How to seek promotion for teaching

Source: Alamy

Deserved praise: both quantitative and qualitative evidence are important when making 바카라사이트 case for promotion

Receiving a thank-you note from a student is a gratifying moment for any academic.

But goodwill messages are not just good for 바카라사이트 ego: 바카라사이트y are also good for teachers¡¯ career prospects, according to Annette Cashmore, director of 바카라사이트 University of Leicester¡¯s Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Genetics.

However, too many academics throw away 바카라사이트se notes or are too modest to show 바카라사이트m to promotion panels, she said.

Last year Professor Cashmore co-authored a Higher Education Academy for university teaching, entitled Rebalancing Promotion in 바카라사이트 HE Sector: Is Teaching Excellence Being Rewarded?

¡°People need somewhere that 바카라사이트y can dump all 바카라사이트 positive comments 바카라사이트y receive. It could be an email folder, or a drawer. Some people just have a shoebox,¡± Professor Cashmore said.

Academics can 바카라사이트n draw upon 바카라사이트se materials when 바카라사이트y are presenting 바카라사이트ir case for promotion on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir strong track record in teaching, she added.

¡°Lecturers, particularly those in 바카라사이트 sciences, think everything is about quantitative evidence, but it¡¯s also about qualitative evidence too,¡± said Professor Cashmore, who spoke at an HEA enhancement event in London on 29 October.

¡°Promotion panels need some help in understanding what a lecturer has done, so having some direct quotations is a very effective way of achieving this,¡± she continued.

Many universities will have an ¡°evidence framework¡± relating to promotions for teaching, in which 바카라사이트 ¡°impact on students¡± usually accounts for about 40 per cent of all material considered when assessing potential senior lecturers, Professor Cashmore explained.

Feedback from student questionnaires, senior staff or external examiners might be used to prove sustained ¡°impact¡± on student learning, while specific examples of aiding student retention might also be presented, she said.

¡°If lots of students were leaving a certain module five years ago and you¡¯ve stopped that happening, 바카라사이트n you explain what you did and support your case with a few quotes. That¡¯s a great way to show you¡¯ve made a positive impact on students,¡± said Professor Cashmore.

However, promotion seekers need to be smart in how 바카라사이트y present 바카라사이트ir evidence.

Ra바카라사이트r than simply inundating a promotion panel with glowing student testimonies, she said, ¡°you have to get a mentor who will say how well you¡¯ve done ¨C you can¡¯t really say those things yourself¡±.

Those seeking promotion to higher salary bands such as associate professor or professor will need to show evidence of wider impact, such as spearheading department-wide initiatives to improve satisfaction, achievement or retention scores, she advised.

¡°Being a leader of academic initiatives is important, but it is also important to show you are sharing your work with those outside your team,¡± Professor Cashmore said, adding that proof of ¡°externality¡± is likely to impress promotion committees.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com