The development of an e-mentoring scheme for bioscience staff whose primary focus is teaching and scholarship

Description

There are a growing number of academics within the biosciences whose role are mainly focused on teaching and scholarship or have been appointed as teaching fellows within their university or college. These roles are varied in their description and often involve quite senior responsibilities such as course directorships and Directors of Learning and Teaching. These academics may also conduct and publish pedagogical research in their subject discipline. Informal canvassing suggests that there is not always a clear promotion route for such staff and in some institutions a ‘glass ceiling’ for promotion beyond Senior Lectureship level or equivalent may exist. The HEA has recently published a preliminary report on the career structure and promotion criteria of teaching and scholarship staff which suggests that in many institutions teaching is perceived as being second to research, with no clear parity across the sector.

This project is investigating the feasibility of establishing an e-mentoring partnership scheme whereby academics would have the opportunity to be mentored and coached by other academic staff who have achieved promotion and recognition, the aim being to enhance their promotion prospects and career progression. This would for instance enable practitioners to review their teaching portfolio, identify weakness and gain advice from established senior practitioners on how to develop, diversify and strengthen their teaching portfolio with a view to achieving wider recognition and promotion. This, in turn, would enhance learning and teaching within the individuals own institution and, through the mentoring scheme, increase their engagement with the UK Centre for Bioscience and its resources.

Links

Exploring promotion and CV enhancement and discussing the implementation of an e-mentoring scheme in the biosciences - Report from the event held in January 2010

Following this event a “Bioscience Mentors” Google group has been formed; contact Dave Lewis (d.i.lewis@leeds.ac.uk) for further details.

Read an article about the project from Bioscience Bulletin 30 - Mentorship of Teaching and Scholarship in the Biosciences

A poster about the Bioscience Mentors group was presented at the 2010 Representatives' Forum, download the poster as a pdf

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Reward and recognition of teaching in Higher Education - report by the Higher Education Academy and GENIE CETL