Principles

Revised principles following extensive University-wide consultation

The University aims to make a significant step forward in the way excellence in teaching is valued within our academic career paths. The following principles have now been finalised by the University Executive following extensive University-wide consultation.

What kind of University do we want to be?

• A community that embraces the concept of scholarship, in which we value excellence in teaching and research equally and resource them appropriately;
• A community that uses our staffing policies and processes to value and reward teaching;
• A community that expects and supports our academic leaders to inspire and assist their colleagues to achieve excellence in teaching;

Career pathways open to all academic staff

• We should ensure career pathways into the University and up to Professorial level (UE10) are clear and open to all academic staff from grade UE07, regardless of the balance of academic responsibilities (including those specialising in teaching);
• We should ensure that we have clear descriptions of what excellence in teaching means at each level, and enable staff to evidence their excellence in relation to these criteria through a range of qualitative and quantitative measures;
• We should have codified procedures that enable Heads of School to propose variations in the balance of academic responsibilities in discussion with individual members of academic staff in line with the needs of the School;

Supporting academic development through these pathways

• All annual reviews should provide an opportunity for academic staff to reflect on their achievements, career aspirations and development needs in teaching, as well as on other aspects of their academic role;
• We should provide clear guidance on the experience and qualifications that academic staff require at each stage of their career in order to operate at the level expected in teaching;
• A core aspect of the academic role involves engaging in formal and informal teaching training and development activities, and we should put sufficient capacity in place to support these activities, and ensure that academic staff have space within their workload to engage with them;

What do we want the University to be like in five years’ time?

• All academic staff will understand what we mean by excellence in teaching, and the expectations of this for their own performance, development and career progression;
• We will be able to articulate the different career pathways available to all academic staff, and individual staff will benefit from the diverse range of pathways;
• A significantly higher proportion of academic staff will have demonstrated their commitment to teaching excellence through acquiring teaching qualifications or externally accredited recognition (e.g. HEA Fellowship);
• Students will recognise our commitment to excellence in teaching.