Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science (Teaching-focussed) - 80899 

We are seeking to appoint a teaching-focussed Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science in the School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences (GEES) at the University of Birmingham.

The School provides undergraduate degree courses in Environmental Science, Geography and Earth Sciences, alongside a portfolio of Masters courses ranging from Environmental Health to Air Pollution.Research strengths in this area include Atmospheric Science / Air Pollution, Environmental Nanoscience, Water Sciences, Meteorology & Climatology, and Persistent Organic Pollutants.The successful candidate will join a young and thriving School of around 90 academic staff, alongside postodoctoral research fellows and professional services staff, and ca. 1000 undergraduate, MSc and PhD students.

Facilities include the band new Central Teaching Laboratory, Library and Sports Centre.Research infrastructure to enhance teaching includes air pollution and meteorological monitoring stations, the Ecological Change (ECOLAB) facility, and the £15m Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) Free-Air Carbon Enrichment experiment.

The role will support delivery of the BSc/MSci Environmental Sciences programme, aspects of undergraduate Physical Geography teaching, and contribute to MSc teaching as appropriate to background.The focus of the role will be physical/chemical environmental science / environmental pollution and environmental protection courses.Duties will include delivery of lectures, workshops, field course teaching, project supervision and tutorials, alongside associated assessment and marking.The successful candidate will also contribute to the management, leadership and enterprise activities of the School, including future development of our educational portfolio.While this is a teaching-focussed appointment, we pride ourselves on providing research-intensive teaching and there is scope for personal research.

Lecturer

Summary of Role

Teaching is likely to include a substantial contribution to:

• the management, development (including programme/module review) and delivery of teaching and assessment at all levels; and
• enhancement of the student experience or employability.

The role will typically also involve developing and advising others, including:

• providing expert advice to staff and students, and
• developing and advising others on learning and teaching tasks and methods.

Teaching focussed role-holders should advance the practice of teaching in their modules within the school, take a role in leading curriculum development, and play an important role in student academic support.They should also deliver excellent teaching that inspires students, and is informed by discipline-based research.

Management and administration is likely to involve contributions at Departmental and School level, and/or making an important contribution to some managerial/leadership (e.g. working groups) within the University.This may include developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement widening participation, schools outreach, or similar activities at Department/School level or further within the University.

Main Duties / Responsibilities

Teaching focused Lecturer role-holders will: Contribute to leading curriculum development and/or renewal; and Develop and manage approaches to teaching and learning that are innovative to the subject area or institution; and Advise others on aspects of learning, teaching and assessment; and Deliver (where appropriate to the discipline) specific professional programmes; and Advance the practice of teaching in their modules and within the school, and play an important role in student academic support; and Inform their teaching practice by discipline based research; and Frequently update their own subject expertise, and undertake personal professional development in teaching, including self-reflection on own teaching, using student and peer review feedback, to enhance own teaching and learning processes; and Typically carry a higher teaching load than those staff who carry out both teaching and research; and Develop and make substantial contributions to knowledge transfer and enterprise (including business engagement, public engagement) and similar activity that is of manifest benefit to the College and the University.

In addition, they may play an important role in the recruitment and admission of students; and co-supervise, with a research focused or research and teaching focused member of staff, doctoral students to completion.

Learning and Teaching

To use a variety of methods teaching and advising individuals and groups of undergraduates, postgraduates, or CPD students. Where appropriate to the discipline this may include:

• Teach and examine courses at a range of levels
• Plan and review own teaching approaches and acting as a mentor to encourage others to do the same
• Develop programme proposals and make substantial contributions to the design of teaching programmes more widely in the Department or School, as appropriate
• Where appropriate,undertake and develop the full range of responsibilities in relation to supervision, marking and examining (including summative assessment, assessed work contributing to the final award - as a mark or as credit- such as unseen examinations, essays dissertations or presentations)
• Use appropriate approaches to learning and teaching in their field
• Disseminate appropriate practices through suitable media
• Develop and advise others on learning and teaching tasks and methods.
• Devise & supervise projects, student dissertations and practical work
• Develop and make substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagementor similaron own specialism that enhances the student experience or employability and is of manifest benefit to the College and the University

Management/ Administration

To contribute to Departmental /School administration or have a high level of responsibility for others. This may include:

• Contribute to the administration/management of teaching across the Department/School
• Lead and manage a team to devise and implement a new and/or revised process (e.g. new programme or a recruitment drive)
• Advise on personal development of colleagues and students
• Make a major contribution to some administrative activities within the University (e.g. appeals panels, working groups).
• Manage enterprise, business development, and public engagement activities that are of manifest benefit to the College and University.
• Develop and make substantial contributions e to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement, widening participation, schools outreach.

Person Specification

• An enthusiastic, committed and positive approach to teaching Environmental Science and related subjects
• Normally, a higher degree relevant to the discipline area (usually PhD) or equivalent qualifications or experience
• As appropriate to career stage, research/teaching/consultancy experience and scholarship within subject specialism.
• Ability or potential for delivery of high quality education and to devise, advise on and manage learning.
• Skills or potential for managing, motivating & mentoring others successfully at all levels.

