Associate Lecturers for MSc Project Supervision in the Schools of C&C (Computing and Communication) and E&I (Engineering and Innovation) T802 & T803

Unit : Associate Lecturers/Part time tutors

Salary : £37,999 Pro Rata

Location : Various locations

Please quote reference : STEM_T802

Part-Time: 0.1 – 0.2 FTE (Full Time Equivalent), Permanent

Closing Date : 3 December, 2024 - 12:00

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education.

The role

We are looking to recruit several Associate Lecturers for MSc Project Supervision, in the Schools of C&C (Computing and Communications) and E&I (Engineering and Innovation) at the Open University.

The position is part-time (0.1-0.2, equivalent to 0.5 to 1.0 days per week on average) and would involve teaching one or more modules. In particular, there are immediate teaching needs for Associate Lecturers as project supervisors for the capstone project modules for our MSc programmes in the schools of Computing & Communications and Engineering & Innovation within the STEM faculty at the Open University, as a supervisor on T802 Research Project and/or T803 MSc project: researching in context, you will support project dissertations in one or more of the following areas:

• Systems Thinking in Practice,
• Technology management,
• Environmental management,
• Computing in general, or one of the specialisms
• Computing (Software Engineering),
• Computing (Information Security and Forensics)
• Computing (Networking)
• Cyber Security
• Engineering

As a project supervisor, you will guide the student in their chosen research area and discuss the various elements of the research and dissertation. You will encourage the student to think and reason for them selves and assist with the development of critical skills needed at this level. You will provide support and prompt and constructive feedback during development of the research proposal, mark and comment on the submitted assignments, give telephone/electronic tuition to individual students. You will normally be expected to mark and grade the final dissertation as first marker.

• The project modules enable students to gain an MSc by building on the postgraduate diploma that they already hold. Students start by developing a detailed research proposal based on a subject area appropriate to their previous study and the MSc they are studying towards. It is expected that support will be provided at all stages via online forums, email and telephone.

The position is home-based and has no fixed core hours. It is permanent, with a probation period of two years. The annual salary and workload are fixed, but there are significant workload peaks and troughs, mainly linked to providing marking and assessment feedback. This is likely to include exam and end of module marking tasks. Other tasks will be required such as focused student support (individual and forum), such as peer mentoring and working with the module team on assessment activities and quality improvement. Some evening and weekend work will be required. The appropriate level of FTE will be discussed at interview, and there is the possibility of increasing the FTE later. The starting full-time salary is £37,999 paid pro rata based on your FTE. Although most of the teaching occurs between October and June, the position is paid over the full calendar year.

The contract will start from January 2025

Person specification:

The person specification for this position should be read in conjunction with the generic person specification for an Associate Lecturer at The Open University. As well as meeting all the requirements set out in the generic person specification, you should have:

• A M.Sc., M.Phil. or other equivalent or higher postgraduate qualification.
• Academic and experiential knowledge (gained in an industrial, public, or private service sector, NGO, or academic context) in areas covered by at least one of the taught postgraduate modules in one or more of the following MSc programmes:
• Systems Thinking in Practice,
• Technology management,
• Environmental management,
• Computing in general, or one of the specialisms
• Computing (Software Engineering),
• Computing (Information Security and Forensics)
• Computing (Networking)
• Cyber Security
• Engineering
• Experience of supervising students on a research project on a one-to-one basis at MSc level, including the ability to guide the student in their chosen research area, discuss the various elements of the dissertation, encourage the student to think and reason for themself, and assist with the critical skills needed at this level.
• Experience of marking and grading final MSc dissertation (up to 15,000 words) submitted electronically.
• The ability to grade assignments accurately and to provide constructive feedback to students.
• Experience of teaching online or an understanding of the pedagogical issues surrounding online teaching.
• Demonstrate ability to encourage students to engage with scholarship and independent study (including awareness of resources).

It would be an advantage to have:

• A higher degree or Ph.D. (or equivalent)
• Experience tutoring on one or more of the postgraduate diploma modules relevant to the areas you wish to support.
• Experience of teaching and assessment via an online environment.
• Evidence of having taken the initiative to deliver better teaching and learning or to take advantage of new technology in teaching.
• Teaching qualification in relevant subject or HEA accreditation.
• Experience with quantitative data analysis and statistical methods.

NOTE: It is essential that you identify which qualification(s), that the project modules are the capstone for, you are able to support. You should include a clear identification of the areas of each programme, in particular core module(s), that support your claim for the experiential match to the qualification(s).

What you get in return

We have a strong commitment to providing training and development in and beyond your current role. To ensure they remain up to date with developments in their academic field, Associate Lecturers are allocated 6 days (pro-rata) per annum for AL-led (ie. self-directed) Academic Currency and 1 day, plus 5 days pro rata, per annum for Agreed Academic Currency and Professional Development.

Benefits include a supportive and friendly working environment, 27 days holiday per annum (pro rata) with variable (pro rata) Bank holidays and an attractive pensions proposition.

Tuition Delivery

The project modules are delivered entirely online, however future work may require face-to-face delivery.

How to apply

An application form and job-related information are available from the links located below. Any queries regarding the application process please contact AL-Applications on AL-Recruitment@open.ac.uk, quoting the reference number STEM_T802.

Job related information:

Attachment

AL Application Form

Generic Person Specification

Terms and Conditions

All candidates will be asked to provide proof of eligibility to work in the UK at interview.

The University is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role as per the requirement laid out the UK Visas and Immigration regarding Right to Work in the UK.

To work with us you will need access to the internet.

Successful applicants will be required to undertake a DBS check or equivalent for their nation of residency.

Early closing date notification

We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.

Email : al-recruitment@open.ac.uk

An application form and job related information are available from the links located below. Hard copies and access details for disabled applicants are available from the Recruitment Co-ordinator by email (on the link above), quoting the reference number STEM_T802.