Transcript Involving PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in teaching and learning:

Scholarship of Teaching
& Learning Symposium
Anne Tierney & Morven Shearer
University of Glasgow & University of St Andrews
7th December 2009
The remit:

“Talk about your work so far on
fostering networking events for PhD
students and post docs….
… the whole event is about
collaborations, and what motivates
people to do SoTL projects.. and what
prevents them.”
Why pursue SoTL
collaborations (I)?

External drivers:
CPD (reward & recognition)
 Engagement with literature that
informs and improves pedagogical
practice
 At University of Glasgow – UTs are
required to engage in SoTL
 QAA enhancement themes
 HEA (Centre of Bioscience)

Why pursue SoTL
collaborations (II)?

Internal drivers:
Approaching teaching in HE as a
profession
 Satisfaction of improving student
experiences
 Collaboration with colleagues and
students

Opportunities for SOTL
Classroom action research
 Student feedback
 GTA feedback
 Technology
 Efficiency
 Funding

Collaborations: why & who?
Requirement of some funding bodies
 Identifying a common problem & then
working to find a common (flexible)
solution
 Sharing throughout the sector
 Contacts made through events,
conferences, shared experience
 Student interns

HEA Bioscience Rep
Funding

Two priorities: Responding to individual disciplines
 Increasing individual and
departmental engagement with the
Centre for Bioscience.
The project:

“Networking events designed to encourage
participation of PhD students and postdoctoral
fellows with the Centre for Bioscience, and
promote engagement and innovation in
teaching and learning development.”
The reason:
To increase GTAs inquiries into
opportunities for teaching in HE
 Also, addressing a need

Collaborators

Anne (Glasgow), Morven (St
Andrews) and Joy (Aberdeen)

Experience, discussions, previous
work
Benefits:
GTAs: access resources, and
opportunity to earn HEA associate
status
 HEA: contact with new colleagues –
fresh ideas and approaches
 Reflects and promotes the cooperative nature of the HE teaching
sector

The Plan:
Two national events: Glasgow &
Manchester in 2010
 Buy in from HEA Centre and staff in
other institutions (GCAL &
Manchester)
 Pre-event questionnaire



Try to uncover issues of importance to
GTAs
GTA intern to help with activity
development