UK Psychology academics:

The next generation

Caprice LantzHigher Education Academy Psychology Network

University of York, UK

The Higher Education Academy (HEA)• Supported by UK Higher Education funding bodies,

institutional subscriptions, grants and contracts• Supports HE TEACHINGHE TEACHING by:

– Recognising and promoting teaching excellence – Organising and facilitating events– Providing an independent voice on teaching &

learning to influence UK educational policy– Developing teaching resources– Providing funding for projects

• Made up of 24 subject centres – Psychology is one

UK Training of Psychology Lecturers• UK Professional standards framework led to a

standardisation of training for new lecturers• New lecturers < three years of full time

experience, now undertake a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning (PGCert)

• PGCert training provided by university staff development units

• Helpful in terms of providing standards

PGCert issues• Training can be inappropriate (e.g. staff

developer teaching psychology lecturer about learning and memory)

• Training typically not discipline specific• Often already experienced and training is too

basic• Transferability of PGCert credits unclear• Quality can be variable

Psychology Network support for new lecturers• Supporting New Academic Staff (SNAS)• New lecturers forum• Teaching tips series

Postgraduates who teachDefinition of a postgraduate Increasingly found in teaching rolesClass size Pressure on staff to produce research

Postgraduate TeachingPostgraduates Departments

gain experience earn money get on career ladder

pgs = great source of labour: knowledgeable, eager to please and inexpensivefree up researcher time

lack of standard training (e.g. survey results, etc.) difficulty balancing difficulty saying no stress underpayment

teaching quality may sufferdegrees at risk

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Psychology Network Support• Ran a pg teaching workshop in 20042004• Students were keen to continue having workshopsStudents were keen to continue having workshops• Began offering more workshops to address needs Began offering more workshops to address needs

and provide more equal training opportunities and and provide more equal training opportunities and to address discipline specific issuesto address discipline specific issues

• Evolved idea of making it more of a community by:Evolved idea of making it more of a community by:– encouraging postgraduates from other encouraging postgraduates from other

universities to attend universities to attend – involving psychology academics enthusiastic involving psychology academics enthusiastic

about teaching about teaching – creating developmental opportunities for creating developmental opportunities for

postgraduates by getting them to coordinate postgraduates by getting them to coordinate workshops and facilitate the networkworkshops and facilitate the network

– p

Postgraduates who Teach Psychology Network (PGwT)

• Seven pg regional coordinators and a national coordinator– take responsibility for championing the cause of teaching

• Receive training and support from us, honorarium, etc

• 14 workshops per year led mostly by psychology academics that the pgs find

• Email discussion list, facebook group, move towards getting international dialog

• Internal and external wikis• Bursary scheme – provides further support for pgs

and has enabled infiltration of research conferences• Postgraduates who teach survey and report

The future of training for the UK

• Some universities now provide training for pgs which can count towards a PGCert

• Discussion of having pgs rather than new lecturers undertake PGCerts

• Exploration of making PGCert credits more portable

Future of training for the Psychology Network

• Seeking to make our training more widely accepted by staff development offices for pgs & new lecturers

• Expanding the community and educating people about the work we do

• Looking for ways to promote international dialog / exchanges

• Developing the next generation of psychology academics to be champions of teaching

Thank youCaprice Lantz

c.lantz@psych.york.ac.uk

Lantz, C., Smith, D. Branny, P. (2008). Psychology Lantz, C., Smith, D. Branny, P. (2008). Psychology Postgraduates Perspectives of Teaching Related Postgraduates Perspectives of Teaching Related Support and Training, Support and Training, Psychology Teaching and Psychology Teaching and Learning,Learning, ?, ?. ?, ?.

Park, C. C. (2002). Neither fish nor fowl? The Park, C. C. (2002). Neither fish nor fowl? The perceived benefits and problems of using perceived benefits and problems of using graduate teaching assistants to teach graduate teaching assistants to teach undergraduate students, undergraduate students, Higher Education Higher Education Review,Review, 35 (1), 30-42. 35 (1), 30-42.

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