CODE OF PRACTICE
Associate Lecturer & Teaching Assistant Code of Practice
https://www.kent.ac.uk/law/local_users/staff/learnandteach/index.html - Associate Lecturers tab
INTRODUCTION
It is hoped that the Code of Practice, will not only be beneficial to the various members of staff
directly affected, but is particularly important in order to make clear to all the stakeholders involved,
including most importantly students, that we have procedures in place to ensure consistency of
treatment and of standards.
Finally it should be stressed that this code will necessarily have to be interpreted flexibly, particularly
given the wide range of experience and backgrounds of hourly paid lecturers and teaching assistants;
but it is hoped that it will also become a useful tool in developing a supportive and productive
environment for all involved.
THE CODE
A. EXPECTATIONS BY KLS OF ASSOCIATE LECTURER (ALs) AND TEACHING ASSISTANTS (TAs)
(Hereafter, for the purposes of this document, AL’s and TA’s will be referred to as ‘teachers’)
1. ATTENDANCE.
a) Before accepting the job teachers are expected to look at the dates of the terms to ensure they will
be available for all the weeks in which the course is running.
b) Teachers are expected to attend each of the weeks for which the relevant module runs as laid down
in the appropriate handbook. This usually includes the first week of the module even if seminars, or
other classes in which the teacher is involved are not taking place, and also reading week/s, but
would NOT normally include weeks involving revision classes taking place after the completion of
scheduled classes. In the case of a week before teaching begins, when the purpose of attendance
would be to familiarise the part-time teacher both with the University and KLS procedures etc., and
with the arrangements, documentation etc., of the module, what would be expected by way of
attendance would be at the discretion of the module convenor and Head of School. This would
normally include attendance at the session run by the member of staff with special responsibility for
hourly paid lecturers (see 12 below) as well as meeting with the module convenor. In the case of
reading week/s the general guideline should be that the teacher would be expected to be available
for consultation by her/his students for a total of hours equal to their normal weekly teaching hours,
and be available for discussion with the module convenor for up to one hour.
All staff will be able to access their timetable online from the beginning of the academic year. If there
are any queries, contact the Assistant to the School Administration Manager.
Note: AL’s please refer to your contract and accompanying letter for information regarding
attendance in reading weeks etc. TA’s should refer to their offer letter and the Scholarship Terms and
Conditions.
2. MAINTAINING CONTACT.
a) Teachers are expected to initiate contact with the module convenor at least once each teaching
week, though this could range from an e-mail asking 'is there anything I should know about the
module this week?', to an organised weekly meeting. In particular it is the responsibility of the teacher
to inform the convenor of any consistently missing or problem students.
b) Teachers will all be allocated an e-mail login and are expected to check, and respond to, their email regularly. Please note; TA’s will be provided with a staff login and e-mail account, the
department will use this to communicate regarding teaching matters, this is addition to a student
login and e-mail account which the University will use to communicate with you as a student. You are
required to check both accounts regularly. It is possible to link both e-mail accounts together, and this
is highly recommended; please contact Mark Dean, KLS IT Officer for advice (G.M.Dean@kent.ac.uk or
call 01227 823551).
3. ABSENCE.
Should it be necessary for a teacher to cancel a class due to illness or any other emergency, they must
notify KLS office so that they can inform students and notify the module convenor. Upon their return
the teacher is expected to make up the missed classes if ill for one week or less, and keep KLS office
informed of what arrangements are being made, so that they can ensure that the students concerned
are informed, and so that they can help in booking teaching rooms.
Note: Normally where the classes are made up following an absence the teacher should claim after
the 'make up' class has been conducted. In this case no sick pay claim will arise, though sick notes
may be required.
4. MEETING CONVENORS.
Teachers are expected to meet in person with the convenors of the module on which they are
teaching AT LEAST twice each term in the Autumn and Spring terms (normally in the first week and
reading week), and at least once before teaching finishes in the Summer term, where seminars are run
in that term.
