Entries for the CDN College Awards 2026, proudly delivered by CDN, are now officially closed, and we are delighted to share an incredible 195 submissions from colleges across Scotland.

This fantastic response is a true celebration of the talent, creativity, and innovation thriving across the sector. Year after year, the College Awards shine a spotlight on the inspiring achievements of colleges, their staff, and learners – showcasing excellence, impact, and the real difference being made in communities across Scotland.

This year marks the 27th anniversary of the College Awards, and for nearly three decades the Awards have recognised the vital role colleges play in transforming lives, supporting communities, and contributing to Scotland’s economy.

A huge thank you to everyone who submitted entries – your work continues to inspire, and we look forward to celebrating it all very soon.

Key dates

We are also delighted to welcome back Amy Irons as Master of Ceremonies for this year’s awards evening.

This is #YourCDN – supporting every college, every staff member, every step of the way.

View College Awards here.

CDN’s Elevate LT programme returns for its second year, continuing to provide a practical, evidence-based professional learning opportunity designed to strengthen learning and teaching practice across Scotland’s college sector.

Developed in partnership with TeachingHOW2s, the programme supports staff to embed transformative approaches and evidence-based teaching techniques, enhanced through innovative digital tools, including AI-supported resources. The focus is on improving teaching practice and enhancing learner outcomes through accessible, high-impact professional learning.

Following a successful pilot year, the programme will run across 2026–27, with colleges allocated a number of free places. Building on strong engagement and positive feedback, Elevate LT continues to grow in reach and ambition.

The three-stage model brings together college lecturers from across Scotland to develop skills, apply evidence-informed approaches, and share practice – supporting positive, inclusive learning environments. All participating colleges will receive CDN support through training and resources, including on-demand learning and Elevate LT Collective sessions, combining flexible learning with opportunities for shared discussion and live input.

There is no fee to participate, but colleges are asked to commit fully to engagement with the programme. The blended format combines on-demand learning with scheduled TeachingHOW2s platform sessions, allowing learning and teaching practitioners to develop their practice alongside existing workloads.

Crucially, Elevate LT provides a shared space for the sector – bringing practitioners together to exchange ideas, reflect on practice, and improve learning and teaching across Scotland’s colleges.

Dr Paula Christie, Head of Delivery and Engagement at CDN, said:

“Elevate LT continues to demonstrate the value of collaborative, evidence-based professional learning. It supports meaningful development that enhances learning and teaching for students.”

A participating college from the pilot cohort said:

“The CDN Elevate LT programme has enabled Dundee and Angus College to review, refine, and enhance our approach to the professional development of our teaching staff.

Framed as enhancement rather than change, the use of the TeachingHOW2s platform encouraged practical discussion about teaching, learning, and improvement. This encouraged staff to reflect on their practice, share ideas, and work together to identify solutions and next steps. The pilot has created space for high-quality professional conversations, something that can be difficult to prioritise, but is essential for a reflective and collaborative culture.”

Julie Grace, Vice Principal Curriculum and Partnerships, Dundee and Angus College

Registrations for Elevate LT are now open.

As the academic year comes to a close, CDN has published its Review of the Year 2025/26, highlighting a year of progress, collaboration, and impact across Scotland’s college sector.

The annual review reflects CDN’s ongoing commitment to supporting Scotland’s colleges, staff, and students, with a focus on strengthening leadership, enhancing professional practice, and driving continuous improvement across the sector.

Alongside the written report, CDN has also released a video review, capturing key moments and milestones from the past year. The video brings the organisation’s work to life, showcasing achievements and celebrating the collective efforts of college staff and partners across Scotland.

Together, the report and video reflect CDN’s continued commitment to driving excellence, strengthening leadership and practice, and supporting enhancement and improvement across Scotland’s college sector.

This is #YourCDN — supporting every college, every staff member, every step of the way.

View the video here
View the report here

As the academic year comes to a close, this month’s #YourCDN Update reflects on progress, collaboration and innovation across Scotland’s college sector – showcasing the work supporting staff, students and leaders to thrive in a changing landscape.

