Scotland’s STEP programme marks first-year progress with collaborative Discovery Day at Fife College

It's nearly a year since students and colleagues from Scotland's colleges, universities and sector agencies first came together, last December, at the University of Stirling for our inaugural STEP Discovery Day.

Launched in autumn 2024, Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) is the national enhancement programme that enables Scotland's colleges and universities to work together to develop initiatives to enhance the learner experience. It is sector owned and managed jointly by QAA Scotland and College Development Network (CDN).

STEP focuses on collaborative projects designed to create positive impacts for Scotland's tertiary education sector. Every four years, a new topic will be chosen around which these projects will be based. The topic for STEP's first cycle (2024–2028) is Supporting Diverse Learner Journeys.

Following last year's series of "Discovery" events – which took place in Stirling, Inverness, Glasgow and Dundee, and which laid the groundwork for the projects we have now launched – the development of our STEP initiative is today in full flow.

Our first STEP event this academic year took place on Tuesday 18 November – a cold and wet day with weather warnings hanging over Scotland – but received a warm welcome from the event's hosts at Fife College's new Dunfermline City Campus, a modern and flexible learning space that is designed to produce net zero carbon emissions.

More than 80 students and colleagues from Scottish colleges, universities and sector agencies – including a strong showing of new STEP Network student members – had braved the weather, travelling from as far as the Scottish Borders and the Isle of Skye, to contribute to the day's lively and productive discussions.

The day opened with updates from each of the STEP project teams, allowing all the participants to get up to speed with the initiatives that are already underway.

"For most of the day, the project teams worked together to progress their work," says QAA Scotland's Alison Eales. "Then when we all came back together for our closing plenary, they said that these teamworking sessions had been really fruitful and that they now felt much more confident in their projects.

"Our discussions generated some invaluable suggestions, both about gaps in the programme and around practical elements of delivery. I'm glad to say we received very positive feedback on the day, with participants emphasising the value of coming together in person to progress their work and to meet and share ideas with others from across the sector.

"We're very much looking forward to seeing everyone at our next in-person meeting in Edinburgh in January!"

Reflecting on the event, Dr Gail Toms, CDN's Delivery and Engagement Partner, added: "STEP is already helping to shape real improvements for learners across Scotland. With its focus on Supporting Diverse Learner Journeys, the enthusiasm at this latest event shows how invested colleagues and students are in creating positive change. CDN is delighted to be working alongside QAA Scotland and the wider sector to drive this important work forward."