5. PREPARATION FOR CLASSES.
Teachers are expected to be familiar with the material to be considered in each class, and to have
decided upon an appropriate teaching approach and strategy before commencing the class. More
particularly:a) Teachers are expected to obtain copies of all module handouts and materials and to familiarise
themselves with the arrangements for teaching and assessing the module as well as with the module
content. KLS staff and module convenors will of course assist in this.
b) Though teachers on a module would not normally be expected to attend the lectures given in that
module, where the lectures are available electronically, it is reasonable to expect teachers to have
listened to them and to be familiar with the content of the lectures. Where lectures are not available
electronically teachers should consult their convenor, the module materials, handouts and other texts
used in the module. Familiarity with the lectures will be particularly important where a teacher is
teaching on that module for the first time, where there has been a significant change in the module
content or approach, or where the nature of the module means that the material requires careful
monitoring – the convenor will advise you where this is the case.
c) Teachers are expected to obtain copies of all books and materials which are recommended to
students as essential. Home produced materials will be available free to all teachers.
6. SETTING OF CLASS WORK.
Teachers are expected to assume the responsibility for defining, and ensuring that students know
what they are expected to prepare for the following class. This should normally be done at the end of
each class or, if this is not practicable, by e-mail as soon as possible thereafter. Where class
worksheets or similar are available for the module as a whole, teachers would, subject to a different
agreement being reached with the module convenor, generally be expected to work within them.
7. ASSESSMENTS
a) Teachers are expected to set written work in accordance with the timetable of the module
concerned. Normally this would take the form of using or selecting from a list of titles/questions
designed by the module convenor. Where no such list is available teachers would be expected to
consult with convenors before setting written work.
b) Teachers are expected to mark all written work submitted within the appropriate deadlines – i.e.
within three term-time weeks of receipt. Further they are expected to give the work both a numerical
grade, and to provide written comments with particular reference to the assessment marking criteria
contained in the Staff Information Pack. Marking Schedules are available from KLS office. Teachers are
required to complete these for every assessment marked, and to complete the mark sheets.
c) Before returning assessment marks to students, teachers are expected to make available to the
module convenor a sample of marked assessments for second marking, and also to discuss with the
convenor the scaling of marks to ensure a uniform marking standard. Note - how large the sample is,
and how careful the scaling process must be will vary greatly with the level of experience, both in
general, and in relation to the particular module, of the teacher involved.
d) Teachers are expected to keep accurate records of assessment grades and to provide these to
convenors when requested.
8. DISSERTATIONS.
Teachers (AL’s & TA’s) would not normally be expected to supervise students undertaking
dissertations. However where the expertise and experience of the teacher concerned is appropriate
they might be asked to undertake such supervision for an agreed additional remuneration based on
the standard number of supervision hours agreed for KLS as a whole. Any such supervision
arrangement has to be approved by the Head of School in advance.
9. AVAILABILITY FOR STUDENTS.
Other than being available for consultation with students during office hours as specified in letters
accompanying contracts, Teachers are not expected to be available for students outside their formal
teaching times. If students request additional consultation outside these hours, they should be
directed to the module convenor, or another full time teacher on the module.
Teachers are expected, subject to the limits imposed by their generally restricted time on campus, to
respond within a reasonable time to e-mail and written communications from their students. Failure to
respond within a reasonable time may generate complaints, please contact your convenor or Didi
Herman if there is a high level of demand for contact from your students.
10. REFERENCES.
Though it is more normal, and generally advantageous to students, that references be written by full
time members of staff, if teachers are approached by students to act as referees then it is expected
that they will provide such references if they consider they are able to do so. The Student Advice
Office holds files on all KLS students and also acts as a fallback for writing references.
11. MISCELLANEOUS.
a) All teachers are required to keep attendance records, (though not of reasons for absences), and
records of all assessment grades, on the sheets provided and to promptly submit photocopies to KLS
office when requested.
b) Teachers are expected to familiarise themselves with the contents of The Law Student Guide and
with Staff Information Pack, though the Director of Learning and Teaching, convenors and KLS office
will be happy to help to explain anything that is not clear.
