Athena SWAN Bronze department award application
Name of university: Newcastle University
Department: School of Computing Science
Date of application: November 2014
Date of university Bronze and/or Silver SWAN award: Bronze July 2009 (renewed November
2012)
Contact for application: Dr Marta Pietkiewicz-Koutny
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0191 208 7957
Departmental website address: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/
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1. Letter of endorsement from the head of department
Athena SWAN Charter
Equality Challenge Unit
7th floor, Queens House
55/56 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London, WC2A 3LJ
28th November 2014
Dear Athena SWAN Team,
I am very pleased to express my endorsement as Head of the School of Computing Science for my
School’s Athena SWAN bronze application. Since becoming Head of School I have prioritized
efforts to improve female student and staff recruitment, being convinced a better gender balance
is an important and necessary ingredient in further improving our performance. The eighteen
month long preparation for this bid has already left its mark on the School, pushing the diversity
agenda to the forefront, reinvigorating ongoing initiatives and leading to the implementation of
new staff recruitment and career support instruments.
The current application is the School’s first Athena SWAN application. Arguably, thus far the
School approached the challenges for women in computing in ad-hoc manner. However,
computer science has some of the largest problems in gender equality across all STEMM subjects.
Our School is no different: less than ten percent of academic staff and ten percent of
undergraduates are female. It is clear our School needs to address the gender balance to perform
better as a unit. Instead of using the wider societal problem as an excuse, I am committed to instil
in staff a belief that we can and will defeat the national trends by targeting Newcastle-specific
activities.
As Head of School my personal priorities and initiatives related to gender equality have targeted
recruitment, aiming to double the female share to 20 percent in students and staff. We intensified
our School outreach programme to females, piggy-backing on the ‘Computing at Schools’
initiative, for which our lecturer Dr Nick Cook is the regional lead (see action point [AP1.1] 1).
Earlier this year we initiated work with local Girl Geeks Ltd, to plan widely visible events that reach
various media to attract more girls to study computing [AP1.5]. This is in its early stages, but I am
hopeful we will be able to positively distinguish Newcastle as an attractive environment for female
staff and students. Finally, I am piloting a scheme for Career Research Fellowships in which
women researchers enter a lectureship post through a 5-year research-only post. This aims at
allowing women to fast-start an academic research career, making it robust against possible
interruptions and general workload challenges [AP2.7].
During the Athena SWAN bid preparation I attended various information sessions and this has
already impacted daily practice. For instance, after a presentation by Prof Paul Walton I decided
to remove any pre-set limits on assistance offered to academic staff around maternity leave.
Instead, we now simply ask the woman directly, in discussions both before and after the leave. I
hope the above illustrates my personal commitment to gender equality and the Athena SWAN
agenda. All the SAT members contributed in the process, various others in the University helped
1
We refer to the actions in the action plan appendix using notation [APx.y]
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and advised throughout, and the School as a whole have been involved during the work on the
application through regular items at various School meetings, so my thanks extend to all of them.
Yours Sincerely
Aad van Moorsel
Head of School
School of Computing Science
[499 words]
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2. The self-assessment process
a) A description of the self assessment team: members’ roles (both within the department
and as part of the team) and their experiences of work-life balance.
The Self-Assessment Team (SAT) of the School of Computing Science consists of six women
and four men representing various grades of academic and administrative staff (six
academics, two administrators, one research assistant and one teaching assistant). The
team includes the Head of School and School Manager, three academics at Professorial
level, a Dean and member of the University SAT and two members of other University
diversity committees. Each member has a specific role within the team. These roles cover
academic careers, work-life balance, female student recruitment, regulation and policies
and School adoption of the action plan. Specific roles as described in the rightmost column
of the table below, which provides details of the SAT members:
Name
Position
Experience
Role on SAT
Dr Madeline
Balaam
Lecturer
Madeline went to university at 18 to take degree in
Artificial Intelligence. It was at this stage that she learnt
to program for the first time, and she will never forget
how lost she felt in her first term, and how thankful she
was for her peers who helped her get to grips with
what she needed to know. As a result of her first
experiences in the field, Madeline is deeply interested
in how Computing Science can be made more
welcoming and appealing to women as well as other
underrepresented groups, knowing that diversity in the
field can only be beneficial.
Responsible within
the SAT for worklife balance
matters.
Mrs Alexandra
Barfield
Teaching
Manager
Alex gained a BA Honours degree in German from the
University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1987. Much of
her working life has been in University administration.
Alex is one of “the 40%” of women who are the main or
sole bread-winner in their household. Alex has always
worked full time, but has a busy life outside of work
with a variety of activities on evenings and weekends.
Responsible within
the SAT for UG and
PG students’
matters.
Dr Kovila
Coopamootoo
Research
Associate
Kovila has been a Research Associate at Newcastle Responsible within
University since June 2013. After gaining a BSc degree the SAT for matters
in Computer Science, and an MSc degree in Information concerning RAs.
Security, she is now researching one of her favourite
topics, usable privacy. As a new researcher she is
familiar with the difficulties of maintaining a work-life
balance, in particular for women. She maintains a
sports training routine with the help of milestones such
as the Great North Run.
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2
Mrs Nicola
Dolman
School Manager
Nicola fell into administration after realising that a
career in the lab wasn't for her. She worked for a
number of companies before relocating back to her
native Newcastle upon Tyne in 2005 to work at the
University. She joined the School in 2013 and is
responsible for all day-to-day administration of the
School, and has become interested in how to attract
women into computing. Nicola has a toddler and shares
parenting and household duties with her husband who
is a teacher.
Miss Laura
Heels
Transition
Officer
(Teaching
Assistant)
At University, Laura was one of only two female Responsible within
students on the MComp course in Computing Science the SAT for
Security and Resilience. While studying, Laura received outreach agenda.
an award from Newcastle University Women’s Club (a
club consisting of retired female staff members) in
recognition of all the work she has done in support of
the School. Laura now supports Stage 1 students during
the transition from school to university life. Laura is
also involved with the recruitment and outreach team,
and helps organise the promotion of the School
through public engagement with secondary schools.
Dr Lindsay
Marshall
Senior Lecturer
Lindsay fell into Computer Science by accident as an
Undergraduate at Edinburgh University, and then
continued with a PhD from Newcastle University where
he has worked in various roles ever since, apart from a
couple of years in industry. His wife is a Civil Engineer
and they have two children, both graduates.
As a member of
University Diversity
and Promotions
Committees,
advises on general
diversity and
career matters.
Professor Chris
Phillips
Dean of
Undergraduate
Studies in SAgE 2
Chris is a Professor in Computing Science, who has
been the Coordinator for a number of European
TEMPUS curriculum development grants. Chris is a
Chartered IT Professional and member of the British
Computer Society accreditation panel, as well as a
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Chris
has four daughters, who are now all graduates.
As a member of
the University SAT
team, Diversity and
Promotions
Committees,
advises on
University
regulations and
policies concerning
gender issues.
Dr Marta
PietkiewiczKoutny
Lecturer
Marta started her academic career in Poland (her
native country) as a Junior Lecturer at the Department
of Operational Research of the Warsaw University of
Economics. After moving to the UK, she was always
SAT Chair and
representative on
Faculty SAT
Committee
SAT Deputy Chair,
as School Manager
advises on current
School policies and
feasibility of plans.
Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE)
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affiliated with Newcastle University and has held a
number of different positions, from Demonstrator to
Lecturer. Always working full time, she shares
household duties with her husband, who is an
academic. Marta has one adult daughter, who holds a
PhD in History of Art.
