Teaching allocation procedure

From academic year 2012-2013, there will be a new procedure for allocating teaching.

SPARC have agreed changes in the way teaching allocation operates, following changes to the School’s management structure.

The new procedure will take effect from 2012-13; teaching for 2011-12 has been allocated through the existing procedure.

Heads of Research Institute

The key change is that Heads of Research Institute, as line managers, will be responsible for the overall workload of staff in their respective Institutes, including teaching as well as research.

Although degree programme convenors will identify teaching requirements in their programmes and make recommendations about staffing, it will be the Heads of Research Institute who will make the final decisions about the allocation of teaching and teaching related administrative roles and they will inform academic staff of these decisions.

Teaching Requirements meeting

The procedure will begin with a Teaching Requirements meeting, early in Semester 1, between:

Heads of Research Institute
Programme Convenors (undergraduate)
Programme Directors (postgraduate)
Director of Teaching
Director of Postgraduate Teaching
TO Manager

The convenors will identify major issues that they are aware of concerning the staffing of their programmes in the following academic year. The Heads of Research Institute will highlight particular workload issues for specific staff (informe, where possible, by the Total Workload Model) and any other relevant issues known to them.

Following this meeting degree programme convenors and directors will suggest, on the basis of their knowledge of programme and course requirements, teaching allocations (including course organisers), and these will be submitted towards the end of Semester 1 to the Deputy Manager of the TO.

This information will then be forwarded to Heads of Research Institute, the Director of Teaching and Director of Postgraduate Teaching for consideration.

SPARC meeting

At the end of Semester 1, there will be a SPARC meeting devoted to teaching issues. The suggested teaching allocations will be considered and approved by the Heads of Research Institute (with any appropriate adjustments or changes).

Heads of Research Institute will notify staff of their teaching commitments for the following academic year at the beginning of Semester 2.

Late adjustments

Any later adjustments to teaching allocations, due to staff changes or other circumstances, will be decided by Heads of Research Institute in consultation with the Director of Teaching and/or Director of Postgraduate Teaching.

Administrative roles

Teaching-related academic administrative roles will be decided by Heads of Research Institute and the Head of School in consultation with the Director of Teaching and notified to staff by their Head of Research Institute.

This article was published on Oct 10, 2011