A key highlight this month is the publication of the CDN Annual Review 2025/26, capturing a year of activity, impact and development across the sector. Alongside the written report, CDN is also pleased to share a new video review, bringing to life key moments, achievements and stories from across the organisation’s work. Together, they reflect CDN’s continued commitment to strengthening leadership and practice, driving excellence, and supporting enhancement across Scotland’s colleges.

We also celebrate the launch of the Pass the Ball for Scotland national campaign, developed through CDN’s Marketing and Communications Strategic Network. Timed to coincide with Scotland’s return to the FIFA World Cup after 28 years, the campaign highlights ambition, opportunity and pride – connecting football culture with college life and showcasing the shared values of teamwork, aspiration and progress across the sector.

This month also sees a range of opportunities and developments across #YourCDN, including:

Across all of this work, CDN continues to support leadership development, strengthen professional practice and enable collaboration across Scotland’s colleges.

Read #YourCDN June Update here

We are seeking expressions of interest from current students based in the Scottish tertiary education sector to become topic leads for Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP).

We are looking to appoint one-college-based student topic lead and one university-based student topic lead. We are looking to appoint individuals who continuing their studies through academic year 2026-27 and who have student representation experience institutional or sectoral levels.

Delivered by CDN and QAA Scotland, and funded by the Scottish Funding Council, STEP is Scotland’s national enhancement programme for tertiary education.

STEP aims to drive lasting improvement across colleges and universities through collaboration and innovation. It supports the development and implementation of collaborative projects designed to create positive impacts for Scotland’s tertiary education sector. These projects support and promote the sector’s commitment to collaboration, innovation, and enhancing the learner experience. The core topic for STEP’s current cycle (2024–2028) is Supporting Diverse Learner Journeys.

A core team, comprising two staff and two student topic leads, champions STEP initiatives across Scotland. Working closely with QAA and CDN, their insights help shape and support the operational delivery of STEP, in alignment with the topic of Supporting Diverse Learner Journeys, with particular emphases on:

STEP topic leads are expected to attend meetings of the STEP Steering Group (these meetings take place four times each year, usually online), co-chair the STEP Topic Leadership Group (these meetings take place at least four times each year, usually online), attend meetings of the STEP Network of staff and student representatives from each institution in Scotland (these meetings take place four times each year, typically in person), and engage with STEP evaluation activities.

Outgoing Student Topic Lead Adelayo Adebayo from the University of Stirling says:

‘Being a Student Topic Lead has been incredibly rewarding. The role has allowed me to contribute strategically to sector-wide enhancement work, collaborate meaningfully with staff and students across institutions, and ensure that the student voice shapes key priorities. It’s also been a valuable opportunity for personal development, building confidence, leadership skills, and a deeper understanding of quality assurance and enhancement across the tertiary sector.’

The deadline for the receipt of expressions of interest is on Friday 14 August.

More information about applying for these roles can be found below:

Student Topic Leads Information Sheet 2026

Student Topic Leads Nomination Form 2026

The Colleges Action Inquiry Research Network (CAIRN) Journal is pleased to announce the publication of Issue 5, now available to read online here.

CDN is proud to host the CAIRN Journal, a key platform supporting practitioner-led scholarship and research within Scotland’s college sector. The journal continues to provide a space for college-based educators and researchers to share innovative practice, critical reflection, and sector-relevant inquiry that strengthens teaching and learning across tertiary education.

About This Issue

Issue 5 showcases a diverse range of contributions from across the sector, highlighting innovative educational practice through research articles, reflective pieces, and short narratives. This edition reflects the breadth and depth of practitioner research taking place within Scotland’s colleges and partner institutions.

Contributions include the CAIRN editorial, Many voices, one community: educator-research across the tertiary sector by Christine Calder and Pauline Hanesworth (SRUC); STEPS Framework for Inclusive Practice: Addressing Educational Challenges and Supporting Female Muslim Students (FMS) in Scottish Further Education by Dr Amal Elramli (West College Scotland); Do Undergraduate Students of the University of the Highlands and Islands have a Preference for Print over eBooks? by Carol Hart (UHI Inverness / University of the Highlands and Islands); Launchpad: Embedding Entrepreneurial Mindsets at Glasgow Clyde College – One Year On by Claire Glen (Glasgow Clyde College); Seeing the Forest for the Degrees: Using the Forest School Ethos to Rewild Tertiary Learning by Ely Blyth and Lucy Thornton (SRUC); and Learning by Influence: A Personal Reflection on Social Contagion in the FE Classroom by Steven Addy (West Lothian College).