Professor Aad
van Moorsel
Head of School
Aad van Moorsel has been Head of the School of
Computing Science at Newcastle University since mid2012. He holds a PhD from The Netherlands, worked in
the US in industry for about a decade, and has now
been in Newcastle for a similar period. He personally
experiences the challenges of work-life balance trying
to make time for his teenage daughter, whose mother
is an academic herself.
As Head of School,
responsible within
the SAT for
adoption of SAT
plans within the
School.
Professor Anil
Wipat
Leader of the
Interdisciplinary
Computing and
Complex BioSystems
research group
Anil has been Professor of Integrative Bioinformatics in
the School of Computing Science since 2009. Anil is
interested in exploring why the numbers of females
working in the area of bioinformatics is relatively high
compared to other areas of computing science. At a
personal level Anil has many family related
commitments being a father of three sons and a
daughter.
As a leader of one
of the Research
groups, advises on
academic careers.
b) an account of the self assessment process: details of the self assessment team
meetings, including any consultation with staff or individuals outside of the university,
and how these have fed into the submission.
To develop the action plan and this bid, the School’s SAT developed a meeting and activity
schedule to identify and discuss the School’s most pressing issues related to diversity, and
particularly gender equality. In a kick-off plenary meeting five stages were identified,
looking at different aspects of Athena SWAN agenda, and a schedule spanning a period of
18 months was developed. Core in this schedule were five plenary meetings,
corresponding to the five stages:
1. Planning and assessing the current situation in the School with respect to gender
equality.
2. Attracting women into Computing Science at UG and PG level.
3. Career pathways for women in academia: working conditions, appointments,
promotions.
4. Work-life balance.
5. Final discussion on the developed plan of actions.
The School’s SAT team was supported by the University’s SAgE Faculty team, which
organised quarterly meetings for the SAgE schools’ SAT Chairs to exchange views and
experiences, as well as meetings with external speakers.
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Within the School of Computing Science, Dr Pietkiewicz-Koutny (as SAT Chair) held two
consultations with female staff and female PhD students, while Dr Balaam held a similar
meeting in the Culture Lab (where one of the research groups is based), which was open to
all staff. Attendance at these consultations was 6, 5 and 30 attendees, respectively. Issues
raised at these consultations were included in SAT discussions. Informal consultations and
discussions took place throughout the period, these were also fed into SAT discussions.
Members of the School SAT attended University and regional events on the Athena SWAN
agenda and the SAT Chair shared any relevant documentation, from Faculty and University
level groups, with the School SAT. Progress updates were provided to all staff at the
quarterly School meetings and the School Executive Committee reviewed and agreed to
the action plan [AP4.8]. The SAT Chair has received authority from the School Executive
Committee to conduct activities under the Athena Swan agenda and reports regularly (at
least quarterly) to the School Executive Committee.
c) Plans for the future of the self assessment team, such as how often the team will
continue to meet, any reporting mechanisms and in particular how the self assessment
team intends to monitor implementation of the action plan.
Going forward, the intent of the School is to expand the SAT effort into a Diversity &
Equality Committee to provide a natural home for all diversity issues, including but not
limited to gender issues [AP4.7]. Membership will be expanded to include representation
of the undergraduate and postgraduate student community. The D&E Committee will
meet quarterly to plan, manage and evaluate activities relating to Athena SWAN and other
initiatives within the School. The School is providing the D&E Committee with all tools
necessary to execute the action plan. A project lead will be assigned for each item in the
action plan and this person is responsible for conducting the action and reporting to the
SAT chair on progress. An annual budget (of £10,000) will be provided for implementation
of the action plan, to be maintained by the Chair of the D&E Committee. Administrative
support is available to implement the monitoring plans to collect baseline data and
supporting evidence and more generally support the Chair. A timeline for the Athena
SWAN activities has been developed to facilitate monitoring progress, and the Chair of the
Diversity & Equality Committee will report on progress quarterly to the Executive
Committee.
[639 words]
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3. A picture of the department
a) Provide a pen-picture of the department to set the context for the application, outlining in
particular any significant and relevant features.
The School of Computing Science was established in 1957 under the name of Computing
Laboratory, and initially comprised an academic unit and a computer services unit. For a
long time, there were no women academics, but there were women computer
professionals working in the service unit which, for many years, had a female director, Ms
Elizabeth Barraclough. In 1991 the Department (since renamed School) of Computing
Science became an independent unit. It was a predominately male environment, where
women held mostly clerical or administrative positions. There were very few female UG
and PhD students, and the women holding academic positions worked on short contracts
as Demonstrators (Teaching Assistants) or Research Associates. In 2001 the first female
Lecturer was appointed. Since then several additional female lecturers joined the academic
staff and especially among research associates and PhD students women are currently
better represented.
In the past decade, the School has grown substantially, roughly doubling its research staff
as well as student numbers. As of 01/09/14 it has 154 staff members across academic,
research, technical and clerical grades. There are 15 Lecturers at grade G 3 3 at Grade F, 12
staff at grade H, which includes both Senior Lecturers and Readers, and 11 staff at the
Professorial level I. Among these 38 members of academic staff 3 are women, all holding
Lecturer positions (7.9% compared to 21% for Computer Science in the rest of the UK 4)
reasons for this and comparisons with other Universities will be investigated [AP6.5]. As
will become clear throughout this document, the pain point for the School lies in recruiting
and retaining female academic staff and the proposed action plan prioritizes that issue.
Furthermore, the School employs 82 research staff (working on various projects), out of
which 15 are females (18.29%, compared to 21.1% nationally). There are also 26 support
staff, 16 of whom are female.
Since its inception, the School has taught a computer science degree at undergraduate
level and over time added postgraduate taught and research degrees. Until 2012 it also ran
an Information Systems degree but due to a number of operational reasons (including
workload) this was discontinued. Among undergraduates, female students are in a
minority, at about 10% (compared to 17% nationally). The School also runs a 4-year
MComp undergraduate computer science programme as well as a variety of postgraduate
taught courses. With respect to research degrees, the School offers a PhD degree, an MPhil
degree, and an Integrated PhD degree (one year taught and three years research).
b) Provide data for the past three years (where possible with clearly labelled graphical
illustrations) on the following with commentary on their significance and how they have
affected action planning.
3
The University has an alphabetised pay scale – the lowest Grade is B for clerical staff, the lowest Researcher/Lecturer
grade is F. Senior RAs and more experienced lecturers are grade G.
4
All national comparison data quoted is from 2011/2012 as provided by ECU
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Student data
(i)
Numbers of males and females on access or foundation courses
The School does not run foundation courses.
(ii)
Undergraduate male and female numbers
Undergraduate Population
14
520
12
10
480
8
6
440
% female
Number of Students
16
4
2
400
2010
2011
2012
2013
total
474
514
457
537
% female
14
14
13
10
0
Figure 1. UG student population in Computing Science and the percentage of female UG
students within it.
Figure 1 illustrates that the School recruits well, but that the female share declined
recently. Two important events took place in 2012: the introduction of £9K tuition fee and
withdrawal of our Information System (IS) course. These factors led to a significant drop in
2012, from 514 to 457 students. In 2013, the overall number of UG students recovered
(537 students), but the percentage of women went down from 13% to 10% (see Figure 1).
This was largely due to the withdrawal of the IS course, a course run in collaboration with
the University’s Business School. This was relatively popular with women, but was
withdrawn due to a number of operational reasons, including workload. The School is
currently looking at introducing new UG programmes that have been identified as
attractive to women. Part of this investigation will look at the subject specialisms chosen
by the female UG cohort and explore it further through the Society described below.
