A Liverpool Hope University academic has been appointed to a prestigious advisory group - in a move that will help shape the future of undergraduate study.
Dr Babs Anderson is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood studies at Hope.
In recent years her recent research has, among other things, seen her examining children’s learning and development in an outdoor and natural ‘forest nursery’ environment.
Dr Anderson has now joined a Subject Benchmark Statement (SBS) review advisory group for the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), an independent body that checks on standards and quality in UK higher education.
She will sit on an Early Childhood studies subgroup exploring Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), as this, ‘forms a unique part of Hope’s Early Childhood single honours programme’.
Dr Anderson adds: “It’s a real honour to join the QAA’s advisory group for Early Childhood studies. And there are real benefits for both the University and for its students.
“And it also ensures that the group’s recommendations can be efficiently implemented onto the course itself, making sure we provide an academic programme that truly prepares students for further study or as leaders of practice.”
A QAA spokesperson revealed how Subject Benchmark Statements describe the nature of study and the academic standards expected of graduates in specific subject areas.
The spokesperson added: “They show what graduates might reasonably be expected to know, do and understand at the end of their studies. They are used as reference points in the design, delivery and review of academic programmes.
“QAA leads the development of the Subject Benchmark Statements and reviews them on a cyclical basis to ensure they are as useful as possible for discipline communities.
“To ensure that the SBS reviews take into account a diverse and broad spectrum of intelligence, opinion and experience on the subject areas considered, each subject area under review has its own advisory group, comprising of members of the academic community, employers, professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs) and students.
“From this year onwards, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), enterprise and entrepreneurship, and accessibility for disabled students will be considered within the remit of the SBS reviews.
“Dr Anderson is joining the sub-group for ESD as this forms a unique part of Liverpool Hope’s Early Childhood single honours programme.”
Dr Anderson’s most recent work has seen she and colleagues in the Early Childhood team carrying out a study into students who have parental responsibilities, and how they’ve juggled their academic and parental responsibilities in the midst of a pandemic.