University of Edinburgh



IAD survey of school-based support for tutors and demonstrators (T&Ds) at EdinburghDr Miesbeth Knottenbelt, Institute for Academic Development (IAD), May 2013This paper reports on the findings of an IAD investigation into the support provided to T&Ds by their schools to steer the development of this area of IAD work; and to inform the work of the LTC Task Group on Tutoring and Demonstrating. The findings are based on searching schools’ websites followed by sending a questionnaire (Appendix 1) to the Senior Administrator in every school. We found information about local support for T&Ds on the websites of 11/22 schools (=50%); partially completed the questionnaire on the basis of this information and sent these out, asking schools to check the information and fill in any gaps, and sent blank questionnaires to the others. Some background work was carried out by a student intern, Jiangchen. Despite the workload pressures on Senior Administrators, we received direct responses from 17/22 schools. For 2 of the 5 remaining schools the questionnaire was not relevant because support for their T&Ds is not organised at school- but at college-level. We collected information about local support for T&Ds in 2 other schools from their websites. This rendered a basis of information about 19/20 relevant schools (=95%).KEY FINDINGSThe most common reported forms of support were orientation events (reported by all schools), some forms of orientation / supervision around marking (17/19 schools), handbooks (10/19 schools), and reference to further teaching resources (14/19 schools, often part of the handbook).We found mention of 26 orientation events for T&Ds, and at least one of these events was reported to take place in every relevant school that we had information about. Twelve (of the 19) schools (= 63%) reported that they had a school-wide orientation event.In 17 of the 19 schools (=89%) there was mention of induction around T&Ds’ assessment tasks, and 12 schools (=63%) organised separate events focussed especially on marking and feedback.There was mention of 11 handbooks for T&Ds reported by 10 of the 19 schools (= 53%), 8 of which are school-wide. Eight of the 11 handbooks (=73%) are online, and 10 (=91%) contained detailed assessment guidance.Alongside this core local support, we also gathered a rich array of other forms of support, incl. much activity in different forms around feedback and review, mentoring, and opportunities for teaching development.This exercise has been useful in identifying a range of practice that can now be shared to inform enhancement work (also discussed below).This report is also a useful reminder of the challenges in store for any future mechanisms for institutional reporting around school-based support for T&Ds (see also Footnote 2: ‘Notes about the Data’). Number of schools…..…from which we gathered relevant information…with mention of forms of school-wide support …who only described support for T&Ds in a specific programme…who only mentioned support for professionalsCSE and CMVM (9 relevant)9/9 schools =100%7 (9 schools replied) = 78%2 (9 schools replied) = 22%1 (9 schools replied) = 11%CHSS (11 relevant)10/11 schools =91%5 (10 schools replied) = 50%5 (10 schools replied) = 50%2 (10 schools replied) = 20%Totals 2019/20 = 95%12/19 = 63%7/19 = 37%3/19 = 16%TABLE 1: Number of schools by type of support that we gathered information aboutDETAILED FINDINGS (Table 2 below summarises these detailed findings numerically)Of all relevant schools in CSE (7) and CMVM (2), 7 schools (=78%) reported that they provided forms of school-wide support. Of the two remaining schools, one reported on support organised for cohorts of postgraduate T&Ds teaching in one UG course, while the other reported on their support for professionals.In 5 of the 10 schools in CHSS about whom we gathered information (=50%), there was mention of school-wide support targeted to postgraduate T&Ds. In 3 others (30%) there was mention of support for cohorts of tutors teaching in one specific programme (one of these mentioned plans to make this support school-wide). The remaining 2 responses (20%) described forms of support for professionals in specific courses (both of these schools reported that these were the main type of ‘Tutors’ they used).Six school-wide orientation T&D events for tutors, 3 school-wide events for demonstrators, 4 school-wide courses for both, and a school-wide course for fieldwork demonstrators were reported. Two further schools mentioned plans for developing a school-wide course for tutors (currently providing support at course-level). One school reported running three separate school-wide courses (one for tutors, one for demonstrators and one for fieldwork demonstrators). Schools