Teaching-Focused Roles – Survey 

A group of members working in teaching-focused roles has been coming together to discuss concerns around how their positions are defined, recognised and supported across the University. This work has been focused on: 

• University Teachers 
• Postgraduate University Teachers 
• Teaching Fellows 
• Bought-in Teachers 
• Specialist and Supporting Academics – Teaching (SSA-T) 

If you work in one of the roles listed above, please consider contributing to this campaign by filling out their short survey. 

Every response will help build a clearer picture of the experiences of teaching-focused staff and strengthen the collective effort to secure improvements where they are needed. All responses will be treated confidentially – and the more responses we receive, the stronger the evidence base will be for pursuing meaningful change.

Background

Over a number of years, teaching-focused colleagues have raised questions about how teaching-focused roles are used in different Schools and Departments, progression opportunities, workload, contract arrangements and whether job titles accurately reflect the work people are carrying out. There have also been concerns about whether staff undertaking similar responsibilities experience different expectations, recognition and career development opportunities depending on their role or contract type. 

By comparing experiences and identifying common concerns, colleagues have begun to build a clearer understanding of the issues and how they might be addressed. 

Progress So Far 

Colleagues have already brought these concerns into discussions with the University through established negotiating channels, while continuing to organise collectively around the issues. These conversations have helped raise awareness of concerns relating to teaching-focused roles and have prompted further discussions about how some of these positions are described and understood across the institution. 

Alongside this work, the campaign-group members agreed that a broader evidence-gathering exercise was needed. While individual experiences are important, meaningful change is often more attainable when we can demonstrate how widely particular issues are felt and where patterns emerge across the University.  

Why Are We Running This Survey? 

The aim of the survey is to build a better understanding of where teaching-focused colleagues face common issues, where their experiences differ, and what changes people believe would make the biggest difference.  

Most importantly, this survey is meant to offer an opportunity for you to shape the direction of the campaign by highlighting the issues that you feel matter most. 

How the Results Will Be Used 

Access to individual survey responses will be restricted to those involved in administering and analysing the survey, and any findings shared more widely will be presented in an anonymised and aggregated form. Information that could potentially identify individual respondents will not be shared with the University, and no individuals will be identified in any reporting arising from the survey. 

Findings will be used to support ongoing discussions with the University, inform future campaigning activity and help determine priorities for collective negotiation. They will also provide valuable evidence about how teaching-focused roles are experienced in practice, where inconsistencies may exist and what improvements staff would like to see in areas such as recognition, workload, progression and career development.