Skip to main content

Promotion to Senior Lecturer

Birkbeck has introduced flexible career pathways allowing advancement and reward for colleagues who choose to focus all or part of their career on education and student experience, equally with those who maintain a research focus. There are two closely related career pathways for senior lecturer:

  • Research and Teaching
  • Teaching and Education.

Applicants should demonstrate that they meet the relevant criteria, as applications will be assessed on this basis.

Applicants are considered for promotion on the basis of performance across the following four areas.

a. Education and Student Experience

b. Research or Scholarship

c. Leadership and Management

d. Engagement

In the majority of cases, promotion decisions will be made on the basis of performance to the relevant standard across all four areas, usually including at least two areas graded ‘excellent’. In order to allow colleagues flexibility to have a particular focus on one or more area, in line with their expertise and career development, the panel can discount one area from consideration: this is outlined further under the section headed ‘promotion criteria’ below.

Promotion to Senior Lecturer is on merit, but is subject to the limited financial resources of Birkbeck.

SCOPE

Applicable to all academic staff at the level of Lecturer who have:

  • completed their academic probation;
  • had or agreed a date for academic review this academic year;

and

  • have fellowship status (or higher) of AdvanceHE.

Promotion to senior lecturer

The Executive Dean will assess each criterion using the following scale:

  • Exceptional performance
  • Excellent performance
  • Very good performance
  • Good performance
  • Adequate performance
  • Failed to meet required standard
  • Not applicable

'Excellent' performance is required in one area, one of which must be either Research or Scholarship or Education and Student Experience, and at least 'Very Good' performance in at least one other area. Candidates applying to be assessed over three areas (i.e. wishing to discount a fourth) would normally need to demonstrate 'Excellent' performance in two of those areas and ‘Very Good’ in one other area, or ‘Exceptional’ in Education and Student Experience or Research or Scholarship and ‘Very Good’ in one other area.

promotion criteria for senior lecturer (teaching and education)

  • Education and student experience
    • Demonstrated a sustained record of a very high standard of teaching as evidenced by module evaluation, student continuation and attainment
    • Conducted activity to develop new programmes or modules
    • Developed activity to enhance student continuation and attainment and/or on activity aimed at reducing gaps in attainment between student groups.
    • Developed new forms of assessment and feedback
    • Evaluated aspects of student satisfaction and performance and developed interventions for improvement.
    • Contributed to leadership and administrative roles in education and student experience.
    • Chaired exam boards.
    • Contributed to college-wide initiatives to improve student experience and academic performance
    • Have gained Fellowship of AdvanceHE.
  • Scholarship
    • Developed knowledge advancement activity to promote understanding in the field or specialism
    • Engaged in the creation of new teaching initiatives (which could include pedagogic research) and dissemination of the outcomes across the College. 
    • Actively engaged with activity to improve student experience
    • Developed new activity designed to enhance continuation and attainment
  • Leadership and management
    • Chaired and/or contributed to School and Faculty Committees, in the formation and delivery of strategies in teaching, equalities or other areas.
    • Supported the College mission through significant contributions to strategic projects and/or to development and outreach activity.
    • Contributed at a senior level (eg programme director, director of Education, director of studies) to the leadership and management of the School and Faculty.
    • Undertaken other administrative duties in the School and Faculty required in the professional delivery of teaching, taking a leadership role where appropriate.
  • Engagement
    • Participated in external networks; for example on student recruitment, external examining work or work with exam boards, secure student placements.
    • Develop or support development of partnerships with external stakeholders, such as other higher education institutions, government bodies and industry for the benefit of the student education and experience in the Faculty, providing the length, title, recipients and income to Birkbeck. Please note private consultancies and consultancies undertaken before joining Birkbeck should not be included.
    • Held responsibilities in professional scholarly organisations, journals or other forms of external activity.

promotion criteria for senior lecturer (research and teaching)

