Postgraduates are being given increasing responsibility in teaching undergraduates. While this is to be encouraged, and is necessary in developing an academic identity which includes facets of both teaching and research, there is also risk that postgraduates may not receive adequate support to fully carry out the duties expected of them. In addition to generic support of teaching, there is also the need, which has been demonstrated, of discipline-specific support, and the encouragement of a postgraduate peer network.

Building on previous work done with the support of the HEA UK Centre for Bioscience, and at the University of Glasgow on Graduate Attributes, and the contribution that can be made by postgraduates in teaching, this project aims to develop support for postgraduates in teaching. We will take a collaborative approach which includes postgraduates, academics, educational developers and careers advisers, who have previous experience in the support of postgraduates in teaching, in STEM subject areas.

The developments from this project are transferable to other institutions, and to other STEM areas, especially where lab practicals and fieldwork is involved.