Professional Development

Postgraduate Teaching Postgraduate Teaching Coordinators’ Coordinators’

Network MeetingNetwork Meeting

14th September 2010

Professional Development

Agenda

• Teaching Primer course• Central Short Courses

– Courses available – New courses– Attendance

• PGR Teaching Award• Issues for coordinators/postgraduates – use of

video resource from PESL• Any other business

Professional Development

Framework for PG teaching development: developed from UoN I-WHO interviews with PG teaching

coordinators and PGs who teach

Teaching primer

Professional Development

Mandatory Teaching Primer?

• Under review - University policy for mandatory training for PGs who teach

• Now – Academic responsible for PG reviews their training needs when they are starting to teach

• Some schools have policies on training requirements for specific PG teaching roles

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Teaching Primer – What? Core elements

1. Induction/orientation information2. Responsibilities in a teaching role - working with

others, self-management.3. How students learn – developing and enabling in UK

HE.4. Overview of key approaches within teaching roles

– lecturing, leading seminars, demonstrating, supervision – enthusiasm and ability to relate to students.

5. Providing clarity of communication to overcome language barriers – demonstrating complex concepts

6. Marking and assessment – criteria and consistency7. Processes for reviewing teaching - sources of

support for teaching development.8. Core subject knowledge

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Teaching primer - How much?

Options:(1) Less than 10 hours of contact time over an

academic year – one day Teaching Primer course

(2) More than 10 hours of contact time with students during an academic year = 2.5-3days of Intensive Learning & Teaching Programme (pathway to Associate Fellow qualification, academic career and PGCHE)

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Teaching primerWhere? – different models

(A) Core resources delivered in your school to a cohort of new starters (embed ‘core knowledge’/subject and teaching process discussions)

Or

(B) University sessions with mixed groups

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Availability of resources

• Learning from experienced colleagues in the classroom and discussing their teaching work (Nottingham’s online video resources – PESL)

• ILTP resources (powerpoint materials available to download from Professional Development website

• Mapping of video resources according to teaching methods (available October 2010)

Professional Development

Video resources currently available

• Video resources of teachers in your faculty discussing or demonstrating their teaching work:– 39 Arts– 25 Engineering– 49 Medical and Health Sciences– 63 Sciences– 86 Social Sciences[http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/teachtube/]

Direct video feed hyperlink in your online postgraduate handbook

Or discussion group for new starters or discussion session with ‘experienced’ PGs and new starters

Professional Development

Courses available

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/csc/

Generic

• A practical look at core teaching skills• How do students learn?• How do you know you are doing a good

teaching job?• Preparing your teaching session

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Courses available

Specific

• Small group teaching• Lecturing for learning• Demonstrating in laboratory practicals• Marking and assessment (& for scientists)• Supporting students doing projects and

dissertations

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New Courses

• Supporting Example Classes?• Public speaking skills for postgraduate

teachers• Learning Technologies for Teaching

• Questions/comments?

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Attendance

• 35 courses – 755 booked• 510 attended (67.5%)• 231 not attended (Range 15-1 / session)

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Attendance

• 12 pgrs missed 3 or more sessions• Coordinators emailed and removed from sessions• 1 missed a further 4 sessions!

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PGR Teaching Award

• Publicised in December• Submissions in March – 1 side A4 and

reference/s – 20 applicants• 2010 winners from Department of Art History,

School of Chemistry and Division of Social Research in Medicine and Health - Awarded certificate and £100 voucher

• 6 highly commended certificate

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Answering difficult questions in seminars (interacting with undergraduates)1. What are the similarities and differences in

how teaching is organised in your school against the descriptions in the video?

2. How can we/you build confidence in your new PG ‘teachers’?

3. What does this mean for how PG ‘teachers’ learn to communicate with undergraduates in their new roles in your subject?

4. What does this mean for how PT ‘teachers’ understand their role?

5. Other issues you bring