TLC support for and work with Heads of Departments

1. Development opportunities/support from TLC for Heads of Departments / Institutes

• Follow-up from induction in the form of additional sessions, which you will be reminded about via email, and opportunity for one-to-one tailored support/group sessions on request
• Heads of Departments lunch meetings – 5 per year preceding meeting with the Director
• Directors of research centres – similar to above, on request
• Funding/support for departmental away days/department specific events and one-to-one coaching
• Special sessions on request – for heads of departments, directors of research centres, departments, research teams.
• PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK! – email: l.barnett@lse.ac.uk with any requests or enquiries about opportunities.

2. Development opportunities for staff in your department

It helps considerably if Heads of Departments actively encourage colleagues to make use of TLC staff development opportunities. Eg: please encourage NEW staff to attend inductions. Encourage NEW PhD supervisors to come forward for training. And encourage staff taking on new roles (eg: Departmental Tutor, admissions tutors etc). If you need something special (in terms of topics, timing, departmental specificity) please ask. Development is offered in a wide variety of formats, including direct funding (eg: for language tuition, specialist external training). We can also provide guidance on practice across departments on different issues, suggest people to talk to etc.

3. Supporting staff to put together the teaching part of major review documentation

Feel free to refer major review candidates to TLC for advice on putting together their statements on teaching for major review. Note that Heads of Departments can be instrumental in teaching prize awards – if you need advice, again contact Liz Barnett.

4. Follow-up to staff appraisals

TLC will arrange for personal development needs to be addressed, arising from appraisal. Note that this can include support for staff facing “mid-career crisis”.

5. Follow-up to Michaelmas class teacher survey

TLC receives summary data, for individual teachers, on the Michaelmas class teacher survey. We will contact Heads of Departments early in the Lent term to suggest those class teachers that may require some additional support. Heads of Departments are also welcome to refer class teachers to us. We offer support direct to class teachers, and several contact us direct. With agreement from the class teachers we meet, we will provide feedback on the actions they are taking to improve their student feedback. Note that TLC/LC can arrange for specialist language pronunciation tuition as well as teaching skills support.

(As well as “problem” cases, the Michaelmas survey is often a good indicator of potential prize-winning GTAs. TLC will contact Heads of Departments after the Lent survey for nominations for GTA departmental prizes).

6. Follow-up on Lent survey

The School has targeted “high levels of student satisfaction” as one of the key performance indicators in the latest Strategic Plan. 80-85% is suggested as a guide when looking at the Lent survey data. TLC does not currently1 see data on individual members of full time faculty, and so is not in a position to prompt Heads of Departments as to those courses/staff that may need support. However, we are keen to support staff (both through direct work with individuals and wider discussion (eg: for long term “problem” courses which are often not down to poor teaching, but the need for more radical “structural” change). TLC anticipates having “development funds” for which departments can bid, to implement initial experimentation with improvements to courses/
programmes.

7. Teaching development grants

Mentioned above, it is worth considering applying for teaching development grants pre/post TLAC reviews to address “problem issues” and “innovations”, ideally in terms of educational methods, though some help in researching content/preparing course documentation also possible. TLC may also be able to help with special “departmental practice research studies” analysing a particular issue of concern within a department, with a view to suggestions for development.

8. Special support for development concerning training and development needs of PhD students and research staff

TLC has a member of staff with the specific remit to develop central support for PhD students and research staff. We will liaise with departments on this, but are also keen to receive proposals/ suggestions from departments of activities they would be interested in developing for these two groups. Key contact in TLC: Gita Subrahmanyam (g.subrahmanyam@lse.ac.uk) ext 6079.

TLC main contacts:
Dr Liz Barnett, Director TLC, ext 6623, email l.barnett@lse.ac.uk room U603
Gaydene Bunn, TLC Departmental Manager, ext 6624, room U600 email g.bunn@lse.ac.uk

Liz Barnett
June 2008

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