It is against the above background that career progression needs to be considered; thus this chapter seeks to explore approaches that a number of higher education institutions (HEIs) have adopted to acknowledge these trends and to better integrate learning and teaching into career advancement once initial competence has been established. Its other concern is to provide suggestions as to how individuals might extend their experiential profile and develop a documentary evidence base to satisfy teaching-related promotion criteria. Use of paper-based or e-portfolios (Brenton, 2003; Kimball, 2005) which strike a balance between flexibility and structure, and institutional and individual needs, are ideal for this purpose (Seldin, 1997; Baume and Yorke, 2002).
What follows might usefully be augmented with ideas found in the preceding chapter as the two are complementary. In terms of its distinctive contribution, however, this chapter is based on four key propositions:
1 That continuing professional development (CPD) for learning and teaching (including supervision) can no longer be conceived as a voluntary, private activity for academics; this function of their role is underpinned increasingly by contractual requirements and the need for quality enhancement based in a nationally recognised code of practice. In essence, the management of career-long teaching competence is no longer an aspirational ideal but part of the organisational fabric of contemporary university life (QAA, 2003, 2006).
2 That whatever the specifics of CPD (and irrespective of age, career status, subject specialism or particular pedagogic expertise) it is increasingly necessary for individuals to engage with activities which ensure they are competent to perform both their current role (maintenance learning) and foreseeable future demands (anticipatory learning) (Pennington and Smith, 2002: 254).
3 That while career routes which make it worthwhile for academics to pay particular attention to learning and teaching have tended, hitherto, to be the preserve of post- 1992 HEIs (see Case study 1), this trend is spreading to all parts of the UK higher education sector. Initiatives across all types of institution are accelerating the establishment of well-defined career routes based on ‘teaching excellence’ comparable to those for research excellence. A normative process is taking place that will be hard to resist in the long term.
4 That individuals, if they are so minded, can prepare to meet the above challenges by systematic engagement with a range of developmental activities which, when aggregated, leave them better placed to seek career advancement on the basis of their learning and teaching expertise. It is clear that if this process is started early and is 486 ❘ Enhancing personal practice
given career-long attention it has the potential to open up an attractive, alternative career route to that which has conventionally existed.
Differing requirements in different contexts
Traditionally, it has been suggested that the majority of pre-1992 universities paid lip- service only to promoting a culture where learning and teaching are formally integrated into career pathways. Indeed, a general lack of any means to demonstrate and be rewarded for excellence in teaching has been a common complaint from staff in these institutions for at least a decade. Examination of a range of promotion criteria from this group of ‘research-intensive’ institutions suggests, however, that a potentially far- reaching shift in policy has begun and that where career progression on the basis of teaching is now actively encouraged, detailed work has been undertaken to codify requirements, to determine appropriate indicators and to identify elements to be addressed and evidenced (see Case study 2).
Academics who work in contexts in which there is a pressure ‘to publish or perish’ and who are required to respond to the increased use of metrics as a major determinant of research performance may question, understandably, the wisdom of paying too much attention to teaching. Fortunately, there is growing awareness not only of the validity of promoting the teaching–research nexus as a means of ‘growing’ institutions’ own cadres of potential research students (see Chapter 12) but also as a means of enriching a distinctive form of teaching (Elton, 2005; Jenkins et al., 2007). In short, the argument has moved on and is now centred on the balance to be struck between differing permutations of individual teaching–research profiles in particular contexts.
What are the key elements?
As the first two case studies illustrate, in seeking promotion through a teaching ‘route’, UK HEIs aspire to an extensive profile of significant activities at a level considerably higher than the Associate and Fellow categories of the UK professional standards (see Chapter 28). Institutional requirements for the award of Chairs line up better with criteria established in 2007 for award of a Senior Fellowship of the HEA (see Further reading). Common components focus on personal excellence in teaching and learning, leadership, a national and/or international reputation, successful securing of competitive external funding and contributions to scholarship in the field. For many universities an established record in supervising research students through to completion in an appropriate time-scale is also essential. Despite the potentially contested nature of such concepts (Skelton, 2007), weight is given to criteria by the use of ‘qualifiers’ such as
‘excellence’, ‘outstanding’, ‘distinguished’ and ‘respected’. Curriculum innovation or a distinctive approach to pedagogy are additionally identified as defining features of superior performance.
