Teaching and scholarship staff handbook

Teaching and Scholarship Staff line managers

Teaching and Collaborations Managers (TCMs) line manage most Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff within their respective faculties. They are the contractual line managers of T&S staff and are responsible for arranging the induction and onboarding of new staff, their probation period (including peer observation), allocating teaching hours in the system for new, returning or existing T&S staff, contracting them and being the first point of contact for any non-academic issues for T&S staff whilst they are delivering their teaching.

A small number of T&S staff (usually those at the level of Associate Lecturer B, and Senior Associate Lecturers) are line-managed by the Faculty’s Head of Operations - Education and Student Experience.

Teaching and Scholarship staff in the Birkbeck Centre for Counselling are line-managed by the Counselling Centre Manager and T&S staff in the Education Directorate are line-managed by the Education Directorate Manager.

Academic staff

All T&S staff will be made aware of the academic staff member in charge of their module. Depending on the size of the programme or the module, this may be either the Programme Director or the Module Convenor. This is the key contact for T&S staff for all academic issues related to the delivery of their teaching, such as their module outline, Moodle site, session plans, assessment guidelines, submission dates, marking and marking deadlines.

The academic staff member should also be the first point of contact if T&S staff wish to raise any issues relating to particular students in their class.

Head of Operations - Education and Student Experience

The Head of Operations - Education and Student Experience oversees the co-ordination of timetabling of teaching events and the maintenance and development of teaching collaborations for the faculty. They also line manage the faculty’s Teaching and Collaborations Managers.

Student Engagement Officers

This role is responsible for monitoring student attendance and engagement. They may sometimes need to contact T&S staff when checking on attendance queries that may arise, for some students.

Teaching and Scholarship staff undertake their teaching, scholarship and administration within the context of the generic role profiles as relates to their grade level.

Associate Tutor/Demonstrators - Grade 6

Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff within this role will often, though not exclusively, be studying for higher degrees either at Birkbeck or at another HE institution. Where an individual has a dual relationship with the College as both student and staff member, although these relationships will undoubtedly inform each other, they will be discrete arrangements.

Prior experience of teaching will not be essential as these roles are generally developmental positions where support and training will be formalised as integral to the engagement. Post-holders will teach and support the teaching of others within settings where the ultimate responsibility for delivery is assumed by a senior colleague. They may conduct classes, seminars, tutorials, or laboratory work.

They will work on modules that have been designed by other members of staff, although there will generally be latitude for developing teaching methods and materials. They will plan their own work to meet agreed aims and will participate in assessment and teaching-related administration. They will maintain their knowledge of their subject area(s) and seek to develop their skills as teachers with the support of more experienced Research and Teaching colleagues.

Associate Lecturer A - Grade 7

T&S staff at this level will come to the role with prior experience of teaching, ideally this having been gained within HE and with adult learners. A teaching qualification/membership of the Advanced HE is desirable at this level but not essential at the point of recruitment.

Staff in this role may be required to contribute to the development of their subject areas and may bring professional/industry experience to that task. They may teach within established modules that have been designed by others or develop and teach modules within their own area of subject specialism. They may be lecturing independently or as part of a teaching team, e.g. on a large or complex programme. However, they will have full responsibility for the preparation, delivery and assessment of modules and may co-ordinate modular occurrences, albeit within the oversight of Academic colleagues e.g. Programme Director.

They will prepare and organise their own teaching, undertake pastoral care of students, set and mark coursework and exam assessments of students, collaborate on course development and undertake teaching-related administration. They will be expected to develop and sustain their own independent scholarly activity relating to their teaching and subject area(s).

Associate Lecturer B - Grade 8

As with T&S staff at Associate Lecturer A’s level, staff at level B will come to the role with prior experience of teaching, ideally this having been gained within Advanced HE and with adult learners. A teaching qualification or equivalent industry/professional experience at the point of recruitment and staff who are not members of the Advanced HE are encouraged to apply through the experienced route.

T&S staff at this level will be undertaking a role over and above preparation, delivery and assessment of teaching. Staff at this level are tasked with overseeing an entire programme of study and leading teaching teams e.g. acting as Programme Directors. They will review the content and delivery of programmes of study, making revision as necessary using the College committee structure. They may design new programmes of study. They will play a role in the strategic planning and running of their schools and faculties. They will be expected to organise their own independent scholarly activity, and to disseminate the results of it, as appropriate.

Senior Associate Lecturer - Grade 9

T&S staff at this level will come to the role with an extensive breadth and depth of knowledge in their own area(s) of specialism and in the application of this knowledge towards the development of innovative teaching and learning programmes. They will have a highly developed understanding of different teaching and learning methods, and in the application of this understanding for innovation and the achievement of excellence in teaching, learning and assessment.

Staff at this level will oversee the design and development of the curriculum and deliver a range of programmes of teaching to Birkbeck students, in order to ensure teaching within the quality assurance framework of the College. They will be required to engage in scholarly or appropriate professional activity at a senior level, and to use this experience in the development and delivery of courses and programmes. Role holders at this level will be undertaking significant school, faculty and college administrative or managerial activities.

View full details of T&S role profiles (link available to Birkbeck staff only).

Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff, when first employed at the College, will typically be contracted for a fixed period of one term to one year, as determined by the maximum duration of the work requirement. They may be contracted from the outset for longer fixed-term periods in cases where there is a legitimate business requirement for doing so, or, where a faculty has a specific ongoing work requirement that can be best met by a Teaching and Scholarship role, new and replacement posts may be recruited and appointed to on an open-ended basis at the outset, subject to the usual staff approval process.

Teaching and Scholarship staff who have completed over four years of continuous service will typically be issued with open-ended contracts except in an exceptional circumstance where an objective justification exists for either the conclusion or continued use of fixed-term employment. Contractual arrangements will be reviewed annually over the summer term.

The use of fixed term contracts for staff covered by this agreement will be consistent with the Fixed-term Contract policy.

Payment can only be made on signed returned contracts and to employees who have been fully set up on Business World (the College’s HR and Payroll system).

All staff need to provide the College with a personal UK bank account that accepts BACS transfer. All payments are subject to deductions of income tax and national insurance contributions at source. Monthly payslips are available online.

All staff employed at the College are required to be resident in the UK for the duration of their employment.

To ensure personal information is complete on the system, all staff are required to log in to My Birkbeck for staff to review and correct details. This is the site at which you can access your payslips, P60 etc.

In order to access this information, staff need to know both their IT log-on (username) and Payroll number. Initially staff will also need their National Insurance number. (If staff are unsure what their IT log-on is or are having difficulty logging in, they should submit an ASK query. Payroll numbers are written on T&S contract(s) for ease of reference, but if unsure what this is, a request for information can also be made by contacting Payroll.)

Payment dates

Payment for all modules is made by bank transfer on the 27th of the month, or the Friday before the 27th if that date falls on a bank holiday or College Closure day, in line with payroll date for all other staff.

Modules are paid in monthly instalments, a month in arrears, over the length of the module or in 12 equal monthly instalments in the case of open-ended Teaching and Scholarship staff. This means that, if you are on an open-ended contract, your first payment is 27 September and you are paid through until 27 August the following Year with adjustments (up or down) across the Year if teaching hours fluctuate.

For Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff on fixed-term contracts the cut-off date for payment for teaching is strictly the 14th of the month. By way of examples, this means that if a staff member’s first teaching/demonstrating begins 10 October (before cut-off), the first payment would be 27 October, and, if the first teaching/demonstrating instance begins on 16 October (after the cut-off), the first payment wouldn’t be until 27 November. Any queries regarding payment dates etc, should be directed to the Teaching and Collaborations Manager in the first instance.

Teaching and Scholarship staff (T&S) are always deemed to be employed and are never self-employed; the College has received specific instructions on this from the HMRC. The contract is one of employment with the individual and not one of service with a company or sole trader. The payment of wages to part-time and full-time staff shall be made through the Payroll system and be subject to PAYE and NIC.

Tax will be deducted at the basic rate unless a different tax code has been provided to the College by HMRC.

As outlined in earlier section(s), all staff employed at the College are required to be resident in the UK for the duration of their employment, and to undertake their work from the UK, not least for reasons of tax and National Insurance requirements.

Queries relating to liability for tax should not be addressed to the College but referred direct to: HM Revenue and Customs, Chapel Wharf Area, Trinity Bridge House, 2 Dearman Place, Salford M3 5BB, and quoting the College’s PAYE reference, which is: 951/B9054, and the individual National Insurance number.

Provided staff pay sufficient National Insurance in other employment(s) they may be able, in respect of their employment at Birkbeck, to apply for a Notice of Deferment CA2700, which authorises the employer named on it to pay salary deducting only 1% for National Insurance. To do this, staff should first obtain an application form from any office of the Contributions Agency and send it, duly completed, to: Contributions Agency Deferment Group, Longbenton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE98 1YX.

The CA2700 covers one tax year. Until the Contributions Agency send a valid notice to the Payroll Section, National Insurance will be deducted where earnings reach or exceed the lower earnings limit.

USS is the principal pension scheme designed for academic and other teaching-related staff in UK universities and certain other institutions engaged in higher education and research, and the only pension scheme the College subscribes to on behalf of its Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff.

Under auto-enrolment, if staff meet the eligibility requirements of the scheme, they will be automatically included in the applicable scheme from the start of employment. If staff wish to opt out of the pension scheme they are presented with the choice to do so, and as outlined in the offer of employment/statement of terms and conditions. If staff do not meet the eligibility requirements under auto-enrolment, they can still join the pension scheme by opting in by contacting the Finance Department.

If staff decide to opt out of the pension scheme, or if they are not eligible for auto-enrolment and decide not to join the scheme on appointment, they can subsequently elect to join the scheme at any time by contacting the Finance Department.

The College's pension schemes participate in a salary sacrifice arrangement that staff will be automatically opted in to (known as SEPC, Salary Exchange for Pension contributions (link available to Birkbeck staff only)). Staff may opt out of the salary sacrifice arrangement while remaining members of the pension scheme. If wishing to opt out of SEPC, staff can do so by completing the opt out form for the appropriate scheme (link available to Birkbeck staff only).

For further information, contact Payroll.

Hourly rates of pay for Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff will be based pro-rata on the full-time equivalent annual salary appropriate to the grade of work to which they have been matched, and will be adjusted annually in line with any nationally or locally negotiated pay award or increase in London Allowance.

