I wanted to analyse and reflect on my job description and relate it more closely to the areas of interest for my ARP. I have taken key points and considered how they can be reflected as a job responsibility to the current pillars at LCF/UAL. Below is an idea, a reflective thought of how I can relate what is already in place and connect the dots to make technicians feel more connected to the overall family of UAL and its strategic plan.
Teaching and Learning (Academic Research)
- To provide formal or informal sessions to students that may include one of more, demonstration, instruction with a process/technique, coaching with the development and proficiency of a particular skill, technique or process.
- To contribute to planning, development and delivery of learning activities supporting student learning and research, liaising with Course Leaders and academic staff informally and formally with Course meetings
- To contribute to student formative assessments, with reference to appropriate learning outcomes of the course or project.
Knowledge Exchange
- To liaise internally and externally with professionals and recognised practitioners and artists, attend conferences and exhibitions to share and develop ideas, knowledge and expertise that can be translated to support academic learning and research activities.
- To be involved with the design, production and development of appropriate teaching and learning materials to suit own specific areas of specialist activity and service delivery
Research
- To carry out detailed and extensive research to support the ability to diagnose and resolve problems of a highly technical, complicated nature, that involves testing and re-testing scenarios and processes to lead to the successful design and achievement of intended learning outcome/execution of work
- To contribute, as a course team member, with the planning and development of the programme area, the identification of learning outcomes, including curriculum development, research and commercial activities. (this can also be associated with T&L and KE).
Academic Career Pathways
UAL needs an academic workforce with the different skills to deliver teaching, research and knowledge exchange. The Academic Career Pathways project is designed to recognise, develop and reward careers in these mission areas.
Following extensive consultation, we have introduced 3 Academic Career Pathways:
- Teaching Oriented Pathway
- Knowledge Exchange-Oriented Pathway
- Research Oriented Pathway
The pathways aim to build on our knowledge exchange reputation and our excellent teaching.
Project principles
- All academic staff will teach as part of their contract
- All 3 pathways will have a clear route from Grade 5 to Professor
- You will be placed on a pathway through an open, transparent process
- There will be a clear process to switch your pathway at different points in your career
We aim to achieve these basic principles within existing contractual arrangements.
The question, when I first started my specialist job, is where is my pathway? and where can I go in my career as a specialist? I have been fighting for answers to this question, for 3 years, not really knowing how to dive deeper into the meaning behind my job, what it means to be a specialist and where are the level 5 and level 6 specialists that are related to lectures and senior lectures.
I found this information, very exclusive and excluded a lot of the student teaching workforce who are level 4 specialists, who build active learning teaching plans, and lesson plans and develop synchronous and asynchronous teaching based on industry skills related to creative practice.
The process and practice of teaching practical skills come in new ways, and very heartfelt and honest approaches to teaching especially craft focus, which has a huge history with diversity, equality and classism. There is also learning curves for those specialists who have been doing this job for over 10/20 years and now changing their teaching practice and evaluating how digital teaching reflects the new generation of learners! Do technical staff get the opportunity to explore digital research/KE or teaching in changing or developing their practice, and reflect on how it is taught?