The composition of the UG population is reviewed each year [AP6.1]. Focus groups with
prospective students suggest that Computing Science at Newcastle is viewed as a ‘techy’
subject. Part of our outreach activities attempt to address this image in local schools
[AP1.1]. The School strives to raise the attractiveness of its course to female students,
through marketing and publicity materials [AP1.2], and by developing a dedicated webpage
to promote and increase the visibility of activities for women within the School [AP1.3].
The School is in the process of creating a student Society for women in the School [AP1.5].
The Society will collaborate with the wider University Student Union Society ‘Women in
Technology’ (led by one of the female computing science students) and the regional Girl
Geeks Ltd, which aims to get more women into STEM subjects and is led by a female
Newcastle alumnus. The Society and its collaborators aim to run various events including
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one at the national level [AP1.4], and will aid in topics as varied as providing outreach
activities, mapping school subjects onto computing, creating a database of CS success
stories and developing networks for students and staff. We also believe it is important to
talk with all students about gender issues in computing (not only those in the Society) and
we plan to include gender issues as a topic in the Stage 1 IT Professional module [AP 1.8].
(iii)
Postgraduate male and female numbers completing taught courses
The number of female taught PG students has been steadily growing (with occasional
glitches), although 20% females is less than the national average (28%). The composition of
the PG population is monitored each year [AP6.2]. In 2013, the School funded the
attendance of 6 female (UG & PG) students in the first ever women-only Computer Science
and IT conference, ‘Women Encourage’, organised by the ACM-Women Europe. In the
future, we are planning to organise events for the local UG students and external
candidates aimed at promoting our PG courses, stressing a wide range of taught degrees
and research areas, including Bioinformatics and Human Computer Interaction that have
successfully attracted higher numbers of women applicants to PG courses (27% of all PGT
students) [AP1.6].
Number of Students
160
25%
140
20%
120
100
15%
80
10%
60
40
5%
20
0
2010
2011
2012
2013
total
120
135
107
145
%female
13%
16%
21%
20%
0%
% of students who are female
PGT Student Population
Figure 2. Total number of PGT students and the percentage of those that were female.
(iv)
Postgraduate male and female numbers on research degrees
Figure 3 shows a growing PGR community, currently close to 100 students. The percentage
of those who are women is still lower (26%) than the national average (32%). The
composition of the PG population is reviewed each year [AP6.2]. Of the five School PhD
studentships offered this year (offered on the basis of qualifications) two were made to
women, one of whom accepted. The School will try in the future to attract more women to
study for a PhD degree, by tailoring the advertisements of these studentships to encourage
more women to apply [AP1.7].
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Number of Students
96
94
92
90
88
86
84
82
80
78
total
% female
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
2010
2011
2012
2013
84
94
95
93
20%
21%
24%
26%
0%
% of students who are female
PGR Student Population
Figure 3. Total number of PGR students and percentage of those who were female.
(v)
Ratio of course applications to offers and acceptances by gender for
undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research degrees
Undergraduate Application vs Admission
Number of Students
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
Total
Applications Female
123
68
93
Total New
Entrants Female
18
14
18
Total
Applications Male
778
681
938
Total New
Entrants Male
142
111
195
Figure 4. Number of applications and new entrants onto Computing Science UG courses
broken down by gender.
Figure 4 shows that the ratio entrants to applications is not much different when broken
down by gender: 15%, 21% and 19% for female students in the past three years, and 18%,
16% and 21% for male students. Note that in 2012/2013 the number of applications from
women dropped significantly as it was the first year that the IS Degree did not run.
11 | P a g e
Each year, the School organises four Admission Days for selected applicants to the UG
courses. They visit the School on a Saturday, often with parents, and meet with members
of academic staff (male and female). This academic year (2014) 81% of women and 68% of
men accepted their offers. Admission Days are potentially an excellent opportunity to
improve the entrants to application ratio for females that requires more study. Attracting
more female students to the School is being addressed primarily through the School’s
outreach activities [AP1.1], where a team goes into local schools and gets children (male
and female) interested in computing through demonstrations and talks. The School has
student ambassadors (these are current students) who attend Visit and Admissions days,
and also visit schools in their role as School and STEMnet ambassadors. Some of these
ambassadors will be part of the School’s women’s society, thus linking the activities
together [AP1.5].
Postgraduate Applications vs Entrants
Number of students
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
Total
Applications Female
258
272
331
Total New
Entrants Female
22
29
31
Total
Applications Male
919
901
1071
Total New
Entrants Male
121
96
122
Figure 5. Number of applications and entrants to all PG courses in Computing Science
broken down by gender.
The number of female applicants to the School’s PG programs has risen slightly year on
year since 2011, although Figure 5 shows that less female than male applicants enter our
programme: entrance/application ratio of 9%, 11% and 9% for females and 13%, 11% and
11% for males in consecutive years. To increase the number of PG applications from
women, we encourage the current female UG cohort to apply to PG courses and raise
awareness with male and female students visiting the School stand at PG fairs [AP1.6, 1.7].
(vi)
Degree classification by gender
Figure 6 shows that women perform just as well as men at getting 1st and 2.1 degrees. In
particular, the 2013/14 results demonstrate how female students have excelled
academically, with more than 80% of the female cohort receiving first class or 2:1 degrees.
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Degree classification by percentage of total
gender population
Percentage of population
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
Female
20%
Male
10%
0%
2011/2012
2012/2013
2013/2014
Degree classification and academic year
Figure 6. Percentage of degrees awarded by gender total.
Staff data
(vii)
Female:male ratio of academic staff and research staff
As shown in Figure 7, female academic members of staff include Research Associates and
Lecturers. Currently, there are three female Lecturers in the School: one in Teaching and
Scholarship and two in Teaching and Research. We are planning to identify the cause of the
drop in numbers of women between the Research Associate and Lecturer positions
[AP2.1]. In our (the SAT's) consultations with staff, people said they do struggle with the
decisions around planning a family without jeopardizing career prospects. The School aims
to address this through mentoring schemes (supported by the University), the PDR
(Performance and Development Review) process, and career advice for all staff, ensuring
that people are aware of any relevant policies, [AP3.1, 3.2 and 3.3], especially those
regarding flexible hours and family-friendliness within the School/University, as well as any
School-specific support that can be provided. The School will highlight to staff the
opportunities which exist at a University level such as NU Women (the University’s
women’s network), and support and encourage attendance at events nationally (such as
Women-Encourage).
The School is planning to monitor the gender balance in job applications and job offers
[AP2.3, 2.4], and to re-design our job advertisements to stress full commitment to gender
equality [AP2.2]. In accordance with the SAgE Faculty policy all recruitment panels will
include a female academic staff member from another School where appropriate. In all
instances where head hunters are used for positions, they are specifically instructed to
look for female candidates where possible [AP2.6]. Appointments made will be monitored
each year [AP6.3].
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Staff Data
90
80
Number of Staff
70
60
50
40
Male Total
30
Female Total
20
10
0
2011/2012
2013/2014
Position and academic year
Figure 7. Number of staff in the school of Computing Science by gender.
(viii)
Turnover by grade and gender
Research Associate turnover is high as contracts terminate when research projects come to
an end. In 2011 RAs leaving made up 45% of total staff, in 2012 28% of total staff and in
2013 49% of total staff. The School provides support during the redundancy process and
occasionally, where appropriate, it provides ‘bridging’ funds for Research Associates who
are between two projects. Six months from the end of their contracts RAs are invited to an
interview with their PI and in this meeting they go over their options and the redundancy
process. The Principal Investigator of the researcher usually endeavours to employ them
on a different project. The approach in all such cases is the same for male and female
Research Associates. In our consultations, some RAs expressed the opinion that they would
prefer to feel like University employees rather than contractual ‘workers’ employed by the
projects, which will be addressed partly by [AP3.3].