The starting salary for Grade 6 (Demonstrator and Associate Tutor) is at spine point 26; the starting salary for Grade 7 (Associate Lecturer A) is at spine point 31 and the starting salary for Grade 8 (Associate Lecturer B) is at spine point 37.

8.1 Teaching and Scholarship salary scales

View Birkbeck's salary scales and teaching rates for T&S staff (PDF).

8.2 Payment rates

Plain Rate per hour: Applicable to additional duties (inclusive of holiday pay).

Not marking rate per hour: (plain rate x2) applicable to Associate Tutor not undertaking marking; non-credit bearing modules, ER pop-up/taster sessions and academic study skills workshops.

Teaching Rate per hour: (plain rate x2.5) Applicable to teaching contact hours. This rate is a comprehensive rate with a multiplier of 2.5 which takes into account a range of duties related to teaching as detailed below.

• Demonstrator: Grade 6 - N/A
• Associate Tutor:
  • Grade 6 (no marking) - 2 multiplier
  • Grade 6 (marking) - 2.5 multiplier
• Associate Lecturer A:
  • Grade 7 (non-credit bearing module) - 2 multiplier
  • Grade 7 (credit bearing module) - 2.5 multiplier
• Associate Lecturer B:
  • Grade 8 (non-credit bearing module) - 2 multiplier
  • Grade 8 (credit bearing module) - 2.5 multiplier

8.3 What is a Multiplier and what does it include?

Multipliers are applied in recognition of the additional work involved in preparation, administration and assessment of the teaching. UCU and the College have negotiated that the multiplier for Associate Tutors who don't undertake assessment on their occurrences is 2 (an hour for each contact hour) and the multiplier for Associate Tutors who do undertake assessment on their occurrences is 2.5 (an hour and a 1/2 for each contact hour).

Associate Lecturer As and Associate Lecturer Bs have a multiplier of 2 (an hour for each contact hour) for teaching non-credit bearing modules, and a multiplier of 2.5 (an hour and a 1/2 for each contact hour) for teaching credit bearing modules.

The Duties Related to Teaching Multiplier takes into account time spent on a range of duties outlined in the role profiles and as a Teaching and Scholarship staff member may reasonably be called upon to undertake in connection with the occurrence(s) they are to teach in particular preparation (class and materials, module outline), contact time, scholarship, setting up and maintaining a module and reading lists on Moodle, module administration, employment-related meetings, communications with students and pastoral care (see Note 1 below), setting and first marking assessments including exams, revisions, re-sits, late or resubmissions where necessary and providing appropriate feedback within given assessment deadlines (see Note 2 below), formal tutorials, project/dissertation/placement supervision when undertaken as requested by management in relation to the modular occurrences they teach on (see Note 3 below), optional staff development and anything else that directly relates to the preparation, delivery, administration and assessment of their own teaching.

Where some of this work falls outside the dates of delivery of the module but falls within the Duties Related to Teaching Multiplier it constitutes part of the contractual period as it is associated with and paid in association with the contact hours taught and the delivery of teaching.

Note 1: The Duties Related to Teaching Multiplier includes assessment and exam marking for up to 28 students on each modular occurrence. Where a T&S staff member has a larger group than 28 students on their occurrence, additional marking above that threshold will still form a constituent part of the contract but will be remunerated piece rate separately.

Note 2: Capped at 1 hour per occurrence per week to account for up to 28 students. Occurrences with 29-56 students paid for 1 extra hour plain rate; occurrences with 56+ students paid for 2 extra hours plain rate.

Note 3: An indicative 15 minutes average per student per term within a 28 student group per occurrence is included in the Duties Related to Teaching Multiplier and will not be remunerated separately. (i.e. 1 formal tutorial and/or 1 dissertation supervision and/or 1 project supervision sessions of 15 mins per student per term is included in the multiplier). Any time spent over that requires pre-approval from the Teaching and Collaborations Manager before it will be paid at plain rate.

8.4 Duties related to teaching multiplier (Teaching Rate)

The Duties Related to Teaching Multiplier takes into account time spent on a range of duties outlined in the role profile:

• Preparation (class and materials, module outline)
• Contact time (can be either in person or online teaching)
• Scholarship
• Setting up and maintaining a module and reading lists on Moodle
• Module administration
• Employment-related meetings (e.g. meetings with Module Convenor or Programme Director about assigned teaching/modules, marking or moderation meetings).
• Communication with student and pastoral care. (Capped at 1 hour per occurrence per week to account for up to 28 students. Occurrences with 29-56 students paid for 1 extra hour plain rate; occurrences with 56+ students paid for 2 extra hours plain rate.)
• Setting and 1st marking assessments including exams, revisions, re-sits, late or resubmission where necessary and providing appropriate feedback within given assessment deadlines. (The Duties Related to Teaching Multiplier includes assessment and exam marking for up to 28 students on each modular occurrence. Where there is a larger group than 28 students on an occurrence, additional marking above that threshold will still form a constituent part of the contract but will be remunerated piece rate separately.)
• Formal tutorials
• Project/dissertation/placement supervision when undertaken as required by management in relation to the modules. (An indicative 15 minutes average per student per term within a 28 student group per occurrence is included in the Duties Related to Teaching Multiplier and will not be remunerated separately. (i.e. 1 formal tutorial and/or 1 dissertation supervision and/or 1 project supervision session of 15 minutes per student per term is included in the multiplier). Any time spent over that requires pre-approval from the Director of Operations before it will be paid at plain rate.)
• Optional staff development and anything else that directly related to preparations, delivery, administration and assessment of teaching.

