Associate Teacher descriptor
(This descriptor is intended to cover hourly paid staff recruited because they can contribute current detailed research and/or professional knowledge to a unit for which a member of academic staff carries overall responsibility. The sections in italics below are the main differences from the descriptor for hourly paid Teachers)
Overall job purpose
- To contribute to the delivery of the Department’s teaching programme by providing lectures and/or teaching in small groups, drawing upon current detailed research and/or professional knowledge, within a unit for which a member of academic staff carries overall responsibility.
(This role is not limited to straightforward teaching of core knowledge for the discipline.)
Responsibilities
- To provide lectures and/or teaching in small groups of students within a unit for which a member of the academic staff carries overall responsibility.
- To discuss, with the member of academic staff responsible for the unit, the broad content of the teaching to be undertaken and the methodologies for/purposes of that teaching.
- To prepare for the teaching sequence by drawing together relevant knowledge from their research/professional experience and undertaking any necessary scholarship to cover the range of teaching input required.
- To prepare for each teaching session by selecting and preparing the content, deciding upon any exercises/materials to be used and planning their approach to the session.
- To ensure that content, methods of delivery and learning materials will meet the defined learning objectives for their sessions.
- To contribute to the quality of the unit by contributing on the basis of their research/professional knowledge.
- To help students absorb knowledge imparted in the unit, build upon it and help them to overcome any problems they encounter in understanding and applying knowledge.
- To promote depth of learning by providing clarification of material taught, responding to student questions, facilitating discussion in classes, providing any supplementary explanation/material required and introducing them to new issues raised in recent research and/or current professional practice.
- To provide individual academic advice/support to students, including advice on appropriate reading and recent developments.
- To provide formative feedback to students in class.
- Where required, to set assessment tasks, mark formally assessed work (subject to moderation by the academic responsible for the unit) and act as a principal marker for any assessment tasks they have set.
- To undertake organisational and administrative tasks directly related to their own teaching.
- To review the outcome of their own teaching and contribute feedback to the review and forward planning of relevant teaching activity.
- To maintain academic and/or professional standards and work in accordance with university policies (eg regarding equality of opportunity, health and safety).
Line managed by
- The member of academic staff responsible for the unit.
Line manager to
Relationships and contacts
- They will be line managed by the academic responsible for the unit (but will not be expected to need additional mentoring).
- Contact with other academic staff involved in units to which they contribute.
- Contact with students, involving delivering lectures and/or the leadership of learning activities, passing on complex knowledge, providing advice/support and requiring the ability to engage with and enthuse students.
- Contact with other members of staff as required.
Qualifications, skills and experience
- A degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject and a research and/or professional qualification and experience.
- Good enough breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding in the discipline to add value to the content of an established unit.
- Expertise in the part of the curriculum to be taught and the scholarship associated with it.
- Some experience of delivering teaching and/or training.
- The ability to communicate complex knowledge clearly, both orally and in writing.
- The ability to stimulate and encourage the commitment to learn in others and to promote depth of learning in complex subject areas.
- Ability to work effectively with colleagues and students.
- Ability to organise own time effectively, so as to meet deadlines and manage competing priorities.
- Good analytical skills and the ability to respond to problems which arise in learning situations.
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