reported that participation in these courses was monitored, and courses were open to all, regardless of their level of previous teaching experience.Eleven schools mentioned that they organised face-to-face orientation at course/programme level for 14 cohorts. In 4 schools this induction ran alongside (sometimes as part of) their school-wide events. It was not always clear from the responses whether these were compulsory and/or monitored.In 8 schools the orientation event was reported to be the first event of a series of face-to-face sessions for T&Ds. These series take different forms e.g. several workshops developing different themes (in 3 schools), structured team meetings at subject-level (in 3 schools); and school-wide weekly lunches, ‘meeting and greeting’ events, ‘social meetings’, ‘thank you receptions’ and ‘focus groups’ each mentioned by one school. Alongside events organised by the school, there was mention of additional regular subject-level team meetings that were self-organised by the tutors and supported by the school (refreshments and accommodation). There was mention of 11 school handbooks for T&Ds reported by 10 of the 19 schools (= 53%), 8 of which are school-wide and 3 were directed at tutors at programme-level (in one of these schools, this was provided alongside the school-wide handbook). Eight of the 11 handbooks (=73%) (and, with one exception, all school-wide handbooks) are online. The handbooks contain information about recruitment, contracts and pay; how teaching is organised in the school; roles and responsibilities; the support that is available; useful contact details, and sometimes information about student profiles and reference to teaching resources and support from outside the school. Ten (=91%) of the handbooks included assessment guidance (e.g. marking scales, information about plagiarism, criteria for marking, turn around processes, rules and processes about extensions).Reference to teaching materials and external forms of teaching support was mentioned by 14 schools. In some cases, this material was provided separately, but mostly, this was part of the handbook or a dedicated webpage. Examples of resources that were referred to are IAD courses and resources for T&Ds; study development materials for students; University policy and HR websites; generic and discipline-specific materials e.g. from the HEA; College teaching sites. Assessment guidance and supervision was explicitly mentioned by nearly all (17/19 =89%) schools. In 10 schools guidance on assessment was mentioned as embedded in the school-wide orientation, while in 6 schools this was reported to be followed up with additional face-to-face meetings or other forms of follow up supervision/mentoring. Twelve schools organised face-to-face workshops specifically around assessment. Of these, 6 schools explicitly offered follow up supervision or guidance to these separate workshops. This again came in different forms: there was mention of drop-in marking consultations (in 2 schools), paired marking, marking parties, individualised feedback on marking to all markers, and follow-ups for individuals whose mark allocation is questioned (reported by one school each). Feedback on teaching and auditing. Seven schools mentioned explicitly that they organised a teaching review event at the end of semester. There were 3 mentions of mentoring (in one case by postdocs), linked explicitly to the opportunity to provide personalised feedback on teaching. Individualised feedback on teaching was also mentioned as being provided via other mechanisms (following peer observation, teaching observation, through ‘tutor notes’, ‘for a teaching profile’, through Learn). There were 5 mentions of Peer Observation, and 5 of Teaching Observation. One school used the label ‘audit’ to describe Teaching Observation, and all others that mentioned it also mentioned quality control explicitly in this context. Only one school mentioned Teaching Observation as a selection method, i.e. before allocating a tutorial class.Opportunities to develop teaching. There was no mention of induction designed for teachers with different levels of previous teaching experience, but there was mention of a range of other opportunities for interested teachers to develop their teaching. One school mentioned mentoring ‘to progress a pathway of teaching development’, another mentioned financial and peer support for HEA accreditation, and a third mentioned support for external subject-specific teaching conferences. Only one school mentioned support for PCDS students explicitly. There was mention of several forms of peer support which would suit the creation of a role for a more experienced tutor (discussed below).Other forms of support, and support for teaching