8.5 Additional duties

There are a number of additional duties which are not included in the Duties Relating to Teaching Multiplier, which are considered as ‘variable payments’ and paid at the piece rate or plain hourly rate as follows:

• Participation in open evenings, recruitment events
• Undertaking peer review of others (class visits)
• Observing or chairing a session
• Participation in student interviews/admissions/auditions/testing and selection
• Participation in Exam Boards or Sub-Exam Boards
• Participation at staff-student exchange meetings
• Participation in recruitment and selection of other Teaching and Scholarship staff
• Required staff development: see Section 29 on Training
• Invigilation of another staff member’s exam/in-class test
• Any other meetings not related to the preparation, delivery or assessment of their teaching and as requested by the subject area or School only. (These are paid at the plain hourly rate and capped at £40 per meeting.)
• Designing and developing an entirely new module from scratch including related teaching materials or significantly reworking an old module including related teaching materials at management’s request. This includes development of a new online module or substantial redevelopment of an existing module for online delivery. These both come under the remit of the Academic role, but as an exception, T&S colleagues may be called upon to do this work.
• Project/Dissertation/Placement Supervision when undertaken as requested by management/agreed with Management on module occurrence the T&S staff member does not teach on.
• 1st marking on another staff member’s modular occurrence.
• Marking any assessment over and above a 28 student group (i.e. if 50 students in occurrence assessments for the 1st 28 are included in the Duties Related to Teaching Multiplier with no additional payment, assessments for the other 22 students are paid piece rate separately)
• 2nd Marking/Moderation
• Dissertations/projects/placement scripts when the students are students on another staff member’s modular occurrence and management have requested/agreed to be undertaken.
• Anything else that does not directly relate to the preparation, delivery administration and assessment of staff member’s teaching.

In the case of other duties being identified as needing to be undertaken by T&S staff, and that are not outlined above, the proposed hours of work will be determined by an assessment of the time that will be required to complete the work in question, and will be remunerated at the plain hourly rate/piece rate i.e. without application of the Duties Relating to Teaching Multiplier.

In such cases, the initial assessment of required time will be undertaken by the Teaching and Collaborations Manager (TCM), in consultation with the Programme Director/Award Co- ordinator/academic most familiar with the work. The TCM will produce costings and a rationale for the proposed work. Approval from the Director of Operations is required prior to the work being undertaken. Failure to get prior approval may result in non-payment.

Any queries the Director of Operations has on the proposal will be referred to the Head of School. Where higher level work is required to be undertaken by the individual, all contractual arrangements will be made in accordance with the College's Acting Up and Higher-Level Duties Allowances Policy.

As usual the total number of hours of work will be enhanced by the addition of pro-rata entitlements in respect of annual leave and London Allowance where applicable.

8.6 Standard Piece Rates

Type of assessment:

• Yes/no tick box or multiple-choice assessment with no feedback: £4.50 per piece/script
• Simple yes/no qualitative or quantitative question or short essay (2,500 words or under) with short feedback requirement or moderation: £9.00 per piece/script
• Average length essay/presentation/review/tape/report/project (over 2,500-5,000 words) with required feedback level: £16.70 per piece/script
• Long essay/report/project/dissertation (greater than 5,000 words) with required feedback level: £38.40 per piece/script.

Note: Oversight by the Award and Module Co-ordinator/Programme Director will always determine assessment patterns for the modules.

Any payments relating to Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) non-teaching duties need to be paid via the Variable Payments process. Claims can be made by the T&S staff member themselves or entered by the Teaching and Collaborations Manager into the Variable Payments system in Business World. The deadline for T&S staff to submit a claim for non-teaching duties payment is the 1st of each month.

View the user guide for variable payments (link available to Birkbeck staff only).

All staff employed at the College are required to be resident in the UK for the duration of their employment, and to undertake their work from the UK. The College is obliged to ensure all staff have the right to work in the UK. Particular care needs to be taken regarding staff who have restrictions on what they can do or how many hours they can work. Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff who are on Tier 4 student visas or on Skilled Worker (Tier 2) visas can only work a maximum of 20 hours per week (including multipliers - see previous information on teaching multipliers). Where in doubt, the Teaching and Collaborations Manager should be the first point of advice, and referring via this role, to central Human Resources in cases of any more complexity.

View a list of acceptable right to work documents on the HR website.

For new and returning fixed-term staff, an ID card is available once the person has been added to the Business World system, and this will happen after all of contractual and ‘right to work’ information has been supplied to central Human Resources.

Staff then have access to upload a photo in JPEG format that will appear on their staff ID card. This can be done on the My Birkbeck for Staff profile.

Once that has happened (up to a further two working days later), staff should make an appointment by submitting an ASK query, and then visit the Security Office in Malet Street to collect their card.

When the Birkbeck Staff ID card is issued, it gives the new starter access to the Library. If the ID card has no library barcode on it, or the Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff member is not issued with an ID card then they should complete the online application form that is also available on the Library website, and upload their contract or letter of employment and a passport-sized photo.

