Quality Enhancement

The University’s approach to enhancing the quality of student learning opportunities is embedded in the University strategy which sets out the strategic priorities for education. The strategic partnership between the University and the Student's Union ensures continuity of focus and facilitates monitoring of progress in the enhancement area.

The University's Quality, Monitoring and Enhancement Framework is intended to actively promote continuous and systematic enhancement.

Educational Continuous Professional Development

Individual members of staff are responsible for taking an active role in:

planning their personal development
undertaking the agreed development activities
keeping records of their personal/professional development activities.

Teaching Qualifications Policy

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The Teaching Qualifications Policy describes the expectations of ERE staff with teaching and/or assessment responsibilities to be appropriately qualified to a nationally recognised standard as set in the AdvanceHE (AHE henceforth) Professional Standards Framework for Learning and Teaching in HE (PSF henceforth) 2023. Recognition of teaching practice to the criteria of the PSF 2023 can be achieved through engaging with the University’s Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) or the Professional Recognition of Educator Practice (PREP) framework as follows:

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In the structure for the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP), passing module one is sufficient to gain recognition as Associate Fellow (AFHEA) with AHE, and passing both modules one and two is sufficient for recognition as Fellow (FHEA). AFHEA and FHEA correspond to Descriptors 1 and 2 (D1 and D2), respectively, of the PSF 2023. ��
PGCAP currently consists of three modules, with module three covering aspects of academic practice in the discipline, such as evaluation of teaching and learning and development of scholarly approaches to learning and teaching. Successfully completing PGCAP modules one, two and three will result in achievement of the PGCert (30 ECTS credits). ��
ERE staff with teaching experience but no formal teaching qualification may alternatively apply for AHE recognition via the University’s Professional Recognition of Educator Practice (PREP) framework, which covers all four levels of the PSF 2023 (D1 Associate Fellow HEA, D2 Fellow HEA, D3 Senior Fellow HEA, and D4 Principal Fellow HEA). The two higher levels (D3 and D4) correspond to Senior and Principal Fellow of the HEA (SFHEA and PFHEA), which recognise educational leadership within the institution and externally. ��
Within the University’s SoTeach programme for PGRs, SoTeach3 is also AHE accredited AFHEA and is directed at an audience of PGRs whose teaching commitments are adequate to meet the criteria of Descriptor 1.

Staff with Significant Teaching Responsibilities

For the purposes of this policy significant teaching responsibilities include, but are not limited to, for example:

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design of programmes, modules or multiple sessions, such as lectures, seminars, tutorials or labs
design of assessment components such as examinations, dissertations or projects
marking assessment components
making reasonable adjustments to take into account disability or special educational needs��
acting as personal academic tutor
advising students on regulations, including those covering academic integrity, appeals, complaints, degree classification, progression, and special considerations

Staff with significant teaching responsibilities will typically be on the ERE Balanced or Education pathways (including Clinical staff with balanced or education-focused portfolios, for these purposes), but there may also be staff on other ERE pathways or—in rare instances other job families—who have significant teaching responsibilities as defined above. For the practical application of this policy:

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those on the ERE Balanced or Education pathways (including, for these purposes, Clinical staff with balanced or education-focused portfolios) are assumed to have significant teaching responsibilities, unless explicitly noted otherwise.
those on other ERE pathways, or in other job families, are assumed not to have significant teaching responsibilities, but it is the responsibility of the employee and their line management to consider whether this is actually the case, with reference to the definitions in this policy, and to seek appropriate qualification and/or recognition accordingly.

Staff with Less Significant Teaching Responsibilities��

Staff with less significant teaching responsibilities will be expected to achieve AFHEA or its PSF 2023 equivalent (D1) within a reasonable timescale, depending on their prior experience and their current educational responsibilities and workload. For avoidance of doubt, this is not necessarily a probationary requirement or a pre-requisite of taking on less significant teaching responsibilities but should not be unreasonably delayed where such responsibilities exist.

For the purposes of this policy less significant teaching responsibilities include, but are not limited to, for example:

providing formative feedback
marking low stakes assessment components��
interacting with UoS students occasionally or in specific projects��
designing guest lectures or one-off sessions

Institutional level

Staff with less significant teaching responsibilities will typically be on the ERE Research or ERE Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise pathways (including, for these purposes, Clinical staff with research or knowledge exchange and enterprise-focused portfolios) but may also include some staff in other job families. For the practical application of this policy, it is the responsibility of the employee and their line management to consider if less significant teaching responsibilities are present, with reference to the definitions in this policy, and to seek appropriate qualification and/or recognition accordingly.

More information on the experience needed to undertake PREP or PGCAP can be found via the .��

Peer Development of Teaching

The Policy on Peer Development of Teaching (PDT)��encourages the enhancement of our teaching and to support innovation and change where appropriate.

It is��designed to��encourage broad engagement within a suitable framework, to enable the sharing of good practice and allow open discussion and debate.