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Case study 1: Northumbria University: criteria for promotion to Chair in Teaching and Learning
Case study 2: University of Manchester: criteria for promotion to Chair in Teaching and Learning
Production of a portfolio which includes evidence of distinctive, innovative and influential examples of programme development, pedagogy and/or learning enhancement both within the university and at national level. The Appointments Board will take into account all forms of evidence including published works and other examples of dissemination. Evidence should demonstrate some of the following:
• The delivery of nationally recognised teaching-related professional service to other universities and organisations.
• Active involvement and/or leadership of national committees relating to learning and teaching.
• Recognition of significant adoption at national level of learning and teaching innovations originally developed by the individual.
• Keynote addresses at teaching-related conferences.
• Learning and teaching leadership across the university.
• The development of appealing and innovative programmes that have attracted significant numbers of students.
• The development of successful corporate programmes.
• The development of successful short courses.
• Leading teaching collaborations with other institutions.
• Publications on teaching and learning in refereed journals, textbooks and conference papers.
• A substantial number of significant learning and teaching-related grants secured on behalf of the university.
Outstanding ability . . . will be demonstrated by academic leadership and distinction in Teaching and Learning, including contributions to the advancement of knowledge and understanding or its creative or professional application in the field of learning at the highest level, and the ability to influence, stimulate and inspire others; and outstanding achievement in contribution to student learning as evidenced in either peer-reviewed or peer-reviewable outputs including excellence in practice in the field.
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The award is designated to recognise distinguished teachers and scholars regardless of subject or pedagogic approach, and to recognise in a more formal and distinctive way the centrality of teaching and the management of learning and assessment as core activities within the university. The aim in part is to encourage teaching excellence by the creation of role models, and to aid the dissemination of good practice. But it is also to recognise outstanding performance and professional reputation in the field at an international level.
Applicants must be able to provide evidence of:
• an established reputation as an excellent teacher and scholar, in addition to showing that they are reflective practitioners, respected by peers and students for their contribution to the learning and assessment process;
• experience of leading curriculum development teams, introducing changes and innovations in teaching and learning and experienced in the evaluation of teaching, learning and assessment;
• ability to demonstrate a powerful commitment to the future development of teaching and learning within their field and a capacity to contribute to the leadership of learning development within their area of subject expertise and more broadly within the university;
• recognition in terms of a reputation that is recognised at an international level, and also scholarly outputs, which may include publications that are either peer reviewed or peer reviewable.
Applicants should include details of achievements and accountabilities which indicate that their work is of international standing, including, for example, details of successful teaching approaches, including, as appropriate, student, peer and external assessments and evaluations, and original materials used in teaching; innovations made in support of student learning; curriculum development; publications centred on teaching of the subject; participation in international conferences and so on, concerned with the development of the teaching of their subject in higher education; membership of international committees and so on, concerned with the teaching of their subject in higher education; collaboration with external bodies; evidence of their external reputation as a teacher and scholar of note.
There is no single, prescribed or guaranteed way in which individuals can satisfy the emerging criteria for appointment to a ‘teaching excellence’ Chair or similar type of post.
The criteria for such promotion may differ widely not only among HEIs, but also among disciplines. Each case, necessarily, is judged on its merits and to a large extent is context dependent (see Case study 3). Even so, it is possible to identify a broad trend of experience from ‘novice’ to ‘expert’ which leads towards this goal (see below). A starting point is the formation of a strong personal base of effective practice, possibly initiated through
successful completion of an institutional postgraduate HE teaching qualification. It is perfectly possible, of course, to build a strong subject-based competence as a teacher without recourse to a formal programme, but well-delivered, ‘fit-for-purpose’
programmes present opportunities for structured engagement with key issues and processes in relation to learning, teaching and assessment, skilled support, mentoring and feedback, and an initial exposure to the scholarship of the field.