11.1 Activating your account

The staff IT account is essential for accessing webmail, accessing Moodle, the E-Learning Portal, updating personal details on individual HR files and accessing payslips online.

Individual IT username and password should automatically be sent to staff via the personal email address that was provided within New Starter Pack information. To activate the account, staff must enter their username and password in accordance with instructions on the IS website.

If staff have a separate but parallel relationship with the College as a student, they will have a separate student IT account.

Please note: Staff and student accounts are distinct and have different usernames. Staff are not able to use their staff details to access student sites, and neither are they able to use their student details to access staff sites.

If having trouble with IT log-in details, staff should submit an ASK query, providing the details.

The activation of the IT account also sets up an individual’s Birkbeck email box.

Please note: Teaching and Scholarship staff must use this email account for all communications with colleagues and students: for data protection reasons, personal email accounts must not be used.

All Birkbeck teaching rooms and most external venues the College hires have a networked PC and data-projector as standard. If staff require any specialist audio-visual equipment for their teaching, they must email their nominated administrator, or Teaching and Collaborations Manager, who will liaise with the Room Bookings section team.

The Information Services web pages provide information on accessing classroom audio-visual resources at Birkbeck and the Digital Education SharePoint (link available to Birkbeck staff only) also has information on Hyflex training, photography, video recording, podcasting, lecture capture and the Birkbeck cinema.

The most convenient and cost-effective way to provide class materials is electronically. This is also the most accessible form for students with various disabilities, including visual or hearing impairment, dyslexia and others.

The College is working towards providing all materials electronically and making them available in advance of the relevant classes through Moodle, our online learning environment.

Before staff incur expenditure producing class materials (e.g. photocopies, slides etc.), they must check with their Teaching and Collaborations Manager.

There are designated photocopiers throughout many of the buildings in the College which are available for use, photocopying codes are available from the designated Teaching and Collaborations Manager, and who will be able to advise of the machine locations.

Printing is available through print accounts in the Library and in computer workstation rooms.

If there is no alternative to staff incurring personal expenses, and if the materials are connected with the structure and conduct of their work with the College, then, subject to pre-approval by the Teaching and Collaborations Manager, staff may claim modest itemised expenses via an expenses claim form (link available to Birkbeck staff only) and in line with College’s Financial Regulations and guidelines. All expense claims must be accompanied by original receipts and have the written pre-approval of the Teaching and Collaborations Manager.

Please note: Under the College's Financial Regulations, claims for reimbursement of expenses incurred more than three months prior to the date of the claim being submitted will not be reimbursed.

Rooms for tutorials and dissertation supervisions can be booked through the designated Teaching and Collaborations Manager. This is slightly more difficult for rooms after 5pm as they are usually booked up with teaching, but office space may be available on the fourth floor of Gordon Square, G01 Gower Street, or in 32 Tavistock Square and 26 Russell Square. These buildings all have rooms with computers/hot desks available and staff should check with their Teaching and Collaborations Manager as to availability.

The College has an electronic attendance recording system, using the students' ID cards. By understanding student attendance, we can identify students who may need support and put measures in place to assist with students continuing their studies. It is important that Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff remind their students to register their attendance each week by tapping their ID card on the classroom card reader.

If a student has forgotten their ID card, or the reader does not register their attendance on the e-register, it is the responsibility of the T&S staff member to manually update the e-register by following these instructions (link available to Birkbeck staff only).

The College recognises the essential value of constructive student feedback in all forms, and offers various methods to our students to provide us with formal and informal feedback throughout their time at the College to assist in informing our course development, improve our courses, improve retention and to highlight any emerging trends or themes.

One of the methods that schools/faculties seek to cultivate and maintain good relations is through an informal non-hierarchical atmosphere. In consequence many issues may be dealt with in a manner which does not require the generation of formal documentation.

Students should always be encouraged to express their views on programmes of study where suitable opportunities arise, for example informally, on field courses, or by email. Students should be encouraged to complete online end-of-year, course-unit Survey evaluation questionnaires and the National Student Survey. Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff should ensure that a Class Representative is appointed by their students. The class representative's role is to represent the class in meetings as appropriate, and in order to invite more formal constructive feedback through them from the other students on their modules as to their study experience.

Student participation in exchange meetings may be encouraged by arranging for student members to propose items requiring discussion and to take notes of the proceedings and produce minutes of the meetings.

T&S staff should advise their students of the support provided by the Students’ Union for student representatives on the Student-Staff Exchange Committees.

The College also has a student withdrawal survey to which students who fail to graduate or withdraw from their studies should be directed to.

The Student Advice Service, Registry and Faculty administrative staff are the staff best placed to liaise with students on fee payments and enrolment.

If Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff receive any queries from students regarding fees, they should be referred to the Student Advice Service in the first instance.

With regard to enrolments, all students must be enrolled with the College to obtain a student card, attend lectures, gain access to the library and use Moodle etc.

If a student has a question with regard to their enrolment status, particularly where their name does not appear on the class list or they are having trouble obtaining a student card, accessing the library or Moodle, they must be referred to the Student Advice Service or Registry straight away as they will be best able to assist.

As the session tutor, T&S staff are required to check that the names of students attending the teaching sessions appear on the class register. Students who are attending lectures but who do not appear on the class list should be immediately referred to the admin team for the module to clarify their enrolment status.

