Dumfries and Galloway College (DGC) is proud to announce that its innovative work in enhancing teaching and learning has become the blueprint for a new national professional learning programme.
The College Development Network (CDN) is launching Elevate LT, a funded programme developed in partnership with TeachingHOW2s, inspired directly by DGC’s successful adoption of the HOW2 Platform.
The launch of Elevate LT marks a significant milestone for the Scottish Further Education sector, formalising a powerful model for pedagogical development that was proven effective at DGC. The programme will be rolled out to colleges across Scotland throughout the 2025–26 academic year.
DGC’s journey to becoming a national exemplar began in 2020. After a decade of struggling to meet national performance benchmarks, a new senior leadership team identified a critical need for effective, classroom-focused professional development.
The college implemented a strategic trio of initiatives: fostering an inquiry mindset, introducing a new Observation of Learning Process, and establishing structured Pillars of Learning.
Central to this strategy was the integration of the TeachingHOW2s Platform. This provided lecturers with on-demand, evidence-based teaching techniques, allowing them to reflect on and adapt their practice efficiently amidst demanding schedules.
The results were impressive. Education Scotland’s 2024 report celebrated a “remarkable turnaround,” identifying the college’s quality framework as a major strength and, for the first time, highlighting no areas for further action. The report specifically praised the ‘Observation of Learning Process’ and the use of ‘TeachingHOW2 guidelines’ for engaging staff in career-long professional learning (CLPL).
Student outcomes have improved steadily and consistently, with a 10% increase pushing DGC above the national sector average. Student satisfaction reached 97%, and overall student retention improved by 8%.
Recognising that the challenges DGC overcame were sector-wide, CDN has partnered with TeachingHOW2s to create Elevate LT. This three-stage pilot programme is designed to empower teaching staff across Scotland by replicating the successful DGC model.
Douglas Dickson, Principal and CEO, Dumfries and Galloway College, said: “At Dumfries and Galloway College, we are relentlessly focused on providing the highest quality education for our students. Our partnership with TeachingHOW2s has been a cornerstone of our improvement strategy and has helped our lecturers by enhancing teaching practices.
“We are delighted the College Development Network has recognised this… the national launch of Elevate LT means that the successful methods we pioneered can now benefit lecturers and students across Scotland.”
Phil Storrier, Vice Principal Curriculum and Student Experience, Dumfries and Galloway College, said: “It wasn’t enough to just ask lecturers to ‘do better’ – we needed a tool to foster an inquiry mindset, HOW2 provided a catalyst for that. The measure of our success is when a lecturer stops you in the corridor to talk about teaching and learning. That shift in mindset has been palpable, so we’re thrilled that the approaches we are developing are now being made available to support colleagues across the country.”
A spokesperson for the College Development Network (CDN) said: “The exceptional results achieved by Dumfries and Galloway College provided compelling evidence for a national programme. Their work demonstrated a clear, effective pathway to enhancing teaching practice that leads to tangible improvements in student success and satisfaction. Elevate LT is designed to give every college in Scotland the opportunity to benefit from this proven model.”