Introduction Impact Through Teaching

Dr Liz Andrew

Life Sciences

Dr Claire Stocks

Humanities

Brainstorming

What does it mean to be a teaching fellow?

1. What does the teaching entail?

2. What skills do you need to be a good teaching fellow?

3. What other things might you be expected to do?

4. How can you improve your skills?

TF comments 1

What does it mean to be a teaching fellow?

I teach undergraduate and postgraduate students,

in both lecture and seminar format.

I supervise undergraduate and MA dissertations, but not PhDs.

I am a personal tutor to approx 25 students.

I am required to 2nd mark and moderate coursework and exams for

other lecturers' courses.

The greatest part of my teaching load is preparing for seminars and lectures

and marking.

I spend between 4 - 6 hours actually teaching a week, though preparing

for these contact hours takes considerably longer.

Approx 1 day a week is spent seeing personal tutees, dissertation students or students on my

courses on an individual basis.

I convene the first year language course and have a team of 11 tutors and academics.

TF comments 2

What does it mean to be a teaching fellow?

I really enjoy teaching and don't, as I believe some

academics do, see it as an inconvenience.

I am continually learning from my curriculum

development, my class preparation and my

students of course. 

I have been able to complete some research over

the past 2 years (during weekends and holidays), and should have a

couple of publications coming out next year. These are discipline based

rather than pedagogically-focused.

FLS TFs

Some of the Teaching Focused Lecturers in FLS

I’m involved with development and implementation of some innovative projects: Peer Assisted Study Scheme (PASS), and the Life Science Enterprise Project for Yr3 students

I coordinate medical clinical skills, and pharmacology for nurses.

I recently co-wrote an new edition of a pharmacology textbook.

I am developing an accredited BSc in haematology.

I’m extensively involved in the delivery and design of undergraduate courses for medical, dental, nursing and life science students.

I am a Field Course coordinator, and take students to South Africa

to study animal behaviour. I’m an honorary EBL fellow by the Centre of Excellence for Enquiry Based Learning.

I run clinics for Yr3 optometry.I’m a practical examiner for the Association of British Dispensing

Opticians.

University of Exeter TF criteria

Teaching fellow job profiles

• Teaching and learning support

• Scholarship

• Communication

• Liaison and networking

• Managing people

• Teamwork

• Pastoral care

• Initiative, problem-solving and decision-making

• Planning and managing resources

• Sensory, physical and emotional demands

• Expertise

Teaching & Learning Support

Teaching and Learning Support

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Design, develop and produce teaching and learning material and deliver either across a range of modules or within a subject area.

• Use appropriate teaching, learning support and assessment methods.

• Supervise student projects and the academic elements of field trips and, where appropriate, placements.

• Identify areas where current provision is in need of revision or improvement.

• Contribute to the planning, design and development of objectives and material.

• Select appropriate assessment instruments and criteria, assess the work and progress of students by reference to the criteria and provide constructive feedback to students.

• Set, mark and assess work and examinations and provide feedback to students.

• Ensure that module design and delivery comply with the quality standards and regulations of the university and School.

Scholarship, Communication

Scholarship

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Engage in scholarship as required to support teaching activities.

• Extend, transform and apply knowledge acquired from scholarship to teaching and appropriate external activities.

• Make presentations at national and international conferences and similar events.

Communication

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Routinely communicate complex and conceptual ideas to those with limited knowledge as well as to peers using high level skills and a range of media.

• Prepare proposals and applications to external bodies, eg for funding and

accreditation purposes.

Networking, Managing People

Liaison and Networking

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Participate in and develop external networks, for example to contribute to:

• student recruitment,

• secure student placements,

• facilitate outreach work,

• generate income,

• obtain consultancy project,

• build relationships for future activities.

Managing people

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Mentor colleagues with less experience and advise on personal development

• Depending on the area of work, supervise the work of others.

• Co-ordinate the work of others to ensure modules are delivered to the

standards required.

Teamwork, Pastoral Care

Teamwork

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Act as a responsible team member, leading where agreed, and develop productive working relationships with other members of staff.

• Co-ordinate the work of colleagues to identify and respond to students’ needs.

Pastoral care

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Be responsible for the pastoral care of students within a specified area.

Initiative, problem-solving, decision-making

Initiative, problem-solving and decision-making

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Identify the need for developing the content or structure of modules with colleagues and make proposals on how this should be achieved.

• Develop ideas for generating income and promoting the subject.

• Develop ideas and find ways of disseminating and applying the result of scholarship.

• Exercise sole responsibility for the design and delivery of own modules and assessment methods.

• Collaborate with colleagues on the implementation of assessment procedures.

• Advise others on strategic issues such as student recruitment and marketing.

• Contribute to the accreditation of programmes and quality control processes.

• Tackle issues affecting the quality of delivery within scope of own level of

responsibility, referring more serious matters to others, as appropriate.

Planning & managing, Physical & emotional demands, Expertise

Planning and managing resources

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• As module leader or tutor, co-ordinate with others (such as support staff or academic colleagues) to ensure student needs and expectations are met.

• Manage projects relating to own area of work and the organisation of external activities such as placements and field trips.

• Be responsible for administrative duties in areas such as admissions, time-

tabling, examinations, assessment of progress and student attendance.

Sensory, physical and emotional demands

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Balance the pressures of teaching and administrative demands and

competing deadlines.

Expertise

Appointments at this level may be required to:

• Possess sufficient breadth or depth of specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop teaching programmes and the provision of learning support.

• Use a range of delivery techniques to enthuse and engage students.

Improve your skills

How can you improve your skills?

1. Get some practice now

2. Get a professional qualification:

a) Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE)

b) Higher Education Academy (HEA) Associate Fellowship http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/