Stranmillis University College

[EduCativ]

Stranmillis University College was established in 1922 'to provide teacher training for Northern Ireland'. In 2015 Teacher Education remains its core mission, however, in recognition of the multi-professional approach that is critical to the education of children, the expanded undergraduate portfolio offers a broader range of professionally related academic programs - the BA in Early Childhood Studies and BSc in Health, Physical Activity, and Sport. These professional degree programs complement and support core elements of the BEd program and the PGCE in Early Years Education and ensure that students coming to Stranmillis have the opportunity to learn and develop competences in a multi-professional environment.

The College's mission now extends beyond Northern Ireland. The University College works with an extensive range of partners in Europe, America, Africa, China, and Malaysia. This involves a commitment to international work through student and staff mobility programs. On average, some 90 international students from Europe, the United States of America, Africa, and China come to study at Stranmillis each academic year. The University College continues to prioritize the ongoing development of teachers and other professionals by offering a range of postgraduate opportunities through its Master's programs - the MEd, MTeach, and MA (Early Childhood Studies). The focus is on developing Master's modules relevant to current issues within the professional practice and policy contexts.

To sustain a vibrant, inclusive learning community, educating, shaping, and enriching society through excellence in teaching, scholarship, and research.' We are committed to developing policies and programs which aim to continuously improve our teaching and scholarship activities for the benefit of children and young people in our society and further afield. The following values underpin everything we do:

• We pursue excellence
• We embrace diversity
• We champion collaboration
• We promote social responsibility
• We practice good governance.

The College has undertaken a recent review of its Education Strategy. It is based on the following principles:

• Active and enriched engagement between staff and students is central to the delivery of a high-quality educational experience
• Academic excellence underpins all – the students, the curriculum, the staff, the facilities - and is available to a diverse student body based on their ability and potential to succeed within the learning environment that Stranmillis offers.
• The student experience is aligned in a continuum from school to university, undergraduate to postgraduate, and towards employment and modern-day citizenship, taking account of where the student has come from and where he or she is going to
• Student experience should be differentiated to reflect the diverse needs and expectations of undergraduate and postgraduate taught students
• Innovative teaching and assessment, making optimum use of technological developments, underpins the delivery of the curriculum and students' active engagement in their learning
• Curriculum development must be actively responsive to changing student demand and employer and societal need, both in terms of what is delivered and how it is delivered
• Graduate attributes are developed through the curriculum and co-curricular activities, enabling students to fulfill their role as citizens of modern-day global society and achieve graduate employment nationally and globally.

Stranmillis University College is committed to the vision of developing a research culture that supports teaching and learning and influences policy and practice. The College considers research as fundamental to the development of open and critical minds, fostered by students working with the staff at the forefront of subject knowledge and professional practice. The University College's main areas of activity are:

• The initial undergraduate and postgraduate education of teachers for nursery, primary and special schools in all sectors
• The initial undergraduate education of teachers for specific subject areas in secondary schools and colleges in all sectors
• The professional development of serving teachers from all types of schools and of other education professionals
• The vocational, undergraduate education of professionals to work across the whole spectrum of the Early Years sector
• The vocational, undergraduate education of professionals to work in organizations involved in health promotion, fitness, and leisure
• The operation of a conference center on both a residential and a non-residential basis.

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