Initial Entry Route Guidance Note for Colleagues Working within Higher Education Support Services

The Institute for Learning and Teaching has been proactively encouraging applications from all colleagues who are actively engaged in both teaching and learning support roles within Higher Education.  Feedback from sessions attended by ILT officers specifically for library, computing, media and other support services staff have provided useful guidance for the ILT accreditors in assessing the written submissions of such applications under the given five areas of professional teaching and learning support activity.  As a result of this, the ILT now numbers many HE support services staff within its membership.

The following guidance note is a summary of the feedback the ILT has received.  The examples given do not indicate exclusive lists.  They are provided to assist prospective applicants in identifying their relevant experience and expertise to comment, reflect and evaluate on throughout their submission.

General points to consider for written submission

The initial entry route for experienced staff invites applicants to provide a reflective account of their current, or most recent role, within higher education under five areas of professional teaching and learning support activity.  Applicants are advised to limit this to their activities over the last three years only (but can refer to earlier work undertaken before this time insofar as it informs their current role).  Please also see the general guidance notes within the application pack for further information and on how the applications will be assessed.

The role of the referee

Applicants should provide two letters of reference from colleagues who they regard as being best placed to provide professional commentary and collaboration for their application.  Feedback received has suggested that it may be problematic for support services staff to find two suitable referees as they are often delivering training sessions in isolation.  The following suggestions are provided from commentary received from prospective applicants who have approached individuals with whom they have one or more of the following professional working relationships:

• A colleague within your department who you have worked with on joint projects, for example, writing materials for independent learning
• A colleague from another department who you have worked with on inter-departmental activities, for example, quality assurance issues or internal working groups.
• A colleague from another HE institution with whom you have worked on external initiatives, for example, for another professional body, on an externally funded project, joint publications.
• A colleague who may have undertaken a peer review of your training sessions
• Your present or most recent line manager

It is advisable that the referee reads your written submission first before compiling their reference.  The most helpful reference will be one which provides additional information and/or commentary on your application.  For example:

• Where you have mentioned only briefly an activity which your referee believes you are rather good at
• Where your application has not mentioned a specific element of your work (possibly due to focussing on other aspects within the word limit)
• If you have recently changed your job or HE career path within the last three years, one of your references could provide additional information in support of your experience and how you are now using this in your current role

The five areas of professional teaching and learning support activity

An  important point to make here, before looking at the five areas individually , is that when preparing your submission you should not be too descriptive – the accreditors will look for rationale, reflection and review of your professional activities throughout your submission.

The following provides commentary and example suggestions for your written submission:

Teaching and the support of learning

As the first of the five areas, you may wish to use this section to provide some detail of the broad range of activities you are involved with (this will provide the accreditors with a picture of your experience).  In the context of working within an HE support service, include the training and/or demonstrating sessions you may be involved with delivering and all the other activities you undertake that support independent learning including for example; widening access to resources; initiatives for learners with disabilities, key skills and/or employability initiatives (to both colleagues and students within your institution).

Within this section, provide further detail on approximately three contrasting activities you are involved with and give the rationale behind the methods and approaches you use in carrying out these activities. 

Examples here could include:

• Using experience and subject knowledge to select appropriate resources to support teaching and learning
• Providing support for distance learners, for example, web-based materials, on-line tutorials, inter library loans
• Staff development for teaching staff to ensure a knowledge of resources and support available to their students

 Contribution to the design and planning of learning activities

Describe and evaluate how your professional practice in the design and planning of activities assists in encouraging learning to take place.

Examples here could include:

• Liaison with departments over suitable resources (CD-ROMs, networked facilities, paper based resources etc)
• Contribution to staff development/training events
• Design of independent learning materials (‘How to….’ sheets etc)
• Contribution to internal and/or external quality assurance mechanisms (validation events, QAA visits, internal committees within department and/or across departments etc)

Assessment and giving feedback

This section should not be viewed as restricted to summative assessment mechanisms, such as examinations and written assignments for credit-bearing programmes (if you do undertake some assessment in these areas, please do include this).  However, feedback ILT officers have received suggests that this is one area in which support services staff have very little opportunity to be engaged.  The following suggestions may be helpful here.

 Evaluate the informal feedback and assessment mechanisms you use and critically evaluate how these techniques contribute to the learners understanding of the subject and / or the resources being used.

Examples here could include:

• Feedback and evaluation sheets handed out after a training session
• Verbal feedback to small groups when you are watching them carry out directed tasks within a training session
• One-to-one verbal feedback on whether someone is using a networked resource properly
• Feedback sheets completed by learners on user services regarding general facilities, effectiveness of staff etc
• Seeking verbal feedback from learners on the implementation of a new resource
• Feedback and discussion over email, CAL, chat rooms and discussion groups
• Feedback from departments regarding service level agreements
• Feedback from student course representatives, Student Union representatives etc.

Developing effective learning environments and learning support systems

Examples here could include:

• One-to-one ad hoc advisory sessions (for example, enquiry/help-desk work)
• Contribution to course/student liaison/staff committees
• Managing IT systems
• Design and implementation of internet and/or intranet resources
• Introduction of new processes and procedures towards a more effective service for learners, including colleagues (for example, policy discussion and design in widening access to user services)
• Adaptation  of services to meet a changing student profile
• Implementation of new support services to meet the needs of specific learner groups (ie part-time/distance learners etc)
• Designing space in order to provide effective learning environments that are conducive to study

Reflective practice and personal development

Please use this section to provide an overall reflective account on how you develop your professional role.  You may find it useful to draw upon some of the examples you have given in previous sections or other professional development activities, such as:

• Institutional appraisal schemes
• The Library Association Framework for Continuing Professional Development
• Attendance and/or participation at conferences
• Publications/articles
• Informal activities such as ad hoc workshops, group projects, peer and student evaluations etc

Highlight what you have learnt from using particular techniques. How do some of the techniques you use inform your professional practice and approach?  You may find it useful to give a brief example of some feedback you received recently – how has this assisted you in your future planning of similar activities?  What did you learn from this feedback?

Also in this section, please describe any formal or informal programmes of staff development and training in learning and teaching you have recently undertaken, including any external project work, attendance at conferences, in-house sessions, particular areas of research you are engaged in to develop your expertise.  How have such activities assisted you to develop a greater understanding of the learning environment?

This section could also include continuing professional development activities you undertake for other professional bodies where this informs your practice in supporting learning.

Victoria Eaton
April 2001

For more information regarding the Institute for Learning and Teaching, and to download an application pack, please see the ILT Web site at http://www.ilt.ac.uk/

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