Leadership and Management in Higher Education comes with a set of responsibilities that staff may not have directly been prepared for as part of their disciplinary training and expertise.
As an Assistant Professor (Teaching), you will act as a module leader, supporting and supervising other members of staff such as Assistant Lecturers, or playing an active part in course management, quality monitoring, and enhancement processes. Developing your understanding of responsibilities, systems and processes at the institution will enable you to understand how they impact your students- and your colleagues!
Essential Background
- As an Assistant Professor (Teaching), this is likely to include course or module leadership.
- Information on the role of the Module Leader, including roles and responsibilities (pdf, Coventry log-in required).is available on the AEPD website.
- Information about the roles and responsibilities (pdf, Coventry log-in required) of the Course Director is hosted on the Office for Teaching and Learning website.
- You may receive broader managerial queries from your teaching teams. The Managers Guide to Induction and the Leadership and Management Hub from Organisational Development are good starting points for answers.
- Familiarise yourself with the Academic Calendar and how this links to your role, including lifecycles of the courses/modules that you are involved in leading or delivering.
- Review the institutional conventions for organising its courses and modules (see Registry Services web page) along with the associated platforms (e.g. Kuali, Solar, Sonic) and documentation (e.g. Module Descriptor- or “MID”- available via the Module Information Directory). This is especially important if you are planning a new module. Reach out to the Curriculum Development team for further support.
- Coventry University Group is committed to ensuring strong student engagement in quality assurance processes. Students are expected to be part of the CEQM process- see outline here. All module leaders should provide a “You Said, We Did” response to Module Evaluation Questionnaire feedback and Course Directors should regularly engage with student forums.
Getting Started
- The Course Quality Enhancement & Monitoring process is an essential mechanism underpinning the development of a course-focused approach for the student experience. Download our full guidance document from the webpage. You will have an active role to play in this process, leading it for your course if you are a Course Director or actively contributing as a Module Leader.
- Understanding the processes and cycles involved in assessment and feedback at Coventry University Group is important for Assistant Professors (Teaching). Refer to the Assessment & Feedback section of the AEPD website for further details.
- Your school is likely to have an organisational diagram or matrix for the different course teams. It can be useful to keep this to hand in case of queries. Your line manager should be able to provide this, or it may be hosted on the People Hub.
Take it Further
- You can gain insights into Quality Assurance in the Higher Education sector via the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and through the Office for Students.
- Understanding the data in the CEQM dashboard can help inform policy and process decisions. Refer to the course booking system for dates of future CEQM training sessions.
Try it Out!
- Identify your modules on CEQM- are there any elements or issues you’d like some more information on?
- Do you know who your CEQM Student Reps are? What feedback do they have?
Finished here?