Academic Development

Working with students and staff across the University to support learning and teaching excellence

Our ambition is to transform student learning and enhance education. We support students directly with our courses and teaching sessions, international student support and Peer Learning schemes.

We also provide development opportunities to support academic staff to deliver high-quality learning and teaching with teaching qualifications, guidance, advice and training.

Change Agents Network Conference 2025

We are proud to be the host of the 12^th Change Agents’ Network (CAN) Conference in May 2025, supported by Jisc.

The conference theme is ‘The impact of student-staff partnerships on learning in an ever changing higher-education environment’ and we welcome contributions from students and staff, new and returning to CAN.

Sub-themes:

Celebrating and recognising students as experts by their experience and involvement in educational activities.
Students as change agents in the community and the role of universities in civic responsibility.
Use of AI in the educational experiences of diverse students however they study with us.
Shaping the evolving offer of education with students, codesigning and rethinking curriculum design.

Save the date

27 May 2025: Conference day 1 (online)
29 May 2025: Conference day 2 (in person at Plymouth)

Call for papers open – submit an abstract

In September 2023, the University of Plymouth was rated TEF Gold across the board. The TEF rating lasts for four years from September 2023, and full details can be found on the Office for Students website.

The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) is a national scheme run by the Government’s Office for Students (OfS) to encourage higher education providers to improve and deliver excellence in the areas that students care about the most: teaching, learning, and achieving positive outcomes from their studies.

The OfS evaluation gives universities an overall rating as well as two underpinning ratings – one for the student experience and one for student outcomes.

Our services

Student academic skills

Digital Education

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - Teaching and Learning

Teaching resources and guidance

Peer Assisted Learning

Teacher Development

Getty images. Education policy. policy documents

English Language Centre

Online Futures

Launching in January 2025

Our mission to advance knowledge and transform lives is threaded throughout our teaching, learning and student experience, supporting our students to realise their potential and succeed in their futures however they study with us.

In our Education and Student Experiences Strategy 2024–2030, a key strategic priority is to design and deliver a portfolio of transformative and flexible online education with a global reach, of the highest quality.

Our Online Futures hub will launch in January 2025 working in collaboration with flagship disciplines to launch new programmes of study.