Get Involved

The CAIRN Editorial Board warmly welcomes submissions from across the college sector. Draft proposals for Issue 6 (December 2026) are due by 9 October 2026.

If you are interested in contributing to a future issue, further guidance on submitting your paper is available online here.

We hope you enjoy Issue 5 and welcome feedback and contributions as the journal continues to grow as a collaborative space for practitioner research across Scotland’s colleges.

Read CAIRN Issue 5 here.

Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) is pleased to support this special College Edition of the Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice (JPAAP).

STEPping over the threshold and beyond – supporting diverse learner journeys across colleges and universities

Nearly two years on from the launch of Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme, we are delighted (alongside CDN and QAA Scotland) to invite contributions to a new Special Issue.

We are particularly keen to hear from colleagues working in Further Education colleges, where innovative, relationship-centred, and practice-led work are central to supporting diverse learner journeys. Whether your work is based in the classroom, support services, partnership projects, or community engagement, your experiences and insights are highly valued.

This Special Issue offers an opportunity to showcase on the rich, collaborative work happening across colleges and universities, deepening our shared understanding of diverse learner journeys across the tertiary sector.

We welcome a wide range of contribution styles

We recognise that valuable insights don’t always sit neatly within traditional academic papers. We therefore strongly encourage submissions in accessible and practice-focused formats, including:

If you have something to share about what works, what you’ve learned, or what you are still exploring, we would love to hear from you.

Themes of interest

Contributions might explore (but are not limited to):

Above all, we are interested in real-world practice, partnership working, and impact on learners.

Submitting your proposal

 Submit by: 24 June 2026
Email: C.Cunningham@napier.ac.uk
Use the proposal form available here: https://jpaap.ac.uk/JPAAP/information/authors

Please also include a short bio (50 words) for each author.

Key dates

Got a question or want to talk through an idea?

We warmly welcome informal conversations, especially from colleagues who may be new to publishing or unsure if their work ‘fits.’

Contact: Catriona Cunningham (JPAAP Editorial Team) C.Cunningham@napier.ac.uk

Your voice matters and we look forward to hearing your story.

This month’s #YourCDN Update highlights the collaboration, innovation, and opportunities supporting Scotland’s college sector, with a focus on strengthening leadership, inclusion, and practice across the system.

This month, we’re pleased to highlight the launch of Creating Safer Colleges — a practical toolkit developed by CDN in partnership with Colleges Scotland. The resource supports colleges to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) and harassment, bringing together guidance, evidence, and specialist input to strengthen trauma-informed, consistent approaches across the sector. Developed with partners including Rape Crisis Scotland and White Ribbon Scotland, it supports a whole-college approach to creating safer and more inclusive environments.

We also feature the latest opportunities and developments from across #YourCDN, including:

There’s plenty to explore — discover what’s new and how it can support your practice, leadership, and innovation across Scotland’s colleges.

Read the full May CDN Update here

Scotland’s tertiary sector came together in force this week as Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) hosted a vibrant programme of events at Glasgow Caledonian University, leading to a high-demand national conference attended by more than 200 delegates from across Scotland.

The week began on Tuesday 26 May with STEP Network event 8 – the eighth STEP Day and final Network gathering of the academic year – bringing together more than 60 colleagues from across the tertiary sector.

Hosted at Glasgow Caledonian University, the event showcased strong progress across STEP projects. Teams from Appreciating Belonging and Enabling Change: From Strategy to Practice, Regional Enhancement and Collaboration in Tertiary Scotland (REACTS), and Supporting Neurodivergent Students with Professional Dialogue in Work-Based Learning Settings provided updates on their work, highlighting collaboration and shared learning across the programme.