There must be no variation from the stipulated hours by Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff except in the case of illness or extreme emergency.

T&S staff may not at any time add, combine or re-arrange classes themselves or draft in a replacement/privately appoint a substitute lecturer - this can only be done by the Teaching and Collaborations Manager. If staff are found to have done so, they may be subject to disciplinary action.

Staff must let the Teaching and Collaborations Manager know as early as possible if they are ill on a day that work is scheduled, or in the case of ongoing illness, so that students may be informed and alternative teaching arrangements made.

Reasonable efforts will be made to re-schedule the class(es) of a T&S staff member who is ill.

Attempts will be made to arrange re-scheduled classes in the best interests of the students and staff member, usually re-scheduled for the same time period of the usual class.

As staff are set up already to be paid for the original session, they will not receive any additional payment for any rescheduled class.

Where it is not practicable to re-schedule the class, the payment for the session(s) will be deducted from salary if the class has not been undertaken, but the staff member may qualify for pro-rata statutory sick pay (SSP), subject to meeting the statutory conditions as outlined on the Department for Work and Pensions and the College conditions as outlined in the Sickness Absence Policy.

In the case of external factors such as extreme bad weather or transport strike, the Teaching and Collaborations Manager will advise staff if a class has to be re-scheduled or delivered online.

Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff may not invite guests to speak at a class without prior written approval by their Teaching and Collaborations Manager (TCM) and do not have the authority to make any offer of employment or discuss any payment rates on behalf of the College.

If they are found to do so, then they may be subject to disciplinary action and any offer made will not be deemed authorised in the eyes of the College or upheld.

It is advisable therefore, if staff do wish to have a guest speaker on their module, to speak to their TCM well in advance.

If, following discussion with the TCM, approval is given for a guest speaker to give a specialised lecture, then the guest speaker will be issued with a formal letter detailing the session they will be speaking on.

Where it is agreed by the TCM that the T&S staff member will also be in attendance at the session/sitting in on the session alongside the guest speaker, they will receive payment at their plain hourly rate.

Term dates are published on the College website.

Peer observation (class visiting) (link available to Birkbeck staff only) is a Quality Assurance and Enhancement process designed to offer peer observation to all T&S staff teaching at Birkbeck.

It is recommended that all new staff be observed as soon as possible following their appointment and during their probation, and that all non-probationary T&S staff should be observed on a regular basis and so they can expect to receive a visit at least once every three years and - for those who are new to the College - within the first year.

This should in no way be seen as a daunting experience. Peer observation is designed to encourage positive and constructive feedback, to identify areas of good practice as well as possible areas for consideration/development. It should offer a valuable form of support, reassurance and guidance, where appropriate, to new staff as well as allowing for an engaging discussion of learning and teaching practices among both new and established staff.

While these visits are important for collecting evidence of the teaching quality offered by the College, they may also be used for other functions such as providing advice and guidance on teaching methods, learning support, and curriculum matters, where appropriate.

It is very much a two-way process and the T&S staff member being visited should reflect on their perspective on the class visit experience and indeed may request a visit at any time via their Teaching and Collaborations Manager.

Peer observation could be undertaken by another member of T&S staff or by an academic staff member. Make contact in advance of the visit to talk through the process.

All members of T&S staff are required to familiarise themselves with the Common Award Scheme Regulations which cover Admissions, Assessment, Conferment of Awards etc, the College Policy on Marking and Moderation and to refer students to the Exams and Assessment Office in Registry Services if they have specific questions on any of these areas.

While T&S staff will generally be responsible for setting and marking assessments and exams on their modules, all the marks awarded by T&S staff are provisional and subject to amendment by an Examination Board, or delegated body or exceptionally the Chair of an Examination Board on behalf of that board.

Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff are advised to set coursework submission deadlines in collaboration with the Module Convenor/Programme Director and the programme administration team, and to specify these throughout the module and to state these in the Class Syllabus and on Moodle.

23.1 Marking meetings

T&S staff may be invited by their subject team to attend marking meetings.

At these meetings the subject team will work with tutors on assessments and the application of marking criteria to ensure the standards and consistency of assessment for the programme.

A sample of a first set of submitted assessments after their course has started may be selected so the programme team can assist in ensuring consistency in marking.

23.2 Moderation

In order to ensure that standards are maintained, assessment outcome is fair and reliable, and that assessment criteria have been consistently applied, all programmes are subject to both internal and external moderation - the moderation process.

T&S staff are required to mark their own students' coursework as a standard part of their role. They may be required from time to time to undertake internal moderation of their colleagues' work at the request of the Module Convenor or Programme Director. This work will be paid as Additional Duties at the rates as described in the earlier sections of this document that outlines payments.

It should be noted that all marks are provisional until confirmed by the Exam Board.

It is the responsibility of the Module Convenor or Programme Director to ensure that assessment criteria have been drawn up for the assessment being marked. These will be provided to all examiners involved in the marking/moderation process, including any external examiner(s).

It is also the responsibility of the Module Convenor or Programme Director to ensure that all the assessments for the relevant module are marked and the agreed marks are ready in time for preparation of the report for the Sub-Board of Examiners meeting by the Secretary of the Board.

Boards/Sub-Boards of Examiners are responsible to the Academic Board for ensuring that marking and moderation is adequately conducted within their subject area.