In terms of academic staff, the School has low turnover, a few people a year. People who
have left recently have left for promotion (four people) and retirement (one person).
Several of the women lecturers we hired over the years have left since, in all cases for a
combination of career and family reasons. The destinations of staff are being collected
through an exit interview process which is being piloted in the School [AP6.4]. This will
allow the School to understand better how retention of women staff can be improved
structurally.
[1915 words]
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4. Supporting and advancing women’s careers: maximum 5000 words
Key career transition points
a) Provide data for the past three years (where possible with clearly labelled graphical
illustrations) on the following with commentary on their significance and how they have
affected action planning.
(i) Job application and success rates by gender and grade
Applications and appointments (staff)
256
Number of people
128
64
32
16
8
4
2
1
TA/TF RA Lect Prof
2011-2012
TA/TF RA
Lect Prof
TA/TF RA
2012-2013
Lect Prof
2013-2014
Applications Female
2
20
6
0
5
82
3
0
3
50
8
0
Applications Male
9
45
32
0
12
256
6
2
9
162
18
0
Appointed Female
0
5
1
0
0
8
1
0
1
12
0
0
Appointed Male
2
10
2
0
2
36
1
1
1
21
2
0
Figure 8. Profile of recruitment by gender and number of applications vs number of
appointments by gender.
Figure 8 provides data about applications and appointments for the past three years,
distinguishing for gender. 25% of all applicants over the last three years were female and
16% of female applicants and 14% of male applicants were appointed. Judged by mere
numbers, this indicates little difference between the chances of success between female
and male applicants. Note that the overall numbers are dominated by RAs, for which we
already saw, in Figure 7, that the share of females in post is 23% (and was as high as 35% in
2011). For lectureships 2 out of 7 (28%) appointed candidates in the last four years were
female, but the professorship saw no female applicants.
Realizing that less than 10% of the School’s students as well as lecturing staff is female, the
numbers in Figure 8 provide confidence that with concerted effort the School will be able
to improve the gender balance in the near future, since the number of applications as well
as appointments of female staff are considerably better. The School is aiming to attract
female applicants from outside of Newcastle with its job adverts in future [AP2.2].
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We require a more detailed understanding of why there is such a difference between RAs
and lectureships in terms of applications for female candidates [AP2.1]. We also would like
to analyse existing trends in gender balance in different subjects within the School (humancomputer interaction, bio-informatics, neuroscience, security, cloud-computing, etc.)
[AP2.5] to gain more information for future strategic decisions, including a revision of our
current recruitment process [AP 2.6]. Also, we plan to redesign our job adverts to stress
the School’s commitment to gender balance [AP 2.2].
(ii) Applications for promotion and success rates by gender and grade
Female
Position
applied for
2010
Reader
Senior Lecturer
2011
Reader
RES Grade G
Senior Lecturer
2012
Chair
Lecturer G
Senior Lecturer
2013
Lecturer G
Other R&T
Grade F
Reader
RES Grade G
Senior Lecturer
Total
Successful
Not
Successful
Male
Total
Successful
Not
Successful
1
3
1
3
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
1
12
Total
1
5
1
5
2
2
4
1
1
1
3
1
13
1
3
2
1
25
Table 1: Outcomes of promotions by academic year and by gender.
Table 1 shows the promotion data (both successful and unsuccessful attempts) subdivided
by gender. In recent years, one female candidate has been promoted from Teaching Fellow
to the position of Lecturer in Teaching and Scholarship in 2012. The applications from
females in recent years went in the usual manner, in which the candidate first discusses
possible promotion with the group leader or other preferred colleagues. Then the case is
discussed with HoS, who can advise on the merits of the case and on ways to put the best
case forward.
The promotion process is organised through well-defined University-led processes. All
staff members have the right to apply. In addition, each year the HoS is required to go
through the list of staff and consider each staff member for promotion. Those who are
considered to have strong cases are encouraged to apply and additional support provided
to those who are not quite ready [AP3.5]. For all applications, the Head of School writes to
the University an assessment of the candidate—this assessment is shared with the
16 | P a g e
candidate. The application is considered by a University Promotion Committee, and for
Reader or Chair positions also involves input from referees. See for related information the
section ‘Promotion and career development’.
b) For each of the areas below, explain what the key issues are in the department, what steps
have been taken to address any imbalances, what success/impact has been achieved so far
and what additional steps may be needed.
(i)
Recruitment of staff
Recruitment processes follow the policies and procedures of the University. All posts are
advertised internally for one week on redeployment and then externally for 2-4 weeks.
Shortlisting is done based on the essential and desirable criteria in the job specifications.
Candidates invited to interview are those who meet the essential and, where applicable,
also desirable criteria.
The interview panel is made up of the most appropriate people in the research area of the
vacancy. The panel for interviews for Lectureship always includes the Head of School and
the PVC for the Faculty as well as a Human Resources (HR) representative. The School will
implement the new Faculty policy to have at least one woman in each panel. The panel for
interviews for research positions is made up of at least two academics. Those shortlisting
and interviewing are made aware of the University’s diversity guidance and will attend
diversity training [AP2.8]. In addition the Head of School and School Manager will attend
Unconscious Bias training organised by the Faculty in December 2014.
We have started to more actively match posts to a likely pool of women recruits and more
actively approach women to apply through our networks. In the future, all job
advertisements will emphasize that applications from under-represented groups will be
particularly welcome [AP2.2, 2.3].
(ii)
Support for staff at key career transition points
Due to the substantial gender imbalance issues in the field of computer science, we treat
‘career’ here holistically, and consider the following transition points: (1) support in
choosing the subject for higher education study, (2) support in transitioning into a teaching
or research career, and (3) support for attaining a lectureship and beyond.
The School’s outreach activities have a strong focus on reaching out to young female
students, especially early in secondary school. This is associated with our participation in
British Computer Society’s (BCS) Computing at School initiative, the new national
curriculum activities related to computer programming, and other initiatives which aim at
improving Computer Science’s profile as a subject [AP 1.1]. Our objective with all these
activities is to encourage young females to consider and choose computer science as their
subject in higher education (for more details, see section ‘Outreach Activities’).
In 2013, we sent a group of UG and PG students to the ‘Women in Computing’ event in
Manchester, and all those who took part found it a valuable experience. The School
encourages and funds participation in these types of events. This year we are planning to
pilot a set of dedicated activities with female UG students, including the launch of the
School’s society [AP 1.5].
17 | P a g e
There is then transition from PhD to RA and from there the transition into a lectureship
and beyond. The number of female RAs is reasonable when compared to national average,
but it is obvious that the School struggles to attract and retain female lecturers. To address
this issue, the School is opening Career Research Fellow posts, in subject areas in which
women candidates are likely to apply [AP 2.7]. The Career Research Fellow will be a fiveyear post that hopefully transfers into a lectureship. During the five years, the fellow will
be mentored and assisted with establishing a world-class research career. The School
hopes that such posts would position young female academics well for a long career,
robust to interruptions for maternity leave or other challenges to maintain work-life
balance, because the research focused post limits the ‘distractions’ typical in a normal
lectureship post.
The University offers various options for career development, through its staff
development unit. This ranges from training in various aspects of the job, to more
extensive leadership programmes. This year, the School put forward one female lecturer
for the future leaders programme, and she was awarded a place. Also, a mentoring
programme is available, organised by the SAgE Faculty, in which academic staff establish a
mentoring relationship with a seasoned academic from another School. Within the School,
new staff also get a mentor who is not their line manager to help them in their first months
and provide additional career guidance.