A key highlight was an interactive LEGO® Serious Play session led by CDN’s Valerie Jackman, encouraging delegates to explore collaboration, challenge and change through a creative, hands-on approach. The day also included networking and reflection on STEP’s second year.

Momentum continued the following day with the 2026 STEP conference, Stepping Over the Threshold: Belonging and Inclusion in Scotland’s Tertiary Sector, which attracted exceptionally high interest from across Scotland’s tertiary sector.

The conference focused on belonging, inclusion and the transitions shaping learner experiences. Delegates took part in keynote sessions, provocations, workshops and lightning talks designed to support enhancement across the sector.

The conference opened with a Provocations Panel chaired by CDN’s Gordon Hunt. Panellists included Colin Campbell, student at New College Lanarkshire; Joanna Campbell, Principal and CEO of Glasgow Kelvin College; and Nazira Karodia, Professor of Science Education and Deputy Vice Chancellor at Edinburgh Napier University. The panel reflected on the conference themes and wider sector efforts to support diverse learner journeys.

A series of lightning talks highlighted practice across work-integrated learning, neurodiversity support in practice-based settings, student and staff experiences of learning, and approaches to strengthening belonging through curriculum design and mentoring.

Workshops led by STEP project teams and partners explored inclusive assessment, regional collaboration, personalised support in STEM pathways, disabled student experiences, neurodiversity-affirming practice, and student voice and representation.

Keynotes included spoken word poet Bethany Rose, who delivered An Invitation to the Party, and surprise guest Robin Ince, with Letting the Wild Minds and the Quiet Minds Thrive, both offering creative and thought-provoking perspectives on inclusion and learning.

The conference also featured welcome remarks from Mairi Watson and Julie Grace and closing reflections from Helen Scott, Co-Chairs of the STEP Steering Group. Catherine Canning and Eilidh Fulton exhibited findings from the NEO Thematic Review, Safety and Belonging in Tertiary Education.

Together, STEP Network event 8 and the national conference demonstrated strong collaboration across Scotland’s tertiary sector and a shared commitment to inclusive, supportive and empowering learning experiences.

View Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) here

CDN in partnership with Colleges Scotland and stakeholders across the sector, has launched Creating Safer Colleges: A practical toolkit to strengthen college responses to gender-based violence (GBV) and harassment.

The toolkit brings together practical guidance, evidence, and specialist expertise to support colleges in preventing and responding to GBV and harassment, and in creating safe, inclusive learning and working environments for all students and staff.

Developed collaboratively with colleges and specialist partners, the resource reflects a shared commitment across Scotland’s college sector to strengthening consistent, trauma-informed approaches to tackling GBV. It also builds on the findings of CDN and Colleges Scotland’s 2025 survey report, Colleges’ Approach to Tackling Gender-based Violence and Harassment, which highlighted both progress across the sector and ongoing challenges, including resource pressures and the need for consistent practice.

The toolkit provides practical guidance for staff at all levels, recognising that GBV and harassment remain significant issues in the tertiary education sector. It offers trauma-informed approaches to responding safely and appropriately, clear referral pathways, and practical examples of good practice to support consistent and compassionate responses. It is designed to support a whole-college approach, reinforcing the role of leadership, staff, and students in creating safe and respectful environments.

Creating Safer Colleges has been developed in partnership with colleges, student associations, and specialist organisations with expertise in GBV prevention and support. Contributors include EmilyTest, Rape Crisis Scotland, White Ribbon Scotland, Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre, and others across the sector and third sector. This collaborative approach reflects a shared commitment to learning from specialist expertise and ensuring lived experience informs practice.

Marie Hendry, Chief Executive of CDN, said:
“Gender-based violence and harassment are urgent, systemic challenges that impact learners and staff across the sector. This toolkit reflects a shared commitment to creating environments where everyone feels respected, supported, and able to participate fully in college life.”

Gavin Donoghue, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland, said:
“Colleges have a vital role to play in creating safe, respectful environments where all students and staff can thrive. This toolkit will help colleges build on the progress already being made, offering clear, practical guidance to strengthen responses to gender-based violence and harassment.”

The Creating Safer Colleges toolkit is now available to colleges across Scotland.

Read the toolkit here.