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Archive for August, 2013

Academic Best Practice Workshops

By John E Mitchell, on 23 August 2013

This year we’ve rebranded the teaching and learning workshops as academic best practice workshops to better reflect the range of activities they cover. We propose to have a range of lunch time workshops and two longer sessions covering specific activities as well as training events.

First Session

Using lecturecast and video in teaching – Monday 7th October, 1pm in Roberts 508

The session will look at how to get the best out of the lecturecast system when capturing lectures both in the lecture theatre as well as through desk top capture. All staff are welcome to attend whether they are new to lecturecast or not.

Lunch Time Workshops

Dates are just being confirmed but proposed sessions include:

  • Interactive Teaching Material in Chemical Engineering
  • Case study of lecturetools.
  • Summer studentships

Training Session

  • Personal Tutoring in engineering
  • Using e-learning tools

Other opportunities

As part of the IEP we are proposing to increase the use of problem based techniques across all departments. There are a number of examples of where such techniques are already used in the faculty. To help others develop these techniques in their own teaching we are arranging opportunities for staff to shadow colleagues in other department during these activities. Examples include:

  • Scenario weeks in CEGE and E&EE
  • Programming Robots and Computer Architectures in CS
  • Fluid Flow in Biochem Eng
  • Engineering Thinking and Engineering Design on the BASc
  • Peer Marking in Chem Eng and CEGE

If there are other examples of good practice that should be shared or you would like to be involved in the scheme please let me know. 

Teaching in a Promotion case

By John E Mitchell, on 22 August 2013

It is vital that any university that wishes to have an outstanding teaching programme appropriately recognises achievement from all grades of staff. Awards and prizes are great for the CV and always welcome, but it is through career progression that real motivation to excel can be produced.

Within UCL there is a clear route to apply for promotion predominately based on teaching achievement for academic, teaching and research staff. The guidance sets out a wide variety of evidence of teaching achievement that could be used. Despite this, those that have reached senior positions (in Engineering at least) still seem, to many, like mythical creatures, only a few acknowledge their existence, and virtually no one has ever seen one.

I have met some. All have very different stories to tell as to how they came to this route. It seems that we have a good feel of what a typical research case looks like (we have much more experience and more case studies here), but the range and particularly the depth of activities that could constitute a teaching case are much less well understood. To try and encourage more staff to consider applying through this route, we are organising, with UCL HR, a workshop to look at the specific procedure and draw advice on what a successful case might look like from those that have sat on promotion panels and those that have successfully applied. The workshop is open to all staff.

 

Workshop on using Teaching in a Promotion case.
20th September 2013
12.00 noon  – Roberts 421, Robert’s Building.

Eligible academic, teaching or research staff may apply for promotion to Principal Teaching Fellow or Professor on the basis of teaching achievement. This workshop aims to look at the type of evidence that is required to support such a case and to give examples of the broad range of activities that may be used.

  • Overview of Promotion Process
  • Advice on teaching achievement
  • Case Studies of successful cases
  • Q&A Session

Useful Information

Anthony Smith: What do we mean by ‘excellence in teaching’ and how can it be measured?

PROMOTIONS ANNEXURE D – PRESENTING A CASE BASED ON TEACHING ACHIEVEMENT

HEA Best Practice and Guide on evidence of teaching for promotion