Staff & Educational Developers

This section of our website aims to provide a single access point to useful information for Staff and Educational Developers and others working at the institution level.

The Centre's primary aim is to support teaching in higher education to improve student learning in the biosciences. We have compiled a full list of disciplines we cover. The broad spread of disciplines classed as bioscience and size of the bioscience community mean that as a Centre we cannot do everything regarding learning and teaching, therefore we have to focus our activities. Areas of focus for 2009/2010

Please tell us how we could improve this website or better support you in your work

Leaflets and posters for your notice boards

We would be very happy to supply you with complimentary copies of our latest Centre leaflet (A5) for your departmental notice boards. Please contact us to request copies. Have a look at our Publicity and Information page, designed for our Bioscience Representative's, which lists our up-to-date flyers and publications - order or download any you would like.

Professional Recognition

We are supporting the Higher Education Academy's Professional Recognition Scheme by mapping all our activities against the recognition criteria. This should help staff who are following the individual recognition scheme meet all the necessary criteria. In addition you will be able to see how our events complement your institutions staff development programmes and in particular your teaching and learning certificates. Download the Centre Activities mapped against the Professional Standards Framework (pdf format)

Resources of Interest

New Lecturers Resource Folder

We have produced a resource folder of subject specific information for new academic staff. The folder is intended to introduce new bioscience lecturers to Centre activities. It provides hints and tips for when people first start teaching, recent developments in bioscience learning and teaching, and also includes details of a number of resources for learning and teaching. You can read more about and download content from the folder.

Learning and Teaching Guides

We produce a hardcopy Teaching Bioscience - Enhancing Learning series. The series is intended to be an accessible introduction to good learning and teaching practice within the context of competing research and institutional pressures. The aim of each publication is to provide a persuasive overview of the pedagogic reasons for adopting a particular practice and support these reasons with sufficient practical guidance and information to turn ideas into reality. The guides combine a mix of theory with bioscience examples and case studies. New: Student Research Projects, by Martin Luck (2008) Effective Use of IT: Guidance on Practice in the Biosciences by Lorraine Stefani (2006) Self- and Peer-Assessment: Guidance on Practice in the Biosciences by Paul Orsmond (2004) The guides are written to be useful to academics in their first year of lecturing, particularly those who are studying for Post Graduate Certificates in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, as well as to those with many years of teaching experience. More details.

Short Guides

Our Short Guides provide a four page introduction to various aspects of teaching and learning in the biosciences complete with ideas for further reading. Topics include transition, plagiarism and inclusive learning and teaching.

Case Studies

We have complied case studies that are examples of effective learning, teaching and assessment practice written by bioscience teachers. Each case study provides an outline of something that has been tried and found to worked well with students.

Do we have a contact for your department?

We are trying to compile a complete list of staff and educational development units. We have a list of departments we have a contact for, if your department isn't included, why not join the centre, so we can keep you informed of our activities. If your department is included, contact us to check we have up-to-date information.

List of contacts for Staff and Educational Development units updated.