Academic Practice CPD Lifelong learning of Northumbria staff: what does the Academic Practice programme have to offer? Workshop Northumbria Conference 9 September, 2008

Workshop overview 1.Introduction 2.Your own learning and development needs 3.Information about Academic Practice 4.Experiences of current participants 5.What could you do?

Your own professional development needs  What are your current roles and responsibilities in relation to teaching and the support of student learning? E.g. module tutor, programme leader, guidance tutor, committee chair, researcher, placement coordinator, dissertation supervisor etc.  What innovations, developments and problems are you dealing with at present? E.g. designing a new module, developing distance learning, making more use of the eLP, preventing plagiarism, giving students better feedback, teaching large groups etc.  What (new) skills and understanding do you need?  What areas of your practice do you want to develop?  What are your priorities?

Features of the Academic Practice Programme  Free-standing PG modules  Awards: PGCert, PGDip, MA, ProfDoc  Paid for by HR  Flexibility: timetabling, attendance mode, assessment  Closely related to work  Sharing, collaboration and discussion across schools/services and roles  Accreditation of prior (experiential) learning

Available modules  Constructing an academic practice portfolio NEW  The link between teaching and research  Enabling e-learning in HE  Supporting and guiding students  Developing and managing distance learning  Pedagogy within a diverse student group  Assessment for learning  Developing work-based learning  Postgraduate research supervision  Work-based project work-based  Academic recognition of CPD work-based  Dissertation-type modules not compulsory for MA  Scholarship of teaching and learning core for MA and ProfDoc  Research methods core for MA and ProfDoc

Simone Lamont-Black: module development  School of Law, Senior Lecturer, Programme Director LLM Full Time (Commercial Programmes)  Development of new module to integrate student participation in an international ‘mock arbitration’ event into the curriculum  Benefits of Work-based Project Module: motivation & inspiration, multi disciplinary sounding board, excellent tutor support & guidance to maximise output

 Difficulties: finding time, dealing with set-backs, ‘thinking outside the box’, fitting a new approach into a narrow programme structure  WBP: an ideal way to test new ideas and to obtain the support needed to progress idea to fruition  Highly recommended

Tim Howarth: project development  School of the Built Environment, Teaching Fellow & Director of Student Affairs  Completed 3 modules –  The Link Between T & R  Developing & Managing Distance Learning  P-G Research Supervision (QS Status)  Now doing Scholarship of T & L module  & Assessment for Learning (partially)

 Benefits  Provides an ’oasis’ – for reflection and critically development (project, self, etc)  2 funded R-T Projects: The Construction Site Safety Multimedia Project & The Student Sustainability Conference  Directed engagement with theory & practice  Opportunity to discuss and meet with colleagues from across the University  Re-entering the life-world of the student

 Barriers, problems  Oneself – not prioritising  Juggling attendance with other commitments  Advice  Choose a module and sign up

Julia Charlton: doctorate development School : HCES, Role: Senior Lecturer in Nursing What done: AP(E)L against MA Benefits: Doing AP(E)L made me think about my personal philosophy of teaching

Barriers/problems: perennial shortage of time, poor understanding of professional doctorate initially. Why this and not a traditional PhD? Advice: talk to people on the course before making your decision, do some modules

What could you do?  Think back at what you discussed at the beginning.  How could you use the Academic Practice programme in order to meet your own professional development needs?