CDN’s Delivery and Engagement Partner, Stephen Grainger, takes a closer look at the Elevate LT Programme, a funded professional learning initiative created with TeachingHOW2s.
Strengthening Learning and Teaching Across Scotland’s Colleges
The Elevate LT programme – developed by CDN in partnership with TeachingHOW2s – is a national initiative designed to strengthen learning and teaching practice across Scotland’s colleges. It offers a practical, evidence‑based approach that helps lecturers embed transformative teaching strategies supported by the TeachingHOW2s platform, its integrated AI tools and a series of training sessions hosted by CDN’s Delivery and Engagement team.
How it works
Each participating college forms an Elevate LT group, made up of Advanced Practitioners (APs) and teaching staff committed to enhancing their practice. These groups take part in structured activities including peer observations, coaching conversations, and guided use of TeachingHOW2s resources, creating a sustainable model for long‑term professional development.
The programme takes inspiration from existing successful sector practice. Dumfries and Galloway College, for example, have demonstrated how evidence‑based teaching techniques and strong professional learning cultures can drive major improvements in student outcomes, staff confidence, and organisational performance – successes that helped shape the design of Elevate LT.
In this pilot year, it has been fantastic to see 176 staff from 22 of Scotland’s colleges benefit from participation in the programme.
Susie Wilson, Learning and Teaching Enhancement Lead at UHI Argyll said: “Involvement in the Elevate LT programme has served to rejuvenate our engagement in teaching, learning and (formative) assessment activities. This is true for the Participants and the Advanced Practitioners on the programme. The emphasis on activities in which students engage with the resources is particularly welcome; it has helped to shift our focus away from what we have to deliver to ways in which our students can engage”
Susanne Thomson, Quality Enhancement Lecturer at West College Scotland also commented: “The programme is hugely beneficial to those who are new to teaching but also helps experienced lecturers to reinvigorate their approach and bring fresh energy to their professional practice.”
Project Stages
Elevate LT has three distinct stages:
Ignite & Initiate – colleges establish their Elevate LT groups.
Engage & Empower – staff undergo training and participate in peer observations, incorporating the TeachingHOW2s platform.
Reflect & Refine – participants evaluate the impact of new techniques, share learning, and shape future practice.
The current pilot is now at the Reflect & Refine stage. Focus groups have been held and all participants will soon be given the opportunity to provide feedback via planned sessions and an online survey. Initial conversations with staff involved are already proving to be very positive.
“As a member of the senior leadership team, I was keen to explore whether the Elevate LT Pilot could be scaled effectively across our institution. The use of the How2 platform provided a strong foundation for discussing teaching approaches, giving colleagues a shared language and structure. The subsequent observations flowed naturally from this, and the coaching element added real depth to the process. The training offered by CDN acted as a launch pad for us, enabling further discussion and helping us consider how to adapt the model to suit our unique institutional context. Colleagues who engaged with the pilot reported feeling more confident in trying new approaches, knowing they had a clear, supportive framework to guide them. Most opted to focus on a barrier they were facing and used this as a platform for rich professional exploration. The pilot created space for meaningful professional dialogue, something that can often be hard to prioritise but is essential for building a reflective, collaborative teaching culture.” – Lee Lappin, Director of Curriculum and Partnerships at Dundee and Angus College.
Next Steps
Elevate LT is clearly empowering staff, strengthening pedagogy, and fostering positive learning environments. With fully funded places and a strong foundation in evidence‑based practice, the programme represents a significant investment in the future of Scotland’s college sector.
It will soon be ‘chocks away’ for Elevate LT 2.0. If you would like to be on board, contact Stephen Grainger, CDN Delivery and Engagement Partner:
