Principal Lecturer Job Description and Person Specification Date: April 2015
Job Title: Salary: Principal Lecturer 42,000 (minimum) Hours of Work: Monday to Friday 09.00 to 17.00 Holidays (Paid): Main purpose of the role: 25 days (7 days of which to be taken during 2-week Christmas/New Year shut down), plus public holidays Undertake a senior management and leadership role (e.g. Dean, Head of Department, Director of Centre) Undertake the role of Module Leader and/or Module Tutor on University of Northampton and/or Pearson (BTEC) undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and/or Open College Network Access to Higher Education Diplomas Reporting to: Location: Deputy Academic Principal (or nominee) Dilke House, 1 Malet Street, London, WC1E 7JN Main Tasks Ensure all tasks are undertaken within the spirit of the London School of Business and Management s mission, vision and values. Undertake a senior management and leadership role (e.g. Dean, Head of Department, Director of Centre). Contribute to the development and implementation of the Academic Strategy and the Annual Academic Business and Improvement Plan. Contribute to the development and implementation of the Teaching, Learning, Assessment and Research Strategy (which incorporates the elearning Strategy). Contribute to the development and implementation of quality assurance and enhancement regulations, policies and procedures. Contribute to the compilation of Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Reports and the Overview Reports. Chair key committees within the Academic Division and across the institution. Ensure students are provided with a high quality teaching and learning experience with a high standard of academic and personal support to ensure the best possible levels of satisfaction and achievement levels. As required, undertake the role of Module Leader on University of Northampton and/or Pearson (BTEC) undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and/or Open College Network Access to Higher Education Diplomas, ensuring consistency of delivery across all Module Tutors. As required, undertake the role of Module Tutor on University of Northampton and/or Pearson (BTEC) undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and/or Open College Network Access to Higher Education Diplomas. Principal Lecturer Page 1
As required, write, mark and moderate formative and summative assessments, attend assessment meetings (including assessment boards) and provide students with high quality written and face-to-face feedback. As required, write and/or contribute to the writing of Module Monitoring Reports, ensuring there is a critical review of module delivery which clearly identifies improvements which can be made to ensure the continuous improvement of the students teaching and learning experience. As required, participate in the Peer Observation of Teaching Scheme. As required, act as a Personal Academic Tutor. Undertake administrative duties associated with the tutoring, attendance, assessment, achievement and support of students. Participate in the Research and Scholarship strategy as agreed with the Deputy Academic Principal (or nominee). Attend Staff Meetings and Staff Development sessions. Carry out duties and responsibilities at all times with due regard to relevant regulations, policies and procedures, including those relating to health and safety. Adhere to the provisions of the Data Protection Act, and refrain from sharing any personal or other information relating to students with any third party without the Deputy Academic Principal s express permission. In addition to the above tasks, to undertake any other tasks as directed by the Deputy Academic Principal (or nominee). The above is not an exhaustive list of tasks as the role may change to meet the institution s overall objectives. These tasks are subject to amendment over time as priorities and requirements evolve and as such the job description may be amended at any time by the line manager following discussion with the post holder. Principal Lecturer Page 2
Person Specification Qualifications Essential: Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent professional qualification. Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (or commitment to achieve such Senior Fellowship within six months of appointment). Desirable: Teaching qualification (e.g. PgCert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education). Doctorate. Experience Essential: Senior academic management and leadership experience (e.g. acting as Head of School/Department or Programme/Course Leader). Substantial UK Higher Education teaching, learning and assessment experience at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level, preferably within a university which delivers programmes according to UK teaching and learning higher education methodologies. Experience of managing academic tasks (teaching or research related). Experience of curriculum development. Experience of teaching students from culturally diverse backgrounds and/or experience of teaching international students. Substantial experience of quality assurance and enhancement in a Higher Education setting. Experience of leading (or involvement in) activities which enhance the student experience. Experience of research, scholarly activity and/or development of academic knowledge. Experience of using a virtual learning environment (e.g. Moodle, BlackBoard). Experience of using an online library. Experience of working in teams. Desirable: None Principal Lecturer Page 3
Skills and Abilities Essential: Ability to teach two or more modules on the University of Northampton and/or Pearson (BTEC) undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and/or Open College Network Access to Higher Education Diplomas. Computer literate (to include competence in the use of Microsoft Office, in particular Word, PowerPoint and Outlook). Excellent customer facing and communication skills. Ability to undertake administrative tasks. Ability to communicate with staff at all levels. Ability to adapt to a fast changing environment. Ability to own problems. Ability to work collaboratively across divisional and departmental boundaries. Good organisational ability. Desirable: None Personal Qualities Essential: Enthusiasm and empathy for the London School of Business and Management s mission, vision and values. A commitment to embracing a student-first ethos. Good time management. Genuine commitment to equal opportunities and widening participation Desirable: None Principal Lecturer Page 4