12. PREPARATION AND TRAINING SESSIONS.
a) New teachers with no prior teaching experience would normally be expected to attend the
Foundation Workshop for Part-time teachers and to have studied the accompanying book of
readings. However, KLS is, providing its own induction session so this is no longer a requirement,
although new AT’s can attend the workshop if they wish.
b) All part-time teachers are expected, where this is reasonably possible, to attend the sessions for
associate teachers and teaching assistants run by the Director of Learning & Teaching, in the Autumn
term.
13. END OF YEAR REPORTS.
Teachers are expected to provide a short report, normally no longer than one side of A4, to the
module convenor at the end of each teaching year. Please also send a copy to Sam Betts for the QA
records kept by KLS.
This should be submitted within one month of the last teaching week and should cover, as a
minimum, the following.
a) A description of the teaching undertaken, including the module name and code, the type of class
taught (e.g. seminar, lecture etc.), the number of classes weekly and the number of weeks taught.
b) General comments, including reference to the results of the student evaluations, on the outcome of
the teaching and module as a whole, in the light of the stated aims and objectives.
c) Comments on other aspects of the course, e.g. administrative arrangements, resources etc.
d) Identification of any staff development needs
B LEGITIMATE EXPECTATIONS OF ASSOCIATE TEACHERS AND TEACHING ASSISTANTS’.
1 GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY OF MODULE CONVENORS
These are set out in the document Convenors Responsibilities (copy included in this pack)
If any teacher feels that a module convenor is not fulfilling these expectations they are encouraged to
discuss their concerns with Will White, HPL Liaison or the Director of Learning and Teaching.
2. ASSESSMENTS AND MARKING
a) Convenors are expected to advise teachers on the setting of assessments, where this is not done
module-wide, and to give general advice on their marking.
b) In the case of new or relatively inexperienced teachers the convenor should:1) As early as possible in the marking process, make available to the teacher a number of
answers/essays on the same assessment, that the convenor has previously marked, complete with
comments and grades. These should ideally reflect the spectrum of grades.
2) Second mark a sample of the teachers marks drawn from across the range.
3) review the distribution of all the teachers’ marks to ensure that they are in line with the marks
across the module as a whole.
3. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF KLS.
a) KLS will provide one or more induction sessions for teachers in week 1 of the autumn term and
additional sessions at appropriate points in the year, usually 1 per term.
b) The member of staff with special responsibility for associate teachers and the Directors of Learning
and Teaching will be available to give general help and advice to teachers.
c) KLS will fund an e-mail login for each teacher, and will give advice on how to obtain such a login,
and on how these should be used.
d) KLS will provide shared offices for teachers. These will have provision for making internal calls and
receiving external calls and a networked computer.
4. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE KLS OFFICE.
a) KLS office will pass messages on to students (via e-mail) when teachers are not on campus.
b) KLS office will arrange library user rights for teachers. (If a library card is required this can be
obtained from The Reader Services Department, in the library.)
c) KLS office will carry out any reasonable typing requests related to teaching, including letters and
references.
d) KLS office will provide each teacher with a pigeonhole in the office, into which all internal and
external mail will be placed. Official mail can be posted via KLS office.
e) KLS office will provide access for teachers to the photocopier in the KLS office. (Normally for making
no more than 20 copies)
f) Where more than 20 copies of a document are required this must go to the University print unit,
which Tina in the KLS office will organise. (Note: In this case KLS office normally will have to receive
the document one week before it is required).
5. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
When a teacher meets problems which neither the module convenor, nor the member of staff with
special responsibility for associate teachers nor the Director of Learning and Teaching can resolve, it is
the responsibility of the Head of School to deal with the matter, and in such cases the teacher is asked
to consult her (klshod@kent.ac.uk).