Annex E
SUPPORTING TEACHING
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
IN RUSSELL
GROUP UNIVERSITIES
(FROM SECTION
2)
Accreditation
A number of Russell Group universities offer
accredited teaching awards for their staff, including:
Staff Development
A variety of development opportunities for staff
with teaching responsibilities exist in Russell Group universities.
General training courses for staff include:
— the University of Bristol's "Teaching
and Learning in Higher Education" course;
— the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne's introductory
course to teaching and learning in higher education;
— the University of Oxford's "Preparing
for Learning and Teaching" and "Developing Learning
and Teaching courses";
Several Russell Group universities have dedicated
staff support programmes or units to support development, including:
— the University of Cambridge's Staff Development
Programme;
— the University of Glasgow's Learning
and Teaching Centre;
— the University of Nottingham's Institute
for Research into Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and
the Staff and Educational Development Unit;
— University College London's Centre for
Advancement of Learning and Teaching.
Some Russell Group universities also offer awards
for excellence in teaching. For example, the Warwick Awards for
Teaching Excellence (WATE) are awarded at the university's degree
congregation to excellent teachers, with a special award for early
career teachers. The awards are judged by a joint staff-student
panel, and student nominations are specifically invited.
Postgraduate/Postdoctoral research staff
Additionally, a number of Russell Group universities
have developed specific development or training programmes for
their postgraduate or postdoctoral research staff. These include:
— The University of Birmingham's module
in learning and teaching for postgraduate students or in teaching
skills for research staff;
— Imperial College London's research skills
development course or scheme to provide teaching opportunities
for postdoctoral research staff;
— specific training provided by the University
of Liverpool for postgraduate research students who have teaching
responsibilities;
— the University of Warwick's introduction
to academic practice specifically for pre- and post-doctoral students.
Academic Practice
— Russell Group universities are keen to
ensure the dissemination of good academic practice and offer courses
such as the University of Birmingham's "Mentoring for Academics"
course or the University of Oxford's "Developing Academic
Practice" course.— Reflecting the importance placed
on enquiry-based learning in Russell Group universities, a number
of institutions offer specific staff training courses on this
issue, including the University of Birmingham's "Independent
Learning in a Research-intensive Environment" and "Problem
and Enquiry-based Learning" courses
— The University of Oxford Learning Institute
hosts the HEFCE-funded Centre for Excellence in Preparing for
Academic Practice, which supports postgraduate research students
and postdoctoral researchers who wish to develop academic careers,
focusing on three essential elements of academic practice: inquiry
through research and scholarship; teaching (in particular developing
support for postgraduate research students and contract research
staff who wish to teach); and service to the profession, institution
and academic community. The Centre conducts and promotes research
into academic practice and disseminates best practice throughout
the University and the broader higher education community. The
University has also convened a Preparation for Academic Practice
Network with six other research-intensive institutions: the University
of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, Imperial College
London, King's College London, the University of Edinburgh and
the University of Warwick.
| 
