Enhancing and consolidating approaches to the reward and recognition of excellence in teaching at University of Glasgow.

PI: Vicky Gunn

Initiative Team: Alice Jenkins, Moira Fischbacher-Smith, Anne Tierney, Niamh Stack

As institutions increasingly tackle apparent tensions between research-orientation and teaching excellence, they are also addressing how to ensure promotions criteria for the teacher-scholarship track are fair, rigorous AND evidence international impact.  The tendency towards mapping criteria from research oriented promotions systems into the university teacher career is problematic and, on occasion, leaves promotions panels with unclear criteria or criteria that cannot realistically be achieved by individuals on teacher-scholarship contracts. This change process will provide resources that can act as a benchmark for other universities facing similar challenges.

This project, therefore, aims to negotiate a more systematic and integrated approach to teaching excellence by:

1. Generating explicit criteria for teaching excellence promotions pathways (which establish criteria that allow for the differentiation of quality teaching, as expected by all academics, and teaching excellence and leadership).
2. Drawing together the best of existing on-campus initiatives into a coherent structure for career development in teaching and scholarship of learning and teaching.
3. Aligning the criteria for excellence with the UKPSF descriptors (especially 3 & 4) as they will become articulated in the University of Glasgow’s CPD (teaching) framework.
4. Using the appetite for change generated within the latest quality enhancement theme (supporting & developing academics to support and develop the curriculum).

Key outputs:

• An articulated career framework with specific and achievable criteria for professorial promotion for teaching which complements research pathways;
• Guidance for promotions panels;
• A briefing sheet listing how universities elsewhere are engaging with university teacher career tracks;
• An interactive case study, clarifying the process undertaken and identifying possible areas institutions need to address around developing teaching excellence pathways.