At the same time, we plan to monitor and analyse developments and trends in other
science departments nationwide in relation to gender issues to learn about best practices
in this area [AP4.5, 6.5]. Furthermore, to make sure that women’s contributions to science
are highly visible in the School, we intend to increase the proportion of female speakers at
the School’s colloquia series [AP4.6].
Career development
a) For each of the areas below, explain what the key issues are in the department, what steps
have been taken to address any imbalances, what success/impact has been achieved so far
and what additional steps may be needed.
(i)
Promotion and career development
Each member of staff participates in a yearly PDR exercise. Staff members report recent
achievements in research, teaching and other relevant professional activities. They are also
encouraged to raise any issues that caused difficulties in the past 12 months, and describe
plans and objectives for the next 12 months. The submission of the form is followed by a
face-to-face with the reviewer (typically the line manager for non-academic staff, the
group leader for non-professorial academic staff and the Head of School for professorial
staff), who adds comments about the outcome of the discussion. The resulting document is
then shared with the Head of School, who inserts his final comments to be seen and
agreed upon with the staff member.
The promotion process is in the remit of the University through the Annual Promotion
Review. Each member of staff receives an e-mail with all necessary information (promotion
criteria for every post) and the promotion timetable. Staff members are encouraged to
attend Promotion Workshops, providing guidance for the potential applicants. Staff
members receive advice from the School about their career progression through the PDR
18 | P a g e
process and additional face-to-face discussion, with provision made for further support if
required [AP3.5]. To improve awareness of equality and diversity issues among the staff
(especially PDR appraisers) by organising dedicated training sessions and meetings within
the School [AP2.8, 4.1].
The detailed criteria for promotion depend on the specific post, and take into
consideration all relevant achievements of a candidate. Our consultation shows that some
staff find that being a Principal Investigator on projects (and so attracting external income)
outweighs other achievements. This was also noted by one of the University’s invited
speakers (both the Chair of SAT and Head of School attended this presentation), Prof Paul
Walton from University of York in his talk ‘Equality for women in higher education: now,
sometimes, never?’. He remarked that this attitude towards research is especially
detrimental to women’s careers, as they tend to be Co-investigators and involved in a small
number of projects.
Consultation also brought up the issue that it is more difficult for women to establish
strong esteem factors (such as memberships of advisory boards, fellowships in professional
organisations, PC Chair positions, etc.). The observation is that a high appreciation of the
scientific community usually results from several years of unbroken contributions to a
(typically focused) research area, as well as building links and collaborations with the
members of the relevant research community. The word ‘unbroken’ is crucial in this
context as women, by taking the time off to raise families, and anyone who has had
considerable periods of time away from work due to long-term sickness or caring
responsibilities, lose vital time and opportunities to build up esteem reflecting their true
potential. The Informatics Europe Association in the booklet ‘More Women in Informatics
Research and Education’ suggests that for a balanced judgement, some of the individual
achievements should be measured relatively to the time available for their
accomplishment.
Consultation and informal discussion within the School suggest that staff are divided about
how the above concerns should be taken into account, especially if it comes to our internal
reward system. To facilitate a fruitful discussion about these topics, we plan one invited
presentation on the subject of measuring performance, followed by a mediated discussion
[AP3.4]. In addition, the action [AP2.7], which will provide a five-year research only period
Career Research Fellows, aims to better position women in terms of being PI on a project
and building up esteem in a research area.
(ii)
Induction and training
A new academic staff member becomes a member of one of the existing research groups,
depending on their interests. The leader of this (primary) research group becomes their
line manager responsible for induction in the research aspects of the appointment. This is
done through an induction process which includes a series of one-to-one meetings and
discussions, and the introduction of the new member to the research group, which takes
place in the first regular group meeting or seminar. The research training is usually
conducted through attending the relevant research group seminars and workshops.
The induction to teaching within the School is provided by the Director of Teaching
(discussing the possible modules to be taught, supervision of projects, etc.), and the
School’s Teaching Manager (discussing the assessment processes, rules concerning
19 | P a g e
students’ extenuating circumstances, etc.). Any new academic staff member is given an
adequate time to prepare their first taught module (usually six months) as well as any
subsequent modules that might be added during the first four years of work, making sure
that the load is manageable.
The development of additional skills related to any specific roles an academic might
assume in the future (teaching role, leadership role, Principal Investigator role, PhD
supervisor role, etc.) is achieved through a variety of courses and workshops run by the
University’s Staff Development Unit. Every member of staff receives advertisements about
upcoming events and programmes and specific requirements are identified at PDR. The
School pro-actively exposes staff (through e-mail announcements etc) to opportunities for
networking and personal development. The School also assist the Staff Development Unit
in identifying talent for its leadership programme or for personal coaching—this year, one
female lecturer got a place in the University’s leadership programme.
(iii)
Support for female students
To facilitate a smooth transfer of the newly recruited students from the secondary school
environment to the university environment, the School appointed a dedicated Transition
Officer who is a (female) academic staff member. So far, based on her experience, there is
no obvious evidence that female students need more help and reassurance than their male
colleagues.
UG and PGT Students: The School has a tutorial system to make sure that every student
has a designated academic staff member (a tutor) to whom they can turn for advice both in
academic and personal matters. There is no policy to assign female tutors to female
students. The students usually have no preferences as to what gender their tutor might be.
However, there is a possibility to change the tutor (also from male to female) if necessary.
To take students’ views and concerns into account, the School established over 20 years
ago the Staff Student Committee that meets at least four times per year. The Committee
has student representatives for each UG Stage, each MSc programme, and a PhD
representative. Since 2001-2002 the Committee has had a ‘Women’s representative’, who
is there to deal with any issues specifically related to female students and was created
following concerns raised regarding the representation of women on the Committee. This
position is always taken by a woman, and such a representative takes a full part in the
proceedings of the Committee, discussing all the topics and not being treated differently
from other members. There is also a specific mailing list which reaches only female
students, in case there are issues or points of interest that the School wishes to inform
female students about. The Women’s representative is the moderator of this list, and the
(female) School Teaching Manager also has access.
PhD students: The two consultation sessions with PhD students showed that there is little
perceived gender discrimination in the School. There was no feeling among the female PhD
students that they would prefer to have female supervisors, and they reported that their
supervisors were very supportive. The students in both groups felt that they have good
support in developing their professional skills through various seminars and organised
sessions (Culture Lab development sessions, Asynchronous Systems Laboratory seminars,
Dependability Technical chats, etc.). However, PhD students remarked that the progression
process was not very helpful with respect to future career planning, a view expressed by
20 | P a g e
both female and male PhD students. This made us aware that we need to review the
School’s current career advice for PhD students and we plan to do this in the near future
[AP3.3]. Also, we plan to form a UG/PG/staff group in the School to look at mentoring and
training needs of staff and students [AP4.3]. Furthermore, our Career Research Fellow
posts [AP2.7] will be our first step in supporting women in their transition to an academic
career.
The School has had no formal complaints about gender discrimination made by UG or PG
students, whether they were home or international students. The School, however, is keen
to stay alert and keep improving its awareness related to diversity and equality issues, so
that its academic and administrative staff members take into account different needs of
students, including those related to the needs of female international students.
Organisation and culture
a) Provide data for the past three years (where possible with clearly labelled graphical
illustrations) on the following with commentary on their significance and how they have
affected action planning.
