The Teaching and Research Relationship: Developing Institutional Policy and Practice

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The Teaching and Research Relationship
Developing Institutional Policy and Practice

• Cavendish Conference Centre
• 8th November 2005

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A Wee Story frae Scotland

• Bob Matthew
• Director, Teaching Learning Service
• University of Glasgow

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Overview of the Presentation

• A bit of geography!
• The University Teacher Position
• Issues for Probation
• Case Study 1 and 2
• Issues and Final Thoughts

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A bit of Geography - 1
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A bit of local Geography - 2
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The University Teacher Position

• Introduced 4 years ago
• UTs expected to deliver research informed
  teaching and scholarship
• Full career structure available ie UT, Senior UT,
  Reader and Chair
• Promotions to all grades now in place.

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Issues for Probation 1

• All UTs and some SUTs are intially on probation
• Normally 3 years
• At outset targets for Teaching, Administration
  and Scholarship set for whole probationary period
• Annual review of progress by New Lecturer and
  Teacher Development Group
• Scholarship targets?

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Issues for Probation 2

• Scholarship Targets
• A need to be measurable and evidencable
• They are not the same as research targets
• Nor are they education research targets
• UTs need time for scholarship they dont just
  teach (though expected to do more teaching than
  ULs)

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Case Study No 1

• A new appointment in School of Business
  Management
• Teaching Load 50 higher than average for a
  lecturer
• Being mentored by subject specialist and someone
  from TLS

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Case Study No 1 continued

• Scholarship targets
• Complete redesign of Level 1 provision to
  include study/research skills and implementation
  of University Employability Strategy VLE
  support including taking proposals thro
  appropriate QA procedures.
• Evaluation of redesign and tweaking as
  appropriate
• Development of collaborative approach to team
  teaching (14 staff involved)
• Updating HRM module (subject specialism)
• Work on large group lecturing (400)

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Case Study No 2

• University Teacher in Prosthodontics (Dentistry)
• Teaching load (24 hours per week)
• No clinical teaching (all laboratory and small
  group teaching).
• Issue is reduction in GDC requirement for
  Prosthodontic lab work and yet psychomotor skill
  development in fitting of devices is of growing
  importance
• Being mentored by a clinician.

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Case Study No 2

• Scholarship
• Redesign of the entire prosthodontics course in
  new dental curriculum.
• Part of new Dental Education Group so
  systematic evaluation and publication (not for
  RAE purposes) of outcomes is expected.
• Delivery of CPD programme to practitioners

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Issues for Ed Dev Unit

• Ed Dev Unit playing a significant role in
  mentoring of UTs on probation
• Ed Dev unit working with NLTDG on providing
  better guidance / exemplar materials of types of
  scholarship targets acceptable
• Ed Dev unit providing appropriate training
  courses new and established University Teachers
  and promoted grades eg PGDip and MEd

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Final Thoughts

• Increasingly Teachers status is not seen as
  second class to lecturers
• Promoted posts (and those promoted) have
  demonstrated that excellence is necessary
• Reinvigorating of promoted staff (feeling valued)
• Still need to work on scholarship and how is
  being developed in different areas of the
  university