development. Eight schools mentioned the role of a dedicated person with a coordinating, mentoring or representative role for cohorts of tutors or demonstrators. These were experienced teachers (we do not know if all of these were HTBN T&Ds) sometimes working in liaison with administrators, with a range of different roles, for example, senior tutors (or ‘academic champions’) who make themselves available for consultation during ‘working lunches’ for subject teams (to supplement school-level support); ‘tutor teams’ headed by a senior tutor designated as the focus of different kinds of arrangements including social occasions and Q&A sessions; ‘tutor pairing’ (a kind of buddy system matching new tutors with more experienced ones at the beginning of semester); ‘expert markers’ whose examples were sent around; a group working on teaching accreditation (HEA Fellowship) under the guidance of a senior tutor. Other peer support arrangements included an email list (for use by tutors and administrators), a dedicated wiki that allowed tutors to share resources and concerns (experienced tutors were paid to post on a regular basis to encourage new tutors to follow suit); and a room for tutors to meet and store their private possessions and common resources.Forms of supportParticular featuresFor tutorsFor demonstrators/ fieldwork demsFor tutors and demonstratorsFor professionalsTotalsOrientation School-wide (Monitored)64413(Plans for School-wide)112Course-/Programme- specific731314Series of events31228Contains assessment guidance621110Marking guidance and supervisionSeparate workshop713112Supervision/Mentoring4217HandbooksSchool-wide538Addressed to a smaller cohort 213Available online5218Contains assessment guidance6219Teaching resources615214Feedback on/auditing of teaching Individualised feedback5218Review meetings5117Mentoring1113Auditing/ Teaching Observation55Dedicated Group Mentor4318Peer Observation3115Table 2: Number of schools that explicitly reported particular forms of support for particular groups of T&DsSUGGESTED WAYS FORWARDWhile it is encouraging to see the large amount and a rich variety of different types of school-based activity, there are particular areas that might be strengthened:There is report of at least one orientation event in every school, but not all of these are open to all T&Ds. Orientation events provide an effective way of addressing cohorts with information and opportunities for establishing peer support, both of which can save a great deal of staff time later. Similarly, handbooks provide one reference point and continuity in the face of staff changes. It is encouraging to see the many examples of handbooks that are already in use and that can be adapted for other contexts.External teaching courses and resources can provide backup for individuals with a special interest in teaching, in specialised roles or who do not fit their local cohort in other ways. A point of reference is the IAD section on Tutoring and Demonstrating, which is especially designed for this purpose.While orientation is now widespread, guidance beyond the basics (e.g. for second year T&Ds), is provided less commonly. This type of guidance can stimulate teaching enhancement for all T&Ds, encourage and enable more ambitious individuals, and provide peer support for more experienced T&Ds.Similarly, the present focus of school-based support is for obvious reasons on the larger cohorts of T&Ds. There is much potential for providing local support for cohorts who are not already taken care of in their schools, such as tutors in CSE; demonstrators in CHSS; professionals, Honorary staff, and research staff with teaching roles in all schools. Sometimes there are possibilities for including them in what is already provided. Sometimes they can be linked into external support.Additional resources are being put together by the IAD to support staff with responsibilities for T&Ds in the form of a new set of Learn materials (general pointers and case studies) and workshops in the ‘Practical Strategies for’… series. Details will become available on the IAD website. Meantime, please contact Miesbeth Knottenbelt (contact details below) for individual help with this work. This report is circulated in the first instance to all Directors of Professional Services (formerly Senior Administrators) from whom the information for the questionnaire was requested, and to the members of the LTC Taskgroup on Tutoring and Demonstrating. Thanks are due to all schools who responded to the questionnaire and to Jiangchen Lui for carrying out background work. Queries about this report can be addressed to Dr Miesbeth Knottenbelt (Miesbeth.Knottenbelt@ed.ac.uk or phone 651 6657). ................
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