(i)
Male and female representation on committees
Table 2 provides the male:female ratio for all the School’s committees. Membership of the
three main management committees (Executive, Research Committee and Learning &
Teaching Committee) is based on role within the School. That is, membership follows from
administrative or managerial roles. The staff-student committee includes a Womans
representative, as detailed in the previous section.
Committee
School Executive/Management
Research Committee
Learning and Teaching Committee
Student:Staff Committee
2011/2012
8:2
8:0
12:2
5:1
2012/2013
6:0
8:0
12:2
5:1
2013/2014
5:1
9:1
12:2
5:1
Table 2. Breakdown of school committees by gender (male:female staff).
21 | P a g e
(ii)
Female:male ratio of academic and research staff on fixed-term contracts and
open-ended (permanent) contracts
2010/2011
Researcher F&G
Lecturer F&G
Senior Lecturer/Reader H
Professor I
2011/2012
Researcher F&G
Lecturer F&G
Senior Lecturer/Reader H
Professor I
2012/2013
Researcher F&G
Lecturer F&G
Senior Lecturer/Reader H
Professor I
2013/2014
Researcher F&G
Lecturer F&G
Senior Lecturer/Reader H
Professor I
Female
Male
Fixed Term
Open Fixed Term
Open
8
1
31
5
1
2
0
8
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
10
16
0
0
0
1
4
0
0
27
0
0
0
5
9
11
9
11
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
42
0
0
1
8
10
8
10
13
0
0
0
1
4
0
0
55
2
0
1
4
9
12
10
Table 3. The contract type of academic and research staff within the school broken down
by gender and role.
Table 3 shows the breakdown of male and female staff on open- and fixed-term contracts.
In all cases except one the fixed-term contracts are for research staff. The exceptions were
a temporary (female) lecturer taken on to cover staff absence (in 2011), two (male)
lecturers employed on fixed contracts as part of a Centre for Doctoral Training grant (in
2014) and a partially retired professor (2013 and 2014). In 2011 and 2012 one female
researcher had an open-ended contract, compared to 5 male researchers. In 2013 there
were no female researchers with open ended contracts compared to 8 male researchers
and in 2014 there was one female researcher compared to 4 male researchers. The data
suggests very little (if any) gender-based difference between fixed-term and open-ended
contract holders.
b) For each of the areas below, explain what the key issues are in the department, what steps
have been taken to address any imbalances, what success/impact has been achieved so far
and what additional steps may be needed.
(i)
Representation on decision-making committees
The School has a limited number of standing decision-making committees. Membership of
the main committees within the School is based on the role within the School (see the
section on committees in the previous part). Committee overload is therefore not gender
related, but role related, something that merits some critical consideration in its own right.
Female academic staff take part in one committee (Learning and Teaching Committee), the
22 | P a g e
other female staff members on committees are administrative staff, included for their area
of specialism. This is in itself an issue and the School is working towards increasing the
numbers of female academic staff and thus increasing participation in its committees. All
academic staff are encouraged to participate in committees within the School and outside
of it where appropriate. However, recognising the importance of women’s presence on
decision-making committees, we plan to review the membership of School’s committees
every year [AP4.2]. We also will implement the Faculty policy on membership of
appointment panels, which will in the future include at least one female, while guarding
against committee overload in consultation with female staff.
(ii)
Workload model
Each year workload modelling begins in January and is based on three broad types of
activity: research, teaching and administration. A framework is established to create
personal research time for all research-active academic staff according to a Faculty
minimum standard of 50% (of 1760 hrs p.a.) for established staff plus an additional slidingscale allowance for each of the first four years following an initial appointment. The
University’s research project database is then used to generate an estimate of the number
of hours specifically funded for each individual. Academic staff members on teaching-only
contracts are given an allowance for personal teaching innovation and scholarship. The
remaining capacity provides a framework for the allocation of teaching and administration
duties (including the responsibility for work on women and science). The Head of School, in
consultation with the Director of Teaching and informed by preceding PDR discussions,
allocates major administrative duties within the School for which a standard tariff is
entered into the workload model (WLM), including participation in Athena SWAN activities
where 200 hours are allocated in an application submission year (and 88 hours in a nonsubmission year) to the SAT Chair.
Once a first teaching allocation has been communicated, staff involved in teaching are
offered the opportunity to change the subjects they have taught in the previous academic
year, in order to better reflect personal interests, and such requests are accommodated
where feasible. Teaching duties are then entered into the workload model and the
remaining capacity is allocated to personal tutoring and project supervision. The complete
draft workload model is then reviewed by the Head of School and Director of Teaching to
ensure fairness for all staff. Following any adjustments, each member of academic staff is
sent their final allocation from the WLM. This workload allocation is then incorporated into
the appraisal documentation to inform the following round of PDR reviews.
Issues and process improvements related to the rotation of responsibilities are addressed
by the Head of School in consultation with the School’s Executive Committee. Currently,
the School is developing a transparent approach through which workload heavy efforts
that benefit the School are better documented and identified.
(iii)
Timing of departmental meetings and social gatherings
The needs of parental care of staff members are taken into consideration when timetables
are prepared for the next academic year. Staff members have an opportunity to report
their preferences (e.g., ‘no lectures at 9am’ or ‘no lectures after 4pm’), to be justified by
the need to commute to work or take children to/from school/nursery or other caring
responsibilities. These requests are given a high priority and have been fulfilled in all cases
23 | P a g e
in recent years. Similarly, the School’s meetings will usually be scheduled no earlier than
10am, and are finished by 4pm [AP3.2].
(iv)
Culture
The School recognises the importance of a healthy office culture and everyone is expected
to treat colleagues and students with respect. The School’s reporting structure is ‘flat’ and
the manner of interacting between academics, administration and students is highly
informal. Research and taught Advanced MSc students have office space interleaved with
the other staff and undergraduate students are welcome on all floors. The School as a
whole comes together especially during its periodic teaching meetings, such as UG exam
boards, and at the Board of Studies, as well as at research or teaching off-sites.
There is a Common Room open to all staff and PhD students, where people gather for their
morning coffee breaks. The Common Room is also used during lunchtime and, in the
evenings, by PhD students for general socialising. In addition, the Common Room serves as
a venue for special occasions, such as Christmas parties, celebrations of School’s or
individual staff members’ successes, and farewell parties for retiring or leaving staff.
Each year, a group of people from the School organises a day out (referred to as the ‘Lab
Trip’) for their colleagues, including retired members of staff and PhD students, and their
families. Usually this takes the form of a one-day excursion to the Lake District and involves
a variety of activities and pursuits, such as walks of various kinds, boat rides, picnics, and
sightseeing. The day usually ends with a meal in a restaurant or pub. It is a well-established
tradition that started in the early 1970s. This year (September 2014) the event was
attended by 45 people, including Profs, lecturers, RAs, PhD students and support staff as
well as partners and children. Feedback on the event is always positive.
Although UG students have several University venues devoted to socialising, the School has
always been sensitive to the importance of social aspects in the students’ learning
experience. A special budget was set aside to design the School’s computer laboratories
(the main spaces of students’ work). Both technical and academic members of staff were
involved in designing the laboratory spaces to ensure that they include ‘corners’ with
comfortable sofas for technical group discussions or just friendly chats. The School will be
moving to new premises in 2017 and the interior of this building is being designed with
input from focus groups representing the whole school – staff and students.
To further improve the social aspect of the School, we plan to establish more school-wide
inclusive events. The organised Christmas buffet lunch is always well attended and we aim
to have at least one other event like it each year [AP4.4].