  • Education and student experience
    • Demonstrated a sustained record of a very high standard of teaching as evidenced by module evaluation, student continuation and attainment
    • Conducted activity to develop new programmes or modules
    • Developed new forms of assessment and feedback
    • Evaluated aspects of student satisfaction and performance and develop interventions for improvement.
    • Contributed to leadership and administrative roles in education and student experience.
    • Chaired exam boards.
    • Have gained Fellowship of AdvanceHE.
    • Contributed to college-wide initiatives to improve student experience and academic performance
    • Developed activity to enhance student continuation and attainment and/or on activity aimed at reducing gaps in attainment between student groups.
  • Research
    • Published research outputs, including outputs that are at least internationally recognised and internationally excellent in quality, the number, type and range reflecting disciplinary norms.
    • Demonstrated research leadership at Birkbeck or more widely, through activities such as: developing or leading an ongoing programme of research, or research network in the UK or internationally; leading or contributing to research impact activity; contributing to the development of School and/or Faculty research strategies.
    • Developed and submitted applications for external research funding as co- or principal investigator
    • Supervised/co-supervised PhD students in line with disciplinary norms and have a record of successful, on-time, completions; examined PhDs for other institutions as well as internally.
    • Demonstrated esteem in research through other achievements and activities such as: invited lectures/keynotes; journal editorial committee roles; organisation of conferences; personal fellowships; prizes and awards.
  • Leadership and management
    • Chaired and/or contributed to School and Faculty Committees, in the formation and delivery of strategies in teaching, research, equalities or other areas.
    • Supported the College mission through significant contributions to strategic projects and to development and outreach activity.
    • Contributed at a senior level (e.g. programme director, director of Education/Research, director of studies) to the leadership and management of the School and Faculty.
    • Undertaken other administrative duties in the School and Faculty required in the professional delivery of teaching, taking a leadership role where appropriate.
  • Engagement
    • Demonstrated involvement in work that seeks to increase public understanding of the discipline.
    • Demonstrated the dissemination of research findings in outlets outside the scope of traditional academic journals and conferences (e.g. industry or sector-based reports, practice-based workshops, professional networks, the media).
    • Involved in consultancy work with external stakeholders, providing the length, title, recipients and income to Birkbeck. Please note, private consultancies and consultancies undertaken before joining Birkbeck should not be included. 

IMPACT OF PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES

For all applications, where personal circumstances have significantly impacted performance output volumes, and where this potentially mitigating information is disclosed by the applicant, appropriate consideration will be given to this within the review process. 

Any personal circumstances that have been disclosed by applicants are only shared with Human Resources, the Executive Dean of Faculty, the Vice-Chancellor and the panel member selected to introduce the application. The assigned panel member  will share with the wider panel only details of the amount of time that the circumstances disclosed have had on the individual’s work output and with no details of the circumstances in question being disclosed. It will then be for the panel to take this factor into account when assessing all of the evidence, considering the quality of the contribution in the different areas rather than simply the quantity (for example, number of publications).

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

  • Eligible staff shall normally be invited annually to submit applications to the Academic Staff Review Panel (Lecturer to Senior Lecturer) for consideration of their cases for promotion. In special circumstances, applications may be considered at other times of the year.
  • Advice and guidance on making an application will be provided annually in the form of a briefing/workshop to which staff will be invited to attend.

THE ROLE OF THE APPLICANT

  • The staff member needs to submit an application using the application form provided, completing all sections and include any additional attachments.
  • The whole form should not exceed eight pages. Applications in excess of eight pages will be returned for revision.
  • A separate supporting statement, of no more than two pages, should be submitted alongside the application form. 
  • The applicant needs to include the names of two external specialists whom they nominate as referees, at least one of whom should be employed at a university outside the University of London. As a minimum, referees should be of the same standing as the position being applied for. For example, for applications for promotion to Senior Lecturer referees should hold a position of at least this level. The applicant must ensure that their chosen referees are willing to act on their behalf and will be contactable on the email addresses they provide. Applicants should clearly prioritise the key achievements underpinning their case for promotion, as would be expected in an external recruitment process.
  • The panel will have access to the feedback given on any unsuccessful applications made, and candidates are strongly advised to ensure that their application gives evidence that the feedback has been acted upon.
  • Applicants need to specify on the impact of personal circumstances form whether any individual circumstances have affected their volume of output.
  • The applicant must send the following documents to their Executive Dean and  by 12 April 2024:
    • Fully completed application form (maximum eight pages) - mandatory for all applicants
    • Supporting statement (maximum two pages) - mandatory for all applicants
    • Impact of personal circumstances form - optional
  • Where applicants receive confirmation of grant funding, acceptance of articles for publication or significant updates or achievements after they have submitted their application, it is acceptable to submit one list of updates, of no more than one page, to summarise this information, and to do so by 14 June 2024 in line with the anticipated date that papers will be made available to the panel. This should be sent as a Word or PDF document to  

