The HEA's consultation on a UK Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning has offered a valuable opportunity to reflect on how universities support their lecturers' teaching development.
Inevitably, the teaching responsibilities of staff vary both within and between departments and will change as their careers progress. A compulsory one-size-fits-all approach to training therefore seems inappropriate and even counterproductive.
At Imperial College London, we have decided to move from delivering a single compulsory programme for all new lecturers to providing bespoke training for new appointees.
Training will be tailored according to an individual's previous experience, academic discipline and teaching portfolio. Core workshops will cover the key elements of curriculum design, teaching delivery, assessment, student welfare, regulation and quality assurance.
However, the bulk of the programme will focus on practice-based teaching and teaching-related activities.
Julia Buckingham, Pro rector (education and academic affairs), Imperial College London