Discipline Leader

Main Duties:
Programme Delivery

•   Ensure the achievement of the discipline’s programme outcomes is facilitated through the design and delivery of component modules including careful planning of teaching, learning and assessment across the discipline’s programmes to create a cohesive learner journey.

•   Implement an effective assessment strategy that provides an appropriate balance of formative and summative assessment methods that are planned out effectively across the discipline’s programmes to ensure that students workload is manageable, and feedback will be timely to support their progression through the programmes.

•   Liaise with appropriate colleagues to embed and develop a range of academic, personal and employability skills that are relevant and valuable to the discipline’s students.

•   Ensure that Programme Specifications, Programme Moodle shells and all course and publicity material relating to the discipline’s programmes of study are current and up to date.

•   Ensure that all modules meet the Birkbeck Baseline: Minimum Moodle Standards.

•   Ensure that teaching observations are carried out for staff involved in delivering each module, be that as part of a new staff member’s probation or ongoing academic development, and that any issues arising from these are addressed.

•   Create a Programme Moodle shell for the discipline in accordance with the standard template. This should be a clear and accurate source of information about the programmes for students, designed in partnership with the programme team.

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Discipline Leadership

•   Foster collaboration and shared ownership of the discipline’s programmes by ensuring Module Convenors have opportunities to provide feedback and are involved in discussion relating to the curriculum and contribute to decision making.

•   Work with the programme team and other colleagues, as appropriate, to provide academic advice to students on the programme in relation to:

     –   Aspects of degree structure and module options/pathways.

     –   Changes to degree programme.

     –   Suspensions and withdrawals.

     –   Mitigating circumstances.

     –   Academic engagement or fitness to study/ fitness to practice

•   Work with Module Convenors to ensure that assessment continues to be devised and reviewed at programme level and monitor the implementation of policies in this area to ensure high quality standards and consistency of marking and feedback across the programmes.

•   Contribute to the response to external examiners for the programmes.

•   Attend sub-boards of examiners meetings for programmes.

•   Ensure that programmes are subject to an annual review of student engagement, attainment and pass rate data and use this to create an action plan for the next year.

•   Review module evaluation data in collaboration with module convenors.

•   Provide opportunities for students to provide feedback on an annual basis (e.g., through course representatives, staff-student liaison committees).

•   Provide opportunities for all staff contributing to teaching to provide feedback on it annually.

•   Represent the discipline’s programmes in periodic internal and external quality assurance reviews, as appropriate.

•   Provide information about programmes to inform external review exercises.

•   Ensure that any changes made in response to student feedback are fed back to students.

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Education and Student Experience

•   Organise, design and deliver teaching and assessment as required; this will include delivering lectures, classes and seminars in a range of subjects relevant to the discipline with due regard to best practice and the overall teaching strategy.

•   Employ innovations in teaching and learning, to meet the learning needs of students, through the development of teaching materials, forms of pedagogy, or appropriate teaching collaborations.

•   Be actively involved in ongoing developments and improvements in teaching and administration.

•   Develop the ability of students to engage in critical discourse and rational thinking.

•   Supervise student projects & dissertations and field trips.

•   Undertake Programme and Module Development at both UG and PG level.

•   Supervise, assess and examine student work and provide relevant and timely feedback.

•   Contribute to student recruitment and enrolment.

•   Contribute to the efficient assessment and processing of student applications.

•   Ensure that the design and delivery of teaching complies with College Regulations and national Quality Assurance frameworks.

     –   Ensure that the teaching content and methods of delivery are in accordance with equal opportunities and respond to issues relating to staff and student needs.

     –   Respond promptly to student enquiries and concerns, to undertake action as appropriate or signposting alternative avenues of support.

Person Specification General Requirements

Please note: the requirements below apply to both Discipline Leader posts. Each post also carries requirements specific to its discipline. Before applying, please also read “Person Specification: Area-Specific Requirements” in the relevant post’s section under “Discipline Areas”.

Candidates Must be Able to Demonstrate the Following:

Knowledge

•   Subject-specific knowledge of the  discipline - see “Person Specification: Area-Specific Requirements” for the  post.

•   An understanding of different teaching  and learning methods.

Technical and/or Work-Based Skills

•   Skills in work practice relevant to the  discipline.

•   Effective oral and written communication  skills, to convey both simple and more complex information and academic  concepts.

•   Computer proficiency in standard packages  (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail and internet use).

•   Ability to develop and foster students’  learning skills.

•   An ability to lecture and conduct  seminars clearly and effectively.

General Skills and Attributes

•   Effective presentation skills.

•   To appreciate and react to the needs of  individual students and their circumstances.

•   Organisation and administration skills.

•   Commitment to working with diversity.

•   Ability to engage the interest and  enthusiasm of students and inspire them to learn.

•   Interpersonal skills to relate well to  students especially mature students.

Experience

•   Experience of effectively leading  programmes at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level - see “Person  Specification: Area-Specific Requirements” for the discipline.

•   Teaching experience at degree and/or  postgraduate level.

•   Experience of carrying out consultancy.

•   Experience of collaboration with academic  colleagues on course, and/or curriculum and/or research developments.

Qualifications

•   PhD (or equivalent) or extensive  professional practice in a related area - see “Person Specification:  Area-Specific Requirements” for the specialism required.