 2022-2023:

  1. What is professional learning and how is it currently structured within colleges?
  2. With regards to whole college professional learning, what is working well?
  3. With regards to whole college professional learning, where are there challenges?

Thank you to all colleges who contributed their time and shared their expertise and insights during the interviews and extended thanks to those who provided case studies.
Marketing and Communications Conference, Thursday 8 June, Stirling
The CDN Marketing and Communications Conference takes place on Thursday 8 June in Stirling, and will be of interest to anyone who works in a college marketing and communications role or within Scotland’s tertiary education system. 

Organised by the CDN Marketing and Communications Network, the event brings together expert speakers for thought-provoking keynotes and interactive workshops. It will provide a greater understanding of the emerging issues that marketing and communications teams face, and offers the chance to develop new skills and insights. There will be plenty of time for networking too!
College Awards 2023 - Open For Entries!
We are delighted to announce that the CDN College Awards are now open for entries!

The Awards recognise the talent, skills and achievements of colleges, their staff and their learners.

The deadline for entries is Friday 30 June 2023, and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 30 November at Radisson Blu, Glasgow.
Partner News: Disclosure Scotland
Our colleagues at Disclosure Scotland have asked us to remind colleges that they have a legal duty to refer any harmful behaviour involving college staff and students who work with vulnerable children and adults – known as regulated work.

Helpful guidance on making referrals around harmful behaviour may be found at www.mygov.scot/pvg-referrals and by watching www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uiqEeyBLkw.
Did someone share this email with you? Sign up to receive more of our emails.