The programmes for the Changing the Learning Landscape workshops are now available online.
These free one-day events have been designed to support the effective adoption and use of learning technologies within universities and colleges offering HE. Changing the Learning Landscape (CLL) aims to bring about changes in approaches to technology in learning and teaching within institutions.
The HEA is running 12 free CLL workshops for academics and those working in development and support roles, running between March and May 2013 at venues across the country.
Eight of the workshops are discipline related and are designed to suit academic staff who would like to update or develop their learning technology experience. Four of the workshops are aimed at staff with curriculum and teaching development and professional support roles in institutions. CLL is a HEFCE funded project being run collaboratively between Jisc, the National Union of Students (NUS), the Association for Learning Technology (ALT), the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and the HEA.
For more information please visit the CLL pages of the HEA website. The programmes can be found on each of the individual events pages.

Effective internationalisation in UK higher education is more than a set of activities; it serves the whole university community, contributing to a rewarding culture. Likewise, successful alumni engagement extends beyond fundraising and sees alumni contributing to a wide range of meaningful and innovative programmes which add value to the international efforts of their institutions.
Strategic affinity: engaging international alumni to support internationalisation, a new report from the Higher Education Academy (HEA), builds on existing work to examine the synergies between alumni relations and internationalisation (along with careers services and international recruitment), highlighting case studies of good practice and making recommendations for development activity.
Strategic affinity, written by Nik Miller, Head of Alumni Engagement at the University of York, includes case studies from UK higher education institutions in three categories: supporting academic development; promoting global employability and promoting international recruitment. Other case studies relate to the broader issues of understanding and nurturing the international alumni community. Read more...

Erasmus for all/YES Europe trialogue: EUCIS-LLL and the European Youth Forum calling Doris Pack to secure our main concerns
While trialogue discussions have started on the next funding programme for education, training, youth and sport, EUCIS-LLL together with the European Youth Forum sent a joint letter to MEP Doris Pack, Chairman of the CULT Committee, main rapporteur and negotiations leader on the future programme for the Parliament. A similar letter has also been sent to shadow rapporteurs and Julie Anderson, Irish Education Attachée and representing the Council in the negotiations. The letter calls to endorse key amendments reflecting our main concerns such as operational support for civil society organisations in education, training and youth, a specific chapter for the youth sector, more civil society involvement in the future programme and the recognition of volunteer time contribution as source of co-funding (recognised in Article 127 of the new EU’s Financial Regulation).  Julie Anderson declared during the last CULT Committee (20 February) that the Council’s modified Partial General Approach was including one third of the Parliament’s amendments. Next trialogue meeting is foreseen to take place on 19 March, if not earlier.

In spite of national and EU-level strategies on gender equality, European research still suffers from a considerable loss and inefficient use of highly skilled women. The annual increase in female researchers is less than half the annual number of female PhD graduates and too few women are in leadership positions or involved in decision-making. In 2005 the Council set a goal for women to be in 25% of leading public sector research positions, but in 2009 only 13% of the heads of higher education institutions were women. The integration of a gender dimension into the design, evaluation and implementation of research is also still too limited. The challenge is to improve on all these points to increase the quality and relevance of research. The Commission is already committed to ensure 40% of the under-represented sex in all its expert groups, panels and committees and will apply this particularly under Horizon 2020.
Encouraging gender diversity to foster science excellence and relevance.

Brussels will host International Language Days on 8 and 9 March 2013 at the Square-Brussels Meeting Centre.
It is well known that learning a foreign language opens the door to more job opportunities. Successful events have been held in Italy and Spain and now, for the first time, International Language Days will take place in Brussels on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 March 2013.
During these two days, you can get information on living, studying or working in over 40 destinations in four continents. You can find out about traineeship and work opportunities abroad, opportunities to learn a foreign language or how to improve your language skills.
You will get the chance to speak to professionals who deal with stays abroad, and to people who employ foreigners and organise traineeships. You can also find out about the visas that students and workers need to study or work abroad, as well as language exams such as TOEIC and Cambridge ESOLS. There will be interesting seminars and workshops on topics such as how to write an international CV and traineeship opportunities in foreign countries.
If you are interested in learning a foreign language, improving your language skills or staying abroad for some time as a trainee or employee, do not miss International Language Days this weekend!
More on International Language Days.

