ID188 All academic staff, at every level of seniority, should teach 

The Idea

All academic staff in the University, at every level of seniority, should undertake some teaching in each academic year.

Why This Idea Should Be Considered

One of the core functions of the University is to support our students – to teach them, to develop their confidence, to support them through their degrees, and to help them to realise their full potential. Ensuring a positive student experience is largely in the gift of Schools, and academic staff work very hard in many different ways to support our students. 

However, there are systemic problems that can make it difficult for Schools to support their students optimally. These problems can have an impact on student experience, student feedback through MEQs, NSS results, and Keele’s external reputation. When academic staff report issues through committee structures (colleague to SEC, SEC to FEC, for example), it becomes increasingly difficult to convey the impact in the classroom to colleagues who do not teach. The higher the issues goes, the less likely that those considering the issue have directly experienced it. 

As academic staff are promoted to senior management positions, they inevitably step out of the classroom. This means that colleagues who are the decision-makers in the University do not have the opportunity to see how policies, procedures and changes impact on students’ (and staff) experience on the ground. They are often – through no fault of their own – too far removed from the realities of the day-to-day operation of the institution to appreciate the knock-on impact of some of the decisions that they make. 

How We Would Implement This Idea

I do not suggest that academics in senior management should teach every week; I recognise that this is not workable. However, all academic staff at every level should commit to spending some time in the classroom every academic year, directly interacting with students, colleagues, programmes and Schools, and delivering academic content. This should include marking, the process of which highlights the difficulties academic staff are currently facing with GenAI and engagement, including the impact of this on staff morale and job satisfaction. 

What Success Would Look Like

The decision-makers in the University would have direct experience of how policies and procedures impact on the day-to-day operation of the University. 

There would be an improvement in communication from academics in the classroom up through to senior management, as decision-makers are more likely to have first-hand experience of the issues brought to them. 

As a result, student experience – and thus NSS scores and other metrics – would improve. 

As a result, staff experience would improve, with time freed up to concentrate on our students rather than on systemic problems.