(v)
Outreach activities
The School has an extensive programme of Outreach Activities (OA), closely associated
with the Computing at School effort of the British Computing Society. One of the School
staff members (Dr Nick Cook) is seconded 60% FTE to BCS as regional lead of the
Computing at School effort. The School’s offering includes a provision of CPD courses for
teachers, workshops for school students accompanied by their teachers (hosted by the
University), as well as staff visits to school-based careers days and workshops. In the
academic year 2013-14, the School organised about 80 outreach events. The core outreach
team consists of three members of staff: Lecturer Nick Cook (devoting 50% of his time to
24 | P a g e
OA in the workload model), Transition Officer Laura Heels (devoting 30% of her time to OA)
and Secretary Louise Talbot (devoting 50% of her time to OA). Occasionally, other
members of academic staff (both teaching and research, male and female) take part in
some of the events that are related to their personal expertise. Their involvement is not
formally recognised in the WLM as it can be measured in single figure hours.
Flexibility and managing career breaks
a) Provide data for the past three years (where possible with clearly labelled graphical
illustrations) on the following with commentary on their significance and how they have
affected action planning.
(i)
Maternity return rate
Over the last three years, the School had two members of academic or research staff on
maternity leave each year. In each instance, they have returned to work to complete their
contracts (where on fixed-term contract) or just returned to work (where on open-ended
contracts). Plans for action in this area are based on creating a workplace that people are
comfortable to work in, allowing flexibility in working practices where appropriate, and
ensuring that those on maternity leave are aware of keep-in-touch days and use them if
they wish to and are welcomed back into the School with all the support that they need.
The School wants to make sure that all staff members are aware of the existing policies
concerning parental leave and flexible working and intends to include all this information
on the School’s internal website and at PDR discussions where appropriate [AP5.1].
(ii)
Paternity, adoption and parental leave uptake
In the last three years, the School has had ten male members of staff (6 academic, 4
research) taking paternity leave of 5 or 10 days. Staff are encouraged to take paternity
leave.
(iii)
Numbers of applications and success rates for flexible working by gender and
grade
The School has had very few applications for flexible working and staff are made aware of
their ability to apply for it at their induction and other points during their time at the
School such as PDR interviews. At present, there have only been three requests made, and
all were granted. They were from a researcher with a fellowship and from two members of
the administration team, all female, to reduce their hours due to childcare commitments.
b) For each of the areas below, explain what the key issues are in the department, what steps
have been taken to address any imbalances, what success/impact has been achieved so far
and what additional steps may be needed.
(i)
Flexible working
The University has a flexible working system which is available to all clerical staff members
in the School; this is discussed with them when they join. Both male and female clerical
staff use this system, and it is a formal system which is electronic and uses a key fob to
clock in and out. In this way, it is possible to accrue hours as per the University flexitime
rules. For other members of staff, flexible working is more informal, but it is also available
25 | P a g e
to them, and they are made aware of this during their induction and at other points during
their time at the School as appropriate.
(ii)
Cover for maternity and adoption leave and support on return
The School follows the University processes for maternity leave, although all staff receive
personal, tailored support from the School. Support provided depends on the person and
their role in the School and, to some extent, the research group they are attached to. For
example, all Lecturers are asked before they go on leave what support they will need
during their absence, in terms of teaching cover and ensuring research projects continue (if
that is what will happen). On their return they are asked if they require any additional
resource to allow them to get back up to speed. They are encouraged to request whatever
they require. If the person on maternity leave participates in a research project, these
would either be put into abeyance or another researcher recruited into the position to
cover the absence. On their return to work, re-integration into the group and their
research project and teaching is the responsibility of the research group leader, with
support provided from the School when required.
In the future, we plan to investigate the effects of maternity leave on groups to identify if
any extra School-specific policies are needed to facilitate re-integration [AP5.2].
[4611 words]
26 | P a g e
5. Any other comments: maximum 500 words
Preparing this Athena SWAN bid, carrying out the self-assessment and developing the
action plan, has allowed us to consolidate ideas and plans within the School into definitive
actions which can be carried out and measured. With less than 10 percent of academic
staff being female and none in higher grades, it is clear that recruitment, career
development and retention of female academic staff is of critical importance. The School’s
SAT looked critically at the School’s processes and procedures, in order to identify possible
problems and to think about ways forward to create a better working environment for
existing female academics, and to attract more women to join our academic staff. An
important step forward will be the hiring in coming years of females in Career Research
Fellow posts [AP 2.7], which are tailored to help female academics establish robust
research-active academic careers. The SAT also identified that there are a number of areas
where the School needs to provide additional support, in addition to Faculty and University
policy, specifically in relation to encouraging women to apply for promotion. Firstly in
relation to actually encouraging them to apply through the HoS review process, but also
identify areas for development to ensure future promotion [AP3.5].
The School has been aware of under-representation of women among our UG and PG
students, and worked hard to develop ideas and policies to attract more female students,
with mixed results. Last year, a new member of staff – a Recruitment Officer - was
appointed and one of their tasks is to research and address this issue.
The Athena SWAN initiative contributed greatly to raising the awareness of gender equality
and women under-representation among academic staff of the School. With the
introduction of the Diversity & Equality Committee [AP4.7], which expands the SAT’s
mission to include all diversity issues, there will be further visible activities around diversity
and gender balance. The Diversity & Equality Committee Chair will be provided with the
necessary budget and support means to carry out the Athena SWAN action plan and its aim
would be to embed good practice and awareness in all the School’s activities.
In the final days of writing the submission we received approval for the use of the Career
Research Fellow model from University HR and discussions are underway with the Staff
Development Unit about support and training for the prospective fellows.
In addition, the Head of School will attend the CignetS—Athena Swan for Computer
Science Workshop in London on December 1, 2014.
[414 words]
The following abbreviations are used throughout the application and action plan:
BCS
DELT
HoS
PDR
PG
PGR
PGT
RA
UG
British Computing Society
Director of Excellence in Learning and Teaching
Head of School
Performance and Development Review
Postgraduate
Postgraduate Research
Postgraduate Taught
Research Associate
Undergraduate
27 | P a g e
6. Action plan
28 | P a g e
Action
Description of action
Action taken
already and
Further action planned at
outcome at October October 2014
2014
Progress Log
Frequency
Success Measure
Page
reference
Responsibility
Due date
DELT
Ongoing
DELT/School
Manager
Ongoing
n/a
Number of posters
created (at least 3)
9
1 UG and PG Students
Organise Outreach Activities
1.1 to increase interest of school
children in computing
Various activities
taking place in
schools around the
region
Prepare marketing materials
to increase visibility of
1.2
computing and how it links to
school subjects
Mapping of
Creation of posters for careers
computing disciplines
services in schools to put up
onto GCSE and A
and other promotional material
level subjects
Increased number of
2, 9, 12, 17
female undergraduate
applicants to computing
to national average
Extension of activity and hosting
of ‘Barefoot Computing’ initiative
Initial mapping
carried out
Update School Website to
Gathering of case
1.3 show why people chose CS
studies started
and graduate success stories
Finalising case studies for initial
page and updating as necessary
DELT/School
Manager
Summer 2015
Ongoing
Updated website with
strong case studies (at
least 4)
9
Organise a national level
1.4 event for Women in
Computing
None
Brainstorm and plan event
Head of School
End of 2015
Bi-yearly
Event planned and
booked for academic
year 2015/2016
10
Build a network for UG
1.5 students and staff within CS
and other STEM subjects
Discussions with Girl
Geeks and Girl
Geeks on Campus, First event planned
and students and
staff
School Manager
Initial plan end of
2014
at least 4 per year
Participation in 4
campus and school
events per year.