The European Commission’s 'eTwinning' network, which has encouraged 100 000 schools in 33 European countries to talk to each other via the internet, will be extended from today to schools in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
The launch of 'eTwinning Plus' will enable these countries to join a massive virtual classroom in which pupils and teachers can learn more about their counterparts and take part in interactive projects focused on language learning or maths, for instance. It is also an opportunity for youngsters to discover different cultures and traditions– as well as to find out what they have in common.
"eTwinning is a brilliant educational project with enormous potential to break down barriers. The contacts we have facilitated between schools are incredibly beneficial to everyone involved; eTwinning gives them the freedom to develop creative and inter-cultural educational projects, while also encouraging children to develop their ICT skills. With eTwinning Plus, we are taking this network to a new level," said Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.
eTwinning Plus is a pilot project initiated as part as the EU's Neighbourhood policy, under the 'Contacts between people' platform which aims to enhance dialogue with Eastern partners. The Commission plans to gradually roll out the scheme to Southern neighbourhood countries, starting with Tunisia. To start with, the eTwinning Plus platform will use English and Russian as its main languages, with French and Arabic to follow at a later stage. As well as serving as a meeting point for pupils and teachers to share ideas, it will also enable schools to find partners for joint projects.
To help establish the network, a partner support agency has been set up in each of the neighbouring countries involved. These organisations will promote eTwinning Plus at the national level, ensure it meets the needs of schools and organise training sessions for teachers. They will select participating schools on the basis of their computer equipment and knowledge of languages. They will ensure that rural and urban schools, as well as children from different socio-economic backgrounds, are involved.
The budget for eTwinning Plus is € 834 000: around half of this sum will be invested in developing the new online platform and coordination work, with the remainder allocated to co-funding the partner support agencies. The allocation by country is as follows: Armenia € 64 000, Azerbaijan € 80 000, Georgia € 64 000, Moldova € 80 000 and Ukraine € 96 000.

We recently spoke with Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Worldwide Public Sector Education at Microsoft Corporation, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona 2013. Salcito works with education institutions to embrace technology to optimize learning environments and student achievement.
What challenges does fomenting innovation in schools currently face?
At the moment, youth unemployment in some European Union member states exceeds 50%. The preparation of young people for the labor market has to be improved, especially since companies hire their workforce primarily on the basis of skills. Collaboration, communication, and leadership skills should be at the center of schools’ education. Read more...

The International Association of Universities (IAU) has just launched a new information service: IAU Highlights from the Press. It provides an overview of articles (in French or English) on higher education topics as they have appeared in the press worldwide. Aiming to assist leaders of IAU Member institutions and organizations keep track of trends in higher education worldwide, and also to note subjects of high interest to the press, it is sent by e-mail to IAU Members nine times/year and made available to all on the IAU Website at a later date.
The first issue is available here.
For further information, please contact: Information Centre.

A report on the uses and impact of HEFCE’s funding for widening participation (WP) shows that there is widespread agreement that the funding provided by HEFCE has had a significant impact upon WP activity and enhanced outcomes.
The report, commissioned by HEFCE from CFE consultants and Edge Hill University, investigates the way in which HEFCE’s funding for WP is used by institutions. This report will provide evidence for the national strategy for access and student success which HEFCE and the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) are jointly developing. The research has found evidence that the introduction of this funding has helped to formalise and integrate WP work within institutions, leading to a shift in organisational culture and attitudes. The research notes that systematically evaluating the impact of WP interventions and of the funding has proved challenging for most institutions. Continuing to improve the evidence base for ‘what works’ in WP and better targeting of funding will be a focus of the national strategy for access and student success. Read the report on the uses and impact of WP funding.

An interim report on the development of a national strategy to promote fair access and student success in higher education has been published today.
The report, submitted to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) by HEFCE and the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), brings together current knowledge of what works to widen participation in higher education.
It gives an early assessment of how investment in widening participation is meeting, and might be used in future to meet, the Government’s aims and objectives including its commitment to social mobility.
It also examines how HEFCE’s and OFFA’s processes can be more closely aligned to improve coherence and minimise the administrative burden on universities and colleges.
HEFCE and OFFA will submit their final report to Ministers in autumn 2013, building on the evidence and emerging priorities identified in this interim report.
For further information, please contact Helen Albon at HEFCE, tel 0117 931 7076, or Zita Adamson at OFFA, tel 0117 931 7272.
Download National Strategy for Access and Student Success: interim report.