This document sets out a recommended professional development programme containing key information, activities, and resources which are likely to be useful to colleagues in the role of Assistant Professor (Teaching). We recommend you use this document to aid reflection on your professional development, ideally as part of development conversations with your manager. You should also refer to your job description, and you may find the Academic Development Reflection Tool useful.
As a Assistant Professor (Teaching), you are likely to take a leadership role, therefore you may find the narratives for Assistant Lecturer and Lecturer helpful in supporting your team. You could also consult the managers’ guide to AEPD provision.
If you are not sure where to start, we’ve recommended some small actions in the ‘Try it out’ section at the end of each theme. Before you explore the themes, there are also some overarching aspects which will inform your role more generally. Some aspects may already be familiar to you if you have worked in Higher Education before, but they are important in understanding the Coventry University Group context.
Essential background on Coventry University Group
- Getting to know the “Coventry Way” of approaching learning, teaching and assessment is crucial. Complete the dedicated Aula course on the Coventry Way to find out about its key principles, and implications for practice as well as to experience Aula, Coventry University Group’s digital learning platform.
- This summary of Teaching and Learning: The Coventry Way also provides an overview of the approach.
- The Coventry University Group’s 2030 Education and Student Experience Strategy sets out the mission and vision of the organisation, as well as key themes relating to our educational offer- all of which influence the way that we approach our teaching, learning and assessment practice.
- It is important to appreciate where your role fits in within the wider organisation: see Coventry University Group explained.
- AEPD’s Academic induction webpages– and the associated workshop- are essential for colleagues who are new to teaching at the Coventry University Group. Refer to the course booking system for dates of future sessions. You will be added to the New Academic Network Programme (NANP) after the induction- see below for further details.
- Consult Organisational Development’s Induction Hub for more general induction requirements, including finance system requests and ‘Coventry Essentials’ training (mandatory for all staff).
Getting Started
- As an Assistant Professor (Teaching), it will be important to understand the courses and modules you are leading and teaching on and how they combine.
- You can access Course Specification documents for all the University programmes via the Course Specification page on the Registry Staff Portal pages. Here you will find the Part A (public facing document) and Part B (internal), which provides the Teaching and Learning and Assessment Strategies.
- All module descriptors are in the Module Information Directory
- Getting to know your students is central to succeeding as a teacher. Universe, the student records system, can help you build a profile of learners on your course.
- You could also consider running some simple getting-to-know-you activities on Aula or in the classroom so that students can learn about you, too. Find suggestions on Coventry’s Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base or try these suggestions from Cornell University.
- It is recommended that you discuss the implications of the Group structure and 2030 Strategy for your role with your line manager.
- As an Assistant Professor (Teaching), you will have Quality Assurance and Course/Module Management responsibilities. Talk to your line manager about these, and familiarise yourself with the Course Quality Enhancement and Monitoring (CQEM) process
Take it further
- If you’re new to Coventry University Group, new to teaching, or both, the New Academic Network Programme (NANP) is for you! It provides webinars focused on getting to know what support is available for teaching staff; one-to-one support for anyone who would like it; plus opportunities to make connections with colleagues in similar roles. Click here to join the NANP site on MSTeams.
- You may have management or supervisory responsibilities for your team. See Organisational Development’s Managers Guide to Induction for support and suggestions for new members of staff.
Explore the themes
We’ve organised this narrative around the six themes of the professional development framework. Explore the themes in a way that is meaningful and useful for you- you don’t have to complete them in order! You can move from theme to theme using the drop down menu at the top of the page under “Assistant Professor (Teaching)” or via the links below.