Dr Julie Hulme

HEA Discipline Lead for Psychology

Developing your academic teaching career

The teaching you do currently will give you a good idea of what to expect, and will also be important when applying for posts.

Selection for academic appointments will look at all your experience – research and teaching. It is important to be able to articulate your reflections on teaching.

Competitive market in academia means high quality teaching is a priority.

What sorts of teaching activity are you engaged in now?

What development activity are you undertaking? 2

Developing your academic teaching career

Workshops and conferences around Psychology learning and teaching.

Key themes in Psychology at the moment are

• assessment and feedback;

• employability;

• technology-enhanced learning;

• internationalisation;

• retention and success;

• psychological literacy.

Which of these areas are you confident about? What more do you need to know?

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What can you do to develop?

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/disciplines/psychology

Colleagues;

Journals – Psychology Learning and Teaching; Psychology Teaching Review; Teaching of Psychology; generic learning and teaching journals;

Text books;

The British Psychological Society – PsyPAG and the Division of Academics, Researchers and Teachers in Psychology.

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Resources

Developing from postgrad/postdoc/other teaching to lecturing will require you to take more responsibility:

• Writing your own materials;

• Supporting other members of the teaching team, e.g. postgraduates;

• Setting and marking assessments;

• Communicating with students;

• Evaluating teaching and quality assurance;

• Module and course design.5

Postgraduate vs lecturer 1

You’ll need to manage your teaching alongside your research activity and an administrative load:

• Module/course leadership;

• Admissions/recruitment and open days;

• Careers tutor;

• Specific aspects of student support such as level tutor;

• Placement co-ordinator;

• Exams officer;

• And more. 6

Postgraduate vs lecturer 2

Try to gain a diversity of teaching experience that you can talk about at interview:

• Ask if you can give a lecture and/or write your own seminar material for a class;

• Make the most of training opportunities in your institution and outside;

• Develop your subject understanding;

• Reflect on your teaching – what do you do well? What helps students to learn? What do you learn through your teaching experience?

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Preparing for the next step 1

Demonstrate a commitment to quality learning and teaching.

Apply to be an Associate Fellow of the HEA;

See the ‘Click Away’ flyer for ways in which HEA can help your development:

• Events and conferences;

• UK travel fund;

• New to Teaching workshops once in post.

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Preparing for the next step 2

What will you do next to prepare yourself for an academic post?

Keep in touch:

• Psychology e-bulletin;

• Email;

• http://www.heacademy.ac.uk;

• Facebook;

• Twitter.

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Moving forward

On a yellow post-it note, jot down one or two things you’ve found useful today;

On a different coloured post-it note, write down one thing you will do as a result.

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What next?