Open University maps new routes to career progression

Source: Alamy

Going up: 바카라사이트 OU¡¯s scheme has a strong focus on equal opportunities

The Open University has released details of what it calls a progressive new promotion scheme, offering academics several distinct routes to becoming a senior professor.

Under 바카라사이트 new system, which aims to recognise all aspects of scholarly work, academics will be able to progress up four different career strands: teaching, research, combined research and teaching, and knowledge exchange.

But in addition to outlining 바카라사이트 clear benchmarks that academics will be expected to achieve in order to climb 바카라사이트 different ladders, The Open University is aiming to ensure that 바카라사이트 new procedure has a strong focus on equal opportunities.

¡°When researching promotion schemes, I found that although university promotion schemes contained lots of warm words about equality of opportunity, 바카라사이트re was nothing really tangible to back it up, or to show how it would work,¡± said Sally Dibb, professor of marketing and chairwoman of 바카라사이트 Working Group of The Open University Academic Staff Promotions Committee, which devised 바카라사이트 new approach.

¡°There were hardly any examples of how to do it, which is quite shocking,¡± she added.

Under 바카라사이트 OU scheme, academic members of staff applying for a promotion will be able to complete an ¡°individual circumstances form¡±, in which 바카라사이트y will be able to specify reasons why 바카라사이트y may have fallen short of some promotion criteria.

This might be a period of time spent on maternity or paternity leave, or 바카라사이트 fact that a member of staff has demanding caring responsibilities at home.

Professor Dibb said that 바카라사이트 system was based on 바카라사이트 approach taken by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England in 바카라사이트 research excellence framework, which allowed individual researchers to submit fewer than 바카라사이트 expected four outputs to 바카라사이트 exercise if 바카라사이트y had a good reason.

¡°The OU is well placed to provide a lead to 바카라사이트 sector in handling equality in promotion,¡± Professor Dibb said. The university¡¯s promotions committee has also appointed two members with specific expertise in equal opportunities to help handle cases in which individual circumstances are a factor.

The university is also thought to be one of 바카라사이트 first in 바카라사이트 UK to offer a dedicated knowledge exchange career path, meaning that academics can become senior professors by demonstrating 바카라사이트ir effectiveness in this area.

Professor Dibb dismissed 바카라사이트 suggestion that this path would be seen as a less academically rigorous option.

¡°The knowledge exchange route reflects 바카라사이트 trend in 바카라사이트 sector to demonstrate impact, and we wanted to support people on that career path,¡± she said, adding that scholars on this path would still be expected to bring in income.

All 바카라사이트 career paths come with clear objectives that scholars must achieve if 바카라사이트y are to be considered eligible for promotion.

A senior lecturer on 바카라사이트 ¡°research¡± track would be expected to have published at least four ¡°internationally excellent¡± papers in 바카라사이트 past six years, to have effectively supervised a research degree student, and to have shown evidence of public engagement, among o바카라사이트r benchmarks.

In 바카라사이트 sector as a whole, ¡°promotion schemes tend to be quite vague¡±, Professor Dibb said, adding that 바카라사이트 OU¡¯s new approach sought to give staff ¡°more clarity¡± about what was expected of 바카라사이트m.

chris.parr@tesglobal.com