Calling all part time teaching faculty!

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Sue Clayton
Staff Development Officer

Whilst it is well known that part-time staff are not always able to access appropriate staff-development opportunities, the full picture on the barriers you experience is not always clear.

With the setting up of the Institute of Learning and Teaching (ILT), this issue has come more sharply into focus as, so far, eligibility for membership has been mostly aimed at experienced, full-time teachers. So where do part-timers fit in to this unfolding scenario?

Well, with your help we are hoping to find out. Sussex has joined forces with the University of Brighton, University College Chichester, NATFHE, the AUT, THETO (national training organisation for HE) and the ILT itself, to find out more about you, whether or not the ILT might be useful to you and what barriers you face in participating in professional development.

The project is being co-ordinated by Liz Allen from NATFHE, and a steering group has been set up with representatives from each partner institution, trade unions and named organisations. Neill Thew (TLDU) and I are the Sussex representatives and already are finding he collaboration very useful in terms of exchange of ideas and information.

A questionnaire has been developed and piloted (a big thank you to the group of Sussex postgraduate Tutors who contributed to this process, and sorted out the gremlins in the questionnaires!). The final version will be sent to all part time teachers in each institution and one will be landing on a doormat near you very soon.

In addition to this Liz, Neill and I will be setting up - yes - focus group meetings during the coming year. These will involve a sample of staff/Deans/subject chairs and others, and the meetings will explore in further detail the issues experienced 'on the ground'.

Results of the questionnaires (individual confidentiality paramount!) will be analysed centrally (via the services of THETO and the Further Education Development Agency and a project report will be launched both regionally and nationally in conferences during September 2001. Partnership institutions will also get feedback relating to their own institutions.

Crucially, we hope the report will assist in developing inclusive strategies for professional development for part time teachers here at Sussex, and help inform national policy and initiatives as they are emerging.

We hope you will view this as your chance to contribute to local and national initiatives to improve professional development opportunities, and we want to hear from you.

Please complete and return the questionnaire when you receive it - it shouldn't take too long.

If you want to know more, or you have a query, contact the project reps: Sue Clayton, Staff Development Unit, ext. 7713, email S.B.Clayton@sussex.ac.uk; or Neill Thew, Teaching and Learning Development Unit, ext. 8533, email N.D.Thew@sussex.ac.uk.