C - Teachers and staff who support learning
Goldsmiths seeks to foster a shared, institution-wide ethos of professional concern for the quality of teaching provision and the student learning experience. We seek to ensure the excellence of teaching through the recruitment, retention and development of high-quality teaching staff, informed by high-quality research activity. Whilst academic departments are most directly responsible for the quality of teaching provision, all areas of the College underpin and support this provision and together contribute in a vital way to the overall learning experience of the student.
C1 We will ensure the high status of 'teaching' and 'learning support' and in so doing we will review our institutional policies and procedures to ensure that they are aligned to support this aim.
We will provide appropriate reward and recognition systems for those demonstrating ability and commitment to the enhancement of learning and teaching through awards, fellowships and other development activities. In particular we will continue to find ways to reflect teaching endeavour within the promotions criteria and to ensure that career progression gives significant and appropriate weight to teaching excellence (see HR Strategy and staff development plan) [pdf document];
C2 Through a culture of management accountability and academic leadership, we will ensure that appropriate commitment is given to supporting the enhancement of 'learning' and 'learning support'.
This culture will include a new focus on individualised coaching and mentoring programmes for Heads of Department and other senior academic staff designed to help them to achieve an appropriate balance between the key result areas of research, teaching and administration. It will also include internal Human Resources consultancy support for Heads to help them clarify roles and responsibilities of key staff such as Chairs of Learning and Teaching Committees and programme coordinators (see Staff Development website)
C3 We will foster an environment where all teaching and learning support staff are aware of and engage with the professional standards for teaching framework. [pdf]
In addition we expect all staff to develop a reflective approach to their teaching practice that recognises the different needs of our increasingly diverse student body. We will support staff in these endeavours through:
- the provision of appropriate staff development opportunities which will include activities provided centrally and within departments and which allow staff the opportunity to reflect on learning, teaching and assessment issues and practices including, where appropriate, the integration of new technology and 'blended' approaches to learning support;
- ensuring that all staff who are new to teaching take the Postgraduate Certificate in the Management of Learning and Teaching;
- mentoring systems that are supportive and enhancement-led;
- systems for peer review that facilitate a reflective consideration of practice;
- supporting and facilitating staff membership of the HE Academy and other academic and professional bodies (for example, through the HEA individual recognition route or the PG Certificate in the Management of Learning and Teaching);
- developing efficient ways to share good practice e.g. through facilitating networks both formal and informal, establishing an internal web presence for learning and teaching and continuing to embed the use of the Virtual Learning Environment within departments.
C4 Academic staff will be encouraged to seek ways to integrate and enrich the learning support available to students by making connections across their different roles of researcher, teacher and manager/administrator.
In particular departments should encourage staff to render more explicit how research, scholarship, and where appropriate, professional practice impact on taught provision (see Healey and Jenkins, 2007 [pdf] for more on linking research and teaching). Departments should enable staff to undertake pedagogic, as well as discipline-specific, research and should seek actively to promote and support the scholarship of teaching and learning.
C5 We will develop our policy around Intellectual Property Rights and develop guidelines for acceptable use of materials for the context of e-learning and provide appropriate guidance and training.
C6 We will provide appropriate development opportunities for both learners and staff in strengthening ITC literacies.
See more information on CELT fellowships.
Printable version of supporting learning [pdf]
Printable version of complete Strategy[pdf]