Staffing and Staff Development

Common Awards (Theology, Ministry and Mission)

This page shows examples of TEI good practice highlighted by the External Examiners and the ULOs in their reports, in areas related to staffing and staff development.

	Examples of TEI good practice regarding Staffing and Staff Development	TEI
1	The TEI’s core team should be commended for their obvious deeply felt care that their students achieve all they are capable of achieving and desire to give of their best. This is evident from their feedback; their students’ work; the ways in which they responded appropriately but robustly to issues raised, offering their rationale for what they have done; the respectful ways in which colleagues heard and took on board the External Examiner’s comments; and their conduct during Board meetings. There should be similar commendation for the way in which the TEI is led. It appears to be led purposefully and accountably, but without defensiveness or controlling behaviour, enabling staff to give of their best.	ERMC (2020-21)
2	The TEI holds an annual Research Day, which can be accessed by staff and students from across the whole of the college and helps tutors to relate research to teaching.	YTEP (2020-21)
3	The way in which the Good Practice Group provides an opportunity to discuss teaching and learning quality issues, and staff development opportunities for tutors is a good approach in a multi-centre TEI.	YTEP (2020-21)
4	The production of a series of four video conversations with different members of staff in different subject areas about their approaches to online teaching and learning. Staff found this helpful as they were planning to adapt their own modules.	Cambridge Federation (2020-21)
5	The TEI designated one core member of staff as a ‘Digital Champion’, who has had a particular brief for organising training, preparing briefing documents, and being available to staff for individual training and troubleshooting.	Cranmer Hall (2020-21)
6	Each year the TEI holds an overnight staff-training residential. Two presenters are invited, one to speak theoretically and one to speak practically. In 2020, the practical presenter just happened to be Ken Farrimond and the residential was moved online. Ken took the tutors through their paces, including giving them homework overnight, so that the tutors would learn hands-on how to do what is possible with Moodle many options for learning and teaching. This meant that the tutors were well prepared for subsequent Moodle use in the ongoing lockdown.	SEI (2020-21)
7	The establishment of the Scottish Episcopal Institute Journal which provide examples of theological engagement and academic reading and writing for students, and SEI’s Annual Lecture which rotates around four Scottish universities. Both of these initiatives are creative and interesting ways of ensuring that research culture surrounds all aspects of the TEI work.	SEI (2020-21)
8	Academic staff are committed to research-led teaching, with many research-active in publication. The College is committed to development of its academic faculty. Staff have regular research leave to ensure engagement with current research in their field as well as access to book and conference allowances. Further, all teaching staff are peer-reviewed annually with best practice shared across the College.	St Mellitus (2020-21)
9	St Hild College’s annual Research Day, which can be accessed by staff and students from across the whole of YTEP and helps tutors to relate research to teaching	YTEP (2020-21)
10	The regular “check-in” space at staff meetings allows staff to share in problems, solutions and good practice with regard to technology.	Cranmer Hall (2020-21)
11	St Hild College’s annual Research Day, which can be accessed by staff and students from across the whole of YTEP helps tutors to relate research to teaching.	YTEP (2021-22)
12	The practice of staff having opportunity to share the latest developments in scholarship in their particular fields of expertise with the wider team models an integrated approach to theology, enabling connections to be made across disciplines, with the result that all teaching and learning is enriched.	Luther King Centre (2021-22)
13	The TEI provides structured and regular opportunities for staff to read and discuss together topics of theology in interdisciplinary perspective and how they relate to teaching, through Postgraduate Research seminars and Teaching and Learning Workshops.	TBBC (2021-22)