They are also responsible for ensuring that the Policy on Marking and Moderation is enforced and that trends in results are analysed to ensure that standards are comparable between programmes and cohorts.

The professional relationship between an employee and a student is vital to the student's educational advancement.

The College believes that students are entitled to equal treatment; a personal relationship between an employee and a student must not jeopardise or be perceived as jeopardising that treatment.

Employees are therefore strongly advised not to enter into a personal relationship with a student with whom they have a professional relationship. A professional relationship in this context refers to one where the employee has a role in the admission, assessment, supervision, tutoring, teaching or pastoral care of the student, or any other duty that could give rise to the potential of a conflict of interest.

Please note: No Teaching and Scholarship staff member should therefore agree to act as a supervisor for a student without having read and adhered to the College's Code of Conduct for Managing Conflicts of Interest and Relationships at Work policy, and assured themselves and their line manager that no conflict of interest or perception thereof exists. Employees who are uncertain as to whether they need to declare a relationship may seek confidential advice from their Human Resources Partner. Students should be directed to the Head of Student Wellbeing Services for advice.

25.1 Research project supervision

A dissertation is intended to provide an opportunity for students to pursue a research project independently. Students are, therefore, entirely responsible for the work for their dissertation. Your role as supervisor is to offer advice and guidance, not to direct the research.

Some students enter into the supervision having been directed through much of their learning to date and so we recommend that you manage their expectations of your role in the process from the outset. View the policy on supervised dissertations and research projects for taught students.

Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff should hold between three and four meetings in total with the student at mutually convenient times. For example:

• an initial discussion establishing the topic, questions and methodology and sketching out an initial action plan, relevant readings and bibliography
• an intermediate meeting to assess progress on the dissertation and discuss the likely structure of the first draft
• a meeting to discuss detailed constructive feedback on a near-complete draft
• a final 'trouble-shooting' meeting.

T&S staff will generally be expected to:

• ensure that the student's chosen topic is appropriate in terms of scope and objective
• assist in the definition and organisation of the project in the early stages of preparation (assist with identifying a topic which meets the MA/MSc/MRes requirements, inform on the formal and intellectual requirements of a dissertation/research project, offer advice on research ethics, bibliography and literature review along with assessment criteria, assessment offences and school deadlines)
• offer guidance on the approach, coverage and overall structure of the dissertation as well as direct the student to appropriate primary and secondary sources
• approve the dissertation proposal
• provide detailed constructive feedback on one complete or near-complete draft
• answer appropriate queries in a timely manner.

T&S staff are under no obligation to:

• find a suitable topic for the dissertation
• read preliminary drafts of the work
• proofread the final draft.

25.2 Research project marking and moderation

T&S staff may be asked to be involved in the marking/double marking of other dissertations.

Each script and essay/report/dissertation should be marked by at least two Internal Examiners who shall afterwards prepare an agreed list of marks.

The scripts and essays/reports/dissertations shall then be moderated by a Visiting Examiner. The Chair of the Exam Board shall ensure that in the marking of scripts, the anonymity of candidates at written examinations is preserved as far as is practicable.

Coursework that counts towards a student's final classification should be marked in detail by one Internal Examiner, with a second internal marker having at least an overview of the work. If any differences of opinion emerge, the External Examiner shall be asked to moderate.

Members of a Board of Examiners shall have the right to see the scripts, essays/reports/dissertations and coursework of any candidate for the purposes of conducting the examination.

External Examiners shall approve the Pass List and advise on the award of marks of distinction. In so doing, External Examiners shall certify that for Master's degrees the standard of the examination was appropriate for a one-year full-time course of study (or part-time equivalent) beyond the Bachelor's degree level and that the examination had been conducted in accordance with the Regulations.

Birkbeck is fortunate to attract a diverse group of highly talented students from around the world, and nurturing their abilities in a supportive environment is one of our most serious, and often most enjoyable, responsibilities.

All Birkbeck staff are here to foster learning and provide both academic support and pastoral care to our students.

We are keenly aware and supportive of the fact that some of our students are attempting to study alongside juggling work and/or families and that many may not have been in education for a number of years and may be slightly nervous about re-entering education. Some of you may also therefore be providing dedicated personal tutoring, advising on everything from courses of study, difficulties in meeting deadlines, exam revision and study concerns, timetabling difficulties and problems outside of Birkbeck which may have an effect on their studies.

The Student Advice Service has dedicated staff to provide assistance and support to students on everything from financial and learning support to counselling and career guidance.

We have a dedicated learning development team you should actively encourage students to contact. There are subject-specific Learning Development Tutors who can offer one-to-one advice sessions to assist with everything from workload planning, writing skills and exam preparation.

Together they work closely with faculty colleagues to ensure that support structures are in place to provide students with every opportunity to be successful in their studies, including working closely with specialist student services.

If staff have any concerns about a student or their progress they should refer the matter to their Programme Director as soon as possible. They are the primary support system for dealing with issues and can provide guidance and support to staff and students alike. They will refer matters up to the Head of School as appropriate.

Personal references

Students may ask Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff to write them a personal/character reference. This is entirely at the staff member’s discretion, however it is not recommended that staff do so, as any letter of this kind can only be given in their personal capacity, not on Birkbeck's behalf, and it would be at their own liability.

