Spheres of Influence: Ventures and Visions in Educational Development*

3-6 July, 2002
The University of Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia

Abstract

Enhancing the training, support and management of sessional teaching staff: A national project

Denise Chalmers, University of Queensland, Australia
Rachel Hannam, University of Queensland, Australia
Debra Herbert, University of Queensland, Australia

Most Australian universities require that new academic teaching staff attend an induction program, that departments develop mentoring programs for new academic staff and that there be an introductory tertiary teaching program or award course in higher education teaching. These programs are primarily provided for the development of contract or continuing academic (and predominantly) full time staff. These are supported by university or faculty wide educational development policies and appointment and promotion procedures for career development. The position is less clear for part-time, casual teaching staff. The number of teaching staff who are employed as lecturers, tutors, demonstrators or lab assistants on a casual or sessional basis are increasing across the university sector (DETYA, 2001). As class sizes increase, there is a generally a greater reliance on casual or sessional staff to conduct tutorials, problem based classes, laboratory and practical classes. These staff are typically postgraduate students, external people from industry or people who are regularly employed on a course by course basis to lecture, tutor or demonstrate. The management of these staff, the training provided and the policies on appointment and career development is more varied across universities and within universities.

This paper describes a national project commissioned by the Australian University Teaching Committee (AUTC) in 2002. The aim of the project was to enhance the quality of the management, support and training of sessional teachers in Australian universities. The aims of the project were to promote the development of policy and support mechanisms for sessional teachers at the institutional level, promote the development of support and training for sessional teachers at the organisational unit level and identify issues related to sessional teaching staff, including issues of teaching across campuses and teaching of courses across campuses.

This paper will provide a brief overview of the project with particular emphasis on the policies and models that have been identified in Australian and international universities and the resources that have been developed to support universities to develop effective policies and practices. It will conclude with a discussion of issues that have been identified as problematic on the management, support and training of sessional teachers.

Key words:
Training, Support and management of sessional teachers, Casual or part-time university teachers

Objectives, outcomes and activities:
This project builds and extends from the AUTC Teaching Large Classes Project into the more specific area of sessional teaching. An outcome of the seminar presentation will be the opportunity to examine issues related to the training, support and management of sessional teachers from both an Australian and international perspective. A further outcome will be the dissemination of a range of policies, models and resources that have been developed to support universities, organisational units and sessional teachers themselves.

The intention for the presentation is to provide a brief overview of the project, focusing on good examples of policies and models from a number of universities at the institutional and organisational unit levels in Austraila, and where available, internationally. In conclusion, the issues that have been identified in relation to the training, support and management of sessional teachers will be raised with the conference delegates who will be invited to comment and contribute their experiences on the issues raised. This may also provide an opportunity to link the sessional teaching website to other sites and resources and identify further case studies from the international community.

Denise Chalmers is Director of the Teaching and Educational Development Institute (TEDI), with over 50 staff. TEDI has responsibility for academic staff development, learning resource and educational multimedia development, evaluation of teaching and learning and the overall coordination of the University's staff development programs. The University of Queensland employs approximately 5000 staff, of whom 2200 hold academic or research positions. Denise has researched and published in the areas of professional development, teaching and learning in higher education, learning resource development and flexible delivery.

Rachel Hannam is the project coordinator for the AUTC Teaching Large Classes project and is based in the Teaching and Educational Development Institute. Rachel was responsible for the day to day management of the project, carrying out the literature review, organising the workshops and facilitating the development of the web resources.

Debra Herbert is a member of the Academic Consultancy and Evaluation group at the Teaching and Educational Development Institute, focusing on the evaluation of teaching and learning. Prior to joining TEDI, she was a research consultant and tutor at the School of Psychology.

Contact: Denise Chalmers, email: d.chalmers@mailbox.uq.edu.au