Postgraduate Teaching Coordinator Network Meeting

1. Postgraduate Teaching Coordinator NetworkMeeting 14th September 2009

2. Scope of the review Teaching observation /student feedback Induction Recruitment New academic or Dr leading a career outside UoN Postgraduate new to teaching at UoN Appointment Initial teaching experiences Initial training Ongoing Professional Development and support

3. Policy and Good Practices at other universities • Who’s teaching what? • Similar teaching roles for PGRs. However, generic role descriptions for postgraduates with sessional contracts (Leeds and Birmingham). • Register of postgraduates able to teach (Leeds) • Restrictions on levels of teaching and assessment according to year of study (Warwick, Birmingham) • Probationary period for postgraduates who teach (Birmingham)

4. Who’s involved at other universities? • Postgraduate (from year 2 of registration) • Lecturer/Module Convenor • ‘Coordinator’ (Birmingham) • Mentoring role – support and / or appraiser (e.g. LSE) • HR (Leeds) • ‘Teaching and Learning Development Office’ (Professional Development) – all universities • University “Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee” – monitoring appointment, training, supervision and monitoring of PGTAs(Birmingham)

5. What support is provided at other universities? • Teaching evaluation process identified with early teaching observation and student feedback (LSE) • Peer support (Leeds) • Mentor responsible for helping new teachers to see other staff teaching (Birmingham) • University handbook for postgraduate teaching assistants (LSE) • Faculty based training offered by central academic development unit (Leeds) • Formal training requirements for a Postgraduate with 20 hours of student contact time (Warwick, Birmingham) • Research findings recommend focus on induction support (major Australian research project at Queensland)

6. Policy section 2: Responsibilities • Is it useful to clarify how postgraduates can be supported by the Module Convenors, Teaching Mentors or PGR Teaching Coordinator in your School / Department? • Do the roles and responsibilities described provide useful and effective support for postgraduates and safeguarding of teaching quality for your School/Department?

7. Policy section 4: Training, induction and support 1) What elements of the skills framework might be adapted for use in your school? As part of an initial review before starting teaching? As part of a review monitoring their performance? 2) What additional support might be needed for Teaching Mentors? 3) Are there other development activities such as HEA subject centre training and conferences that you get involved in?

8. New policy section 8: Evaluation & monitoring postgraduates’ teaching • How do you organise observations of postgraduates’ teaching work? • Do your postgraduates have something similar to an initial review period or probationary period with an appraisal of their teaching session? 3) How would postgraduates receive feedback collected through SET? What other opportunities are there for postgraduates to seek feedback from the students they teach? 4) How do you manage the performance of a postgraduate if they do not or are not able to provide the quality of teaching required of the role? Are there elements of the University’s Performance Improvement Procedure that can provide useful guidance in this situation?

9. Policy section 1: Policy background • Any comments? Any amendments? Any additions?

10. Policy section 3: Appointment and payment 1) How do you currently specify teaching duties to you a postgraduate starting a new teaching role? 2) Teaching hours – Does your department have ways of monitoring the teaching workloads of postgraduates? Do you have restrictions on part-time students’ teaching hours? 3) Eligibility for teaching – how do you allocate second, third or fourth year teaching work to postgraduates?

11. Policy section 5: Involvement in assessment • How do you select postgraduates for work in marking and assessment? 2) What training do you provide within your school/department for postgraduates who are starting to mark undergraduate work?

12. Policy section 6: Involvement in personal tutoring • Do you have any additions?

13. New policy section 7: Involvement in module design • Do you have any comments on this new section? Any good practices you think should be included?

14. New policy section 9: Provision of resources • How can we ensure that postgraduates have appropriate access to resources?

15. Generic Short Courses • A practical look at core teaching skills • How do students learn? • How do you know you are doing a good job? • Marking and Assessment • Assessing students’ work • Demonstrating in laboratory practicals • Designing and leading seminars and tutorials • Lecturing for learning • Supervising students doing undergraduate projects and dissertations

16. Specific Short Courses Chemistry • Demonstrating in laboratory practicals (PD) • Demonstrating in practice (Anna) Approximately 3 months later: • Evaluating your demonstrating practice (PD)

17. Specific Short Courses IWHO • Full day course on Designing and leading seminars and tutorials Computing • Session on Marking and Assessment followed by Demonstrating in CS practicals

20. Numbers not attending Sessions

21. Reasons for non-attendance

22. % not attending Sessions

23. PGR Teaching Award • Annual award designed to recognise outstanding examples of teaching • Call for applications sent out December - 1 side A4 • How you have improved the learning experience of your students by adopting a novel or different teaching approach? • Certificate and £100 book voucher awarded • How to encourage PGRs to apply?

24. Induction Processes Recruitment – PGRs complete questionnaire, application forms, email, offered teaching. Induction – In school, weekly meetings, no induction, individual needs assessment followed by training, informally by the teaching staff. Training – In school, teaching development seminar, specific to practical course, 2 day training event, PD sessions, Teaching Improvement Programme System (TIPS)

25. Induction Processes • PD sessions • No - as the PGRs need to teach in Week 2; PGRs have option to attend; PGRs encourage to attend • Yes - encourage attendance of specific sessions; PD provide a specific course • Support – module convener, convener of Teaching development seminar and Director of Teaching, academic responsible for the practical/course, mentor (academic staff)

26. Induction Processes • Observe other teachers? – No (1/7) • Yes – more experienced PGRs, members of staff, mentor, attend lecture course related to module • Peer observation – No (1/7) • Yes – mentor, included in School peer observation with FT colleagues and module convenor • Handbook – No (6/7), Yes (1/7) • SE of PGR for feedback, annual part-time teachers meeting

27. Guidance or Resources required • How to relate/talk to UGs in workshops and labs • Marking guidance/exercises • Workshops delivered in the school by PD • Training in PPT

28. Any Questions or Comments?