Please note: They may not present it as being on behalf of Birkbeck and it may not be written on Birkbeck stationery or bear the Birkbeck logo. As it would be a reference provided in a personal capacity and not on Birkbeck's behalf, then Birkbeck will also not remunerate staff for any such reference written.

Academic references: The writing of an academic reference for a student will depend on whether or not the staff member is the most appropriate person to write that reference, or whether it would be better that the reference came from the Programme Director or administrative team. Staff must clarify this with their Teaching and Collaborations Manager before agreeing to write anything for a student.

Where it is agreed by the Teaching and Collaborations Manager or the Programme Director that the T&S staff member is best placed to provide an academic reference, then they will be paid additionally for doing so at the plain rate depending on the length of the reference. This would normally be one hour maximum.

Where it is agreed, the student should have completed at least two pieces of assessment. The T&S staf member should discuss the reference with the student and find out what they want to study and why, what their long-term plans are, and what they feel are their strengths and weaknesses etc. References should be about 200 words in length and include comments on academic progress, potential, commitment, approach to study, participation in class etc. Advice should be given to students that they should aim for merit grades if they want to increase their chances of success in a competitive environment. A transcript of the student’s achievements and course of study is available separately from the Exams Office on request from the student.

UCAS: Students taking modules or programmes at Level 3 or Level 4 may ask T&S staff to act as their referee for an application for further study via UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

Again, T&S staff must speak to the Teaching and Collaborations Manager before they agree to do this because UCAS references require access to the system and the use of a ‘buzzword’ and are therefore usually completed by the Module Convenor or Programme Director.

There is a very strict regulation stipulating that students must submit only one UCAS application in each academic year, and the above procedures ensure that Birkbeck is associated with that one application and that references are attached to an application which can be checked.

Only the College policies which apply to Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) staff are applicable to T&S staff employment, and typically each College policy will have a ‘scope’ section or will otherwise make clear at the outset as to which staff groups it covers.

Please note: in some circumstances T&S staff may not be eligible for the statutory element (i.e. sickness absence, maternity leave) due to number of hours worked/amount earned and therefore not meeting the threshold of the statutory minimum qualifiers. In any case where this is in doubt, the Teaching and Collaborations Manager should liaise with the Assistant HRBP for their work area to seek clarification.

28.1 Sickness absence

T&S staff should let the Teaching and Collaborations Manager know as early as possible if they are ill/absent so that students can be informed, and alternative teaching arrangements made by the subject area.

Teaching and Collaborations Managers will try to arrange re-scheduled classes in the best interest of the students, usually re-scheduled for the same time period of the usual class.

There should be no additional payments for re-scheduled classes as the T&S staff member would have already been set up to be paid for the original session.

If the class cannot be rescheduled, the Teaching and Collaborations Manager will deduct the payment for the session(s) that were not undertaken.

T&S staff may qualify for pro-rata statutory sick pay (SSP), subject to meeting the statutory conditions as outlined on the Department for Work and Pensions and the College conditions as outlined in the Sickness Absence Policy.

Eligibility for SSP depends on:

• being unwell for at least 4 days in a row (including non-working days)
• earning an average of at least £123 per week (correct as at September 2023), therefore working a certain number of hours per week
• providing a fit note to HR if absences will exceed 7 consecutive days (including non-working days).

28.2 Dignity at Work and Study

Birkbeck is committed to providing the highest quality academic and work environment where all are welcomed, respected and treated in a consistent and non-discriminatory manner. Harassment and bullying undermine the core values of the College and can have a serious and negative effect on the health, confidence, morale and performance of those affected by it, and on the working, learning and living environment.

Bullying, harassment and victimisation behaviours will not be tolerated in the College environment and may be addressed through the appropriate staff or student disciplinary procedure. Some such behaviours may also be unlawful.

Read more about Dignity at Work and Study.

28.3 Grievance

Birkbeck is committed to fostering an environment where employees feel confident about raising issues and concerns in order to reach clear resolutions that support, maintain and improve effective working relationships.

See further information on the Grievance Procedure (link available to Birkbeck staff only).

28.4 Benefits

Please visit the benefits section for more information and a list of other benefits.

Mandatory training (at time of writing) includes: information security, equality and diversity, health and safety, safeguarding, and should be undertaken as soon as possible upon appointment. Attendance at training is typically paid at plain hourly rates and full and further details of training will be provided by the Teaching and Collaborations Manager (TCM) or by the Faculty HR and Equalities team.

The Education Directorate (link available to Birkbeck staff only) offers a range of optional events and resources for the support and development of all teaching staff. Discussion should be had with the TCM if you wish to attend any optional events or training and payment will not be made for any optional training undertaken without the prior approval of the TCM.

Student policies on admissions, dissertation supervision, Exam Boards, feedback on assessment, marking and moderation, mitigating circumstances (policy, procedure and guidance), academic integrity and misconduct, late submission of work for assessment, recording of lectures and other teaching sessions, complaints, and discipline are available from the Registry Services website.

Read Birkbeck's health and safety guidance for students.

All staff are required to familiarise themselves with Birkbeck's Health and Safety protocols and guidance and, if working in any other location/partner institution on behalf of Birkbeck, it is the staff member’s responsibility to make themself familiar with their local health and safety information.

Staff should also refer to the health and safety policies in their own faculty for further detail, including fieldwork safety.