2, 9, 12, 17
Organise a yearly event for
1.6 UG students to promote
School’s taught PG courses
None
Event to be arranged
DELT/Recruitment
Officer
Spring 2015
annual
Event taking place
10, 12
Review of current
adverts
Future adverts to be designed
with female students in mind
DELT/Recruitment
Officer
Next round of PhD
adverts
ongoing
Number of adverts
prepared (at least 2)
10, 12
None
Tutorial material to be prepared
as timetabled
Material prepared and
tutorial scheduled in
timetable
1.7
Create adverts for School’s
PG research studentships so
they are more enticing for
women
Discuss gender and diversity
1.8 issues with all students in
timetabled module
-
Pictures identified
from current library
SAT Chair/ leader ‘IT
Summer 2015
Professional’ module
10
Action
Description of action
Action taken
already and
Further action planned at
outcome at October October 2014
2014
Progress Log
Responsibility
Due date
Frequency
Success Measure
Page
reference
13, 16
2 Key Career Transition Points, Appointments and Promotions
Identify the cause of reduction
2.1 in women researchers
None
between RA and Lecturer
Further discussions with current
RAs and lecturers
SAT Chair
Spring 2015
n/a
Discussions taken
place and common
causes identified
Highlight in job adverts that
2.2 the School is committed to
gender equality
Text to be included in all job ads
School Manager
Immediate
n/a
Text included in adverts
Text written
13, 15, 16,
17
2.3
Improve gender balance in job Historical records
applicants to the School
checked
Potential applicants targeted
Head of School
Spring 2015
as appropriate
20% of targetted
applicants apply
2.4
Monitor offers and job
acceptances to the School
Routine monitoring
School Manager
End of 2014
Annual
Increased awareness
13
16
Historical records
checked
Analyse in more detail the
differences in gender balance Historical records are
2.5
Analysis to be performed
trends between School’s
being checked
research subjects
SAT Chair
Spring 2015
n/a
Useable information
gleaned from analysis
for future strategic
decisions
Review recruitment process to
2.6 gain balance in open
None
competition
SAT Chair
Summer 2015
n/a
Revised process
Creation of Career Research
2.7
Fellow Posts
2.8
Review of process to be
conducted
Head of School
Spring 2015
n/a
List of names/subject
areas prepared and
recruitment process
started
Session with HR, Staff
Development Unit or external
facilitator to be set up
Head of School
Summer 2015
Sessions to be run
annually before
PDR round for new
reviewers
All staff conducting
PDR attend training
and at least 50% of
other staff
Launch revised scheme for new
starters from January 2015
School
Manager/Head of
School
Spring 2015
n/a
New scheme in place
for Jan 2015
Exercise to be run to identify key
Agreement of HR
women or subject areas to
and Faculty received
target
Equality and diversity
awareness training for staff,
None
especially PDR reviewers and
line managers
13, 17
13, 16
2, 18, 19,
21, 27
17, 19
3 Career Advice and Support
3.1
Formalise mentoring and
buddy scheme
None
13
Action
Description of action
Take into account family
3.2 related concerns in School
meetings and timetabling
Review career advice for all
3.3 RAs and PhDs
Organise one invited
presentation and one
3.4 mediated discussion on the
subject of measuring staff
performance
3.5
Action taken
already and
Further action planned at
outcome at October October 2014
2014
Progress Log
Responsibility
Due date
Frequency
Success Measure
Page
reference
13, 24
Timetable concerns
in place
Extend awareness in School
School Manager
Spring 2015
Annual review
Time table and
meetings scheduled
appropriately
None
Review advice already available
via the university
School Manager
Summer 2015
n/a
RAs and PhDs aware
of support available
13, 14, 21
None
Speaker to be identified
SAT Chair
Spring 2015
2015,2016 for
respective events
Reviewed internal
reward system in light
of differences in
lifestyles
19
Identify candidates for
promotion and provide support
None
To be identified as part of HoS
annual promotions review
Head of School
Spring 2015
Annual
Candidates identified
and support provided
16, 19, 27
4 Culture, Communications and Departmental Organization
Improve awareness of
Equality and Diversity at
Encourage uptake of E&D
training provided by University.
Look into possibility of a school
specific session
SAT Chair
End of 2014
Ongoing
Discuss E&D training at
school meeting
19
None
Committee membership
reviewed annually
School Manager
End of 2014
Annual
Maintain gender
balance on committees
commensurate with
expertise required
23
None
Identify and/or invite participants
to first meeting
PG Director
Spring 2015
As appropriate
Information sheets
created on at least one
topic
21
4.1 a. Welcome and Induction for None
new staff
b. Staff meetings
4.2
Monitor committee
membership
Form UG/PG/staff group in
the School to look at
4.3 - Mentoring
- Career advice
- Training needs
- Events
Action
Description of action
Action taken
already and
Further action planned at
outcome at October October 2014
2014
Progress Log
Responsibility
Due date
Page
reference
Frequency
Success Measure
24
None
Look to establish more schoolwide events
School
Manager/Head of
School
Spring 2015
Annual
In addition to Christmas
lunch, at least one
other event to be run
2014/2015.
Monitor and analyse
developments and trends in
None
4.5
Computing and other sciences
relating to women
Review of current trends to be
conducted
SAT Chair
Summer 2015
Quarterly
Quarterly report to
Executive Committee
about best practices
18
Identify possible speakers
Colloquia
Coordinator
Spring 2015
Ongoing
Increase the number of
female speakers by
20%
18
Membership to be agreed with
School Exec
Head of School
End of 2014
Quarterly
Decision made and
D&E committee meet
regularly
Action plan review to be done
Head of School
Ongoing
Quarterly
Progress against
actions made
7
Include link to relevant HR and
School policies on school
website and PDR discussions
School Manager
Immediate
n/a
Updated website and
included at PDR
25
Design a questionnaire to
sample staff’s opinions
School Manager
Summer 2015
Ongoing
Information gathered
and policies updated if
needed
26
Data collected for
entry and for cohorts;
Continue monitoring
historical data
reviewed
DELT
Ongoing
Annual
Increased awareness of
situation
9
Data collected,
historical data
reviewed
PG Director
Ongoing
Annual
Increased awareness of
situation
10
Improve social aspect of
4.4
Department
4.6
Increase proportion of female
None
speakers at School Colloquia
Establish Diversity & Equality
4.7 Committee as follow-up of
None
current SAT
Review of actions against
None
action plan
5 Career breaks/flexible working
4.8
Advertise parental leave,
5.1 return to work and flexible
working policies widely
5.2
None
Investigate effects of maternity
None
leave on groups
7, 27
6 Baseline Data and Supporting Evidence
6.1
Monitor UG student data by
gender (applicants and
entrants). Annual report to
Executive Committee
Monitor PG student data by
gender (applicants and
6.2 entrants).
Annual report to Executive
Committee
Continue monitoring
Action
Description of action
Action taken
already and
Further action planned at
outcome at October October 2014
2014
Progress Log
Page
reference
Responsibility
Due date
Frequency
Success Measure
Application shortlists and pay
review shortlists reviewed and
monitored
School Manager
With immediate
effect
Annual
Increased awareness of
situation
13
Trial exit interview
process initiated
Continue with trial process
School Manager
With immediate
effect
Annual
Collection of data on
destination of leavers to
monitor trends
14
None
Comparator Universities to be
identified
School Manager
Summer 2015
Ongoing
Report on comparators
produced
8, 18
Monitor staff appointments,
including fellowships and pay
award success rates for all job Historical data
6.3
types.
reviewed
Annual report to Executive
Committee
Monitor staff destinations.
6.4 Annual report to Executive
Committee
Review of staff composition
6.5 and practices at comparison
Universities with higher
female staff percantages