Introduction to the London School of Business and Management We deliver undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Business, Law and Accounting which are developed by our academic partners. Our academic partners comprise the University of Northampton for our degree courses and Pearson (BTEC) for our non-degree courses. Awards are conferred by our academic partners. In addition we deliver undergraduate Computing courses but these are being taught out during 2015-16. In 2015-16 we will start to deliver Level 3 Access to Higher Education Diplomas in Business Studies, Business and Accounting, and Law. These QAA-approved qualifications, which are awarded by the Open College Network (London), reaffirm our commitment to widening participation. Our undergraduate courses are designated by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to provide our UK and EU students with access to loans and grants through the Student Loans Company to cover their tuition fees and maintenance. Our partnership with Birkbeck College, University of London has now entered its seventh year and it continues to provide us with a unique position in the private Higher Education sector. All our teaching takes place within Birkbeck College. Our students have access to Birkbeck College s library (including borrowing rights) and computer facilities (including Wi-Fi). In addition, our students are enrolled as associate members of Student Central (previously the University of London (Students ) Union (ULU)). Our aim is to provide students with a high quality educational experience within an academic community which promotes learning and personal development. During 2014-15 we made changes to our organisation structure to enable us to be even better at delivering on our commitment to continuously improve and enhance the students educational experience. In December 2014 a new Student Admissions and Success Division was created. The purpose behind this was: (i) to separate the recruitment of students from the selection/admissions process in order to introduce an explicit quality control; and (ii) to coordinate (through the Student Success Department) the delivery of academic and non-academic support provided to students throughout their academic journey. This has a clear link to quality enhancement. The Student Admissions and Success Division is also tasked with monitoring attendance to ensure early, but discrete, intervention if a student is failing to engage. At the start of the 2014-15 a new structure for the Academic Division was introduced, as follows: School of Business School of Law Centre for Academic Support and Enhancement (CASE) Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) CASE and CETL, which were established in 2014-15, are proactively contributing to our commitment to continuously improve and enhance the students educational experience. For example, CETL convenes a monthly Teaching and Learning Forum, a key purpose of which is to disseminate good practice throughout the institution. CASE provides weekly Academic Skills sessions (which were introduced in 2014-15), including the provision of small group and one-to-one sessions. The purpose is to provide every student with the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We became an institutional subscriber of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in May 2014. More than 50 per cent of our full-time and fractional academic staff have achieved Fellowship of the HEA. Principal Lecturer Page 5
Our target is that all academic staff will achieve Fellowship of the HEA, and all senior academic staff will achieve Senior Fellowship. In June 2014 we had a very successful QAA Review for Educational Oversight (REO) monitoring visit (which followed our successful Reviews in 2012 and 2013). The QAA determined that we were making commendable progress with the implementation of our action plan the highest possible outcome. From 1 January 2015 we became a member of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA). We are continuing to operate in a constantly evolving environment. We have embraced the change agenda with vigour and enthusiasm and we will continue to monitor and respond to change. Through our Corporate Plan 2015-18, we have articulated how we are positioning ourselves as a private provider of UK higher education in this increasingly competitive market. Throughout this period of change, our commitment to providing students with a first class educational experience to enable them to achieve their full potential and to make valuable contributions to society will continue unabated. John Fairhurst BA PgDip MPhil MBA Solicitor FHEA Managing Director and Academic Principal Principal Lecturer Page 6
Our Mission, Vision and Values Mission Building careers Transforming lives Raising aspirations Our mission is to: Build rewarding careers for our students and our staff. Transform our students lives through the provision of a high quality educational experience within an academic community which promotes learning and personal development. Raise the aspirations of our students to become independent and critical learners, to achieve their full potential and to make valuable contributions to society. Raise the aspirations of our staff by developing, supporting and empowering them to deliver excellent teaching, research and scholarship, student support and service provision. Enhance our learning and working environment through the application of Servant Leadership principals, which promote kindness, ethical rigour, creativity and accountability. Vision Our vision is to be: An accessible, transformational and innovative provider of high quality UK higher education courses in Business, Law and Accounting as measured by our students, staff, academic partners and external stakeholders. Values Our values are: Accessibility and Supportiveness: providing equal and fair access to higher education for those who can demonstrate the ability to succeed. Excellence and Ambition: continuously improving and enhancing our students educational experience. Serving: promoting an inclusive servant led community within which all our students and staff actively serve the needs of others. Openness, Transparency and Honesty: operating ethically and with integrity in all our dealings with our students, staff, academic partners and external stakeholders. Principal Lecturer Page 7
Our Corporate Goals 2015-18 Our Corporate Goals for the period 2015-18 are as follows: 1. Provide fair access to higher education for those who demonstrate, through prior certificated and/or experiential learning, the ability to succeed on our courses, building local, national and international partnerships to promote and enhance our fair access policy. 2. Provide our students with a transformational and high quality educational experience within an academic community which promotes learning and personal development, and within which they will develop into independent and critical learners, achieve their full potential and make valuable contributions to society. 3. Develop, support and empower our staff to achieve excellence in teaching, research and scholarship, student support and service delivery. 4. Ensure full compliance with our Corporate Governance Framework which articulates: (i) how we set and maintain academic standards and assure and enhance academic quality; and (ii) how our students are represented and recognised as members of our institution. 5. Ensure financial sustainability while behaving responsibly towards the environment. 6. Achieve Taught Degree Awarding Powers by 2018-19. Principal Lecturer Page 8