Quick Wins for Visiting
Lecturers
Janet French, Paul Lawrence, Anjana Nathwani
Philip Sayers and Richard Atfield
With Lesley Glass
What is this all about ?
• Involving Visiting Lecturers in paid research
• Creating an output
• Undertaking a research project to find out the value of the above
Inspired by
this book
The project
• Project objectives, to:
• Create and distribute a booklet which contains 5 VL pieces on successful strategies for
working smartly in order to engage WP students in lectures / seminars / assessments /
dissertations in HBS.
• Analyse the benefits to the VLs in creating their piece and being part of a research
project
•
• Project benefits and outcomes:
• Students to benefit through the adoption by staff of teaching and learning methods
which appeal to WP students.
• Staff benefits are likely to include job fulfilment through being part of a research project,
which may encourage VLs in their own teaching and learning research for the future.
• Reputation benefits for HBS VLs by presenting the findings more widely to UH and to a
national audience via CABS.
How it would work – the output
• Could you write about a “ Quick Win” that has helped you better
engage Widening Participation students in your teaching sessions
recently ? This could be a sharing of a teaching tool which has helped
you engage students in seminars or lectures; something that has
helped you support your dissertation students more effectively; a
technique that has helped you work with colleagues better, to the
advantage of your students; or perhaps something you have learned
from CPD and have successfully put into practice. You might be
stimulated by ideas from the original book, which can be sent over for
you to think about.
• 500 words maximum
• Structure as in original book
My research part
• The second part of the project
involves sending me three short
emails, reflecting on the process
of being involved in the project
and what it means for you.
• Before you start your 500 words
on the “Quick Win”
• In the middle, during your
composition of the 500 words
• At the end, after having written
the “Quick Win” and submitted it
to me.
Literature review ?
• Beaton, F. Ed ( 2013) Developing effective part-time teachers in higher education. London,
Routledge
• Brown, D & Gold, M (2007) Academics on non standard contracts in UK universities: portfolio
work, choice and compulsion in Higher Education Quarterly 61 (4) pp 439-460
• Byers, P & Tani, M. (2014) Engaging or training sessional staff in Australian Universities Review vol
56 no1 pp13-21
• Crimmins, G. (2017) Feedback from the coalface: how the lived experience of women casual
academcis can inform human resources and academic policy and practice in International Journal
for Academic Development 22 (1) pp 7-18
• Gottschalk, L. & McEeachern, S. (2010) The frustrated career: casual employment in higher
education in Australian Universities Review vol 52 no 1 pp 37-50
• Rawlings. R & Howeson, A. (2009) Where do I stand? Visiting Lecturing at the RCA London, Royal
College of Art,
• Woodall, J.& Geissler, C (2009) Supporting part- time teacher staff in higher education:
perspectives from business and health . HEA Academy
The Quick Wins
• Educational Games
• Rich Pictures
• Making Connections at External Workshops
• The Use of Examples in our careers
• VLs and peer to peer conversations
The issue of insider research
Academics studying other academics
Floyd, A. & Arthur, L. (2012) Researching from within: external and
internal ethical engagement in International Journal of Research and
Method in Education 35 ( 2) pp171-180
Hanson, J. (2013) Educational developers as researchers: the
contribution of insider research to enhancing understanding of role,
identity and practice. Innovations in Education and Teaching
International 50 ( 4) pp388-398
Sikes, P. & Potts, A. ( 2008) Researching Education from the Inside :
Investigations from within. Routledge: Abingdon
Project Findings
Exciting, Challenging,
Interesting
Engaging with people and finding out
about their lives and experiences.
Good to undertake research and
academic writing again. Made me
realise how much I have missed the
research process and the experience of
writing conference papers
About the creation and content of the
Quick Win
•
•
•
•
Enjoyment of the technique
Easy to apply
Hope it will be useful to others
Needs to be pedagogically sound and
benefit all students
• The word count is difficult as there is so
much to say
• 500 words is nothing and should not take
more than an hour to write but I’ve now
written it twice and rejected both scripts
• Found out more about WP – it
confirmed my belief that it is complex and
often misunderstood
I am in the midst of a book proposal and
this process is helping my thinking,
Comments from Visiting Lecturers today
• It was an exciting way to explore new ideas to engage learners
whether it be in the classroom, dissertation supervision or on-line
learning.
• Considering the theme of Wider Participation enabled us to focus on
techniques to reach out to non-traditional university students.
• It was hard to stick to 500 words as we all found there was so much
useful advice to impart.
• It is hoped that similar initiatives will be made available to VLs in the
future.
• Remember …… it could be said that VLs also fall under the umbrella of
Wider Participation as we are non-traditional university lecturers!
Unexpected findings
• Raises the profile of the VL Team
• Want to engage a wider population of VLs
• A fantastic opportunity for VLs in the School of Business
• Liked having the opportunity to be part of a project
VLT
The Business School
Visiting Lecturer Team
Recommendations
Above all – do it!
VLs are a group of
keen academics
with often
unexplored talent
and appetite for
research to
improve the profile
of their institution.