Teaching

Ability to design, deliver, assess and revise teaching programmes. Experience or potential for the development of appropriate approaches to learning and teaching. Experience or potential for involvement in knowledge transfer, enterprise and similar activity that enhances the student experience or employability

Management Administration

Ability to contribute to School/Departmental management processes. Ability to assess and organise resources effectively. Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes.

Senior Lecturer

Summary of Role

Contribute at a senior level on a sustained basis to the whole range of teaching leadership and administration.

Teaching is likely to include:

• development and leadership of major teaching programmes or equivalent; and
• enhancement of the student experience or employability, that are of manifest benefit to the College and the University.

It is expected that teaching-focused Senior Lecturers will demonstrate a significant contribution to the advancement of teaching (policy, practice, standards) of the subject, provide leadership in teaching and learning that is innovative to the subject area or institution, with a significant contribution to the debate nationally about teaching.

Management and administration is likely to include Departmental/School leadership and management activity with University wide involvement that may include sustained high value impact knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement and similar activities that are of manifest benefit to the College and University.

Main Duties / Responsibilities

Teaching focused Senior Lecturers will, as appropriate to the discipline:

1. Make a significant contribution to the pedagogical knowledge base of the subject that advances teaching through the enhancement of practice, the development of teaching resources and/or through practice-based research; and
2. Lead on the management and the development of approaches to teaching and learning that are innovative to the subject area or institution; and
3. Lead on the design and/or renewal of programmes or equivalent; and
4. Contribute to debate nationally about new approaches to policy, methods and practices through publications, conferences, and activities that advance quality in the field; and
5. Engage in external quality assurance activities related to teaching, e.g. external examining.

In addition, a Teaching Focused SL will :

1. Play an important and sustained role in the recruitment and admission of students; and
2. co-supervise, with a research focused or research and teaching-focused member of staff, doctoral students to completion; and
3. Undertake the same learning and teaching responsibilities of any Senior Lecturer, contributing at a senior level on a sustained basis in learning and teaching.Where appropriate for the discipline, this may include some but not all of the responsibilities listed below.
   • Lead the development of new and appropriate approaches to learning and teaching. This may be underpinned by research and evaluation of teaching methods and systems
   • Act as adviser for teaching and learning methods through excellent practice and mentoring other colleagues
   • Lead the design and/or co-ordination ofprogrammes or equivalent activities across the School or Department
   • Contribute to the development of teaching and learning policy more widely than the School
   • Contribute to debate nationally about policy, methods & practices through publications, conference activity and roles that advance quality in the discipline
   • Lead the development and management of assessment strategies within the School/Department
   • Lead sustained high value impact in knowledge transfer and enterprise (includingbusiness engagement, public engagement) that enhances the student experience and/or or employability, and is of manifest benefitto learning and teaching in the College and the University
4. Include in their learning and teaching responsibilities some but not necessarily all the indicative responsibilities from grade 8 level listed below.
   • Teach and examine courses at a range of levels
   • Plan and review own teaching approaches and act as a mentor to encourage others to do the same
   • Develop programme proposals and make substantial contributions to the design of teaching programmes more widely in the Department or School, as appropriate
   • Undertake and develop the full range of responsibilities in relation to supervision, marking and examining
   • Use appropriate approaches to learning and teaching in their field
   • Disseminate appropriate practices through suitable media
   • Develop and advise others on learning and teaching tasks and methods.

Person Specification

• An enthusiastic, committed and positive approach to teaching Environmental Science and related subjects
• Demonstrated excellence in Learning and Teaching, and Management and Administration.

Learning and teaching requirements

• An excellent teaching profile and performance in terms of both impact and quality.
• Teaching quality demonstrated to be informed by an appropriate level of scholarship or equivalent professional experience
• Evidence of success under the following headings.
• Reputation for the development of teaching and learning excellence within the discipline, or equivalent professional experience
• Successful and sustained use of a range of appropriate teaching methods, and assessment strategies that promote high quality learning, including learning that is flexible, distinctive and current and stimulates learners' natural curiosity.
• Significant and sustained contribution to one or more of the following: strategic development of new programmes; approaches to learning; the development of learning resources.
• High quality and sustained contributions to fostering excellence in teaching activities more widely.
• Mentoring and expert advice which develops the skills of colleagues in teaching and in fostering learning.
• Sustained high value impact knowledge transfer and enterprise that is of manifest benefit to the College and University.

Management and administration-related requirements

• Demonstrated significant achievement in management and administration-related activities, which may include leadership of activities/initiatives.
• Evidence of success under the following headings.
• Successful and sustained performance in significant administrative/managerial role (s)
• Significant and sustained high quality innovative contributions to management/administration.
• Successful and sustained contribution to the corporate life of the School/College/University, displaying willingness to contribute actively to committees, collaborative teaching and administrative tasks.

Additional Information

Informal enquiries may be made to Professor William Bloss (Head of School) w.j.bloss@bham.ac.uk, or Dr John Round (GEES Head of Education) j.round@bham.ac.uk