THE ROLE OF THE EXECUTIVE DEAN

  • The Executive Dean needs to undertake a positive review of all staff eligible to apply in good time for the application deadline.
  • The applicant’s Executive Dean must consult the appropriate Head of School and others (if appropriate), before completing the form 'Executive Dean’s Recommendation'.
  • The Executive Dean will nominate an additional referee who is not an employee of Birkbeck College. The referee's contact details should be forwarded to  by 26 April 2024.
  • The Executive Dean will email the completed form to  by 16 June 2024.

THE ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Human Resources will:

  • administer the promotions process, including arranging annual briefings/workshops
  • provide professional advice and guidance to the panel and applicants on the process
  • notify applicants and their Executive Dean if their application exceeds the page limit to go forward for consideration
  • make every effort to obtain the nominated references. If a nominated referee fails to provide a reference ask the applicant or Executive Dean for an alternative (please note an incomplete set of references will not preclude the application from being put forward to the panel for consideration)
  • circulate electronic copies of the panel papers including:
    • a reminder of the College’s equalities and diversity considerations
    • the applications
    • the references received
    • the Executive Dean’s recommendation.
  • Any disclosure of personal circumstances will be shared only with the Chair of the Panel and the one member of the panel who is appointed to introduce the application.

THE ROLE OF THE ACADEMIC STAFF REVIEW PANEL

  • The Academic Staff Review Panel normally consists of the Vice-Chancellor (Chair), Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellors (all of whom are ex officio members) and eight members of the College's senior academic staff. An HR Business Partner shall attend as a professional adviser to the panel. A note taker will also be present. A local UCU official will be invited to attend in the capacity of observer.
  • The panel will take place on 22 July 2024.
  • When the panel meets, it will have the discretion to seek one or more independent external references if, after discussion, this is considered to be necessary. Where this is done, applicants shall be informed of the name(s) of the independent referee(s). In such circumstances the Vice-Chancellor (or nominee) may decide that a second meeting of the panel will be held to consider the additional reference(s) and to reach a decision.
  • No panel assessments for the same applicant shall be carried over from one year to the next in respect of previous applications. The panel will, however, have a report of the applicant’s previous applications.
  • Each application will be introduced to the panel, wherever possible, by a panel member from the same Faculty but different School to the applicant. All members of the panel will participate in discussion and voting where necessary on all applicants irrespective of Faculty affiliations and at all times will be required to exercise a College responsibility. Voting within a panel shall be open.
  • The panel will consider the scores provided in each of the four areas of Education and Student Experience, Research or Scholarship, Leadership and Management, and Engagement and, after discussion, will determine whether applications are successful or unsuccessful. A summary note of the reasons for unsuccessful applications will be recorded in the meeting notes.
  • In exceptional cases, the panel may consider that an application might meet the criteria either for a Readership or Chair. In such cases, the Chair of the Panel will refer the application to the Academic Staff Review Panel (Conferment of Title), by circulation of correspondence, for a decision to be made by that other panel.
  • Applicants will be notified in writing of the panel's decision by the chair. Unsuccessful applicants will be invited to discuss the outcome with the Vice-Chancellor who will give feedback on their application and how to improve for the next panel.

FORMS

The forms associated with promotion are only available to current Birkbeck staff members.

applicant documents

executive dean's documentation

Referees:

Recommendation forms for Senior Lecturer: