Further particulars
This document includes information about the role for which you are applying and the
information you will need to provide with the application.
1. Role details
Vacancy reference:
8092
Job title:
In-house Professional Development Partnership
(IPDP) Coordinator, Vital Professional
Development
Reports to:
Vital Lecturer
Faculty of Education and Language Studies
(FELS)
Salary:
£37,012 - £44,166, depending on qualifications
and experience
Grade:
Academic Grade 3
Terms and Conditions:
Academic
Duration of post:
Temporary contract until 31st March 2013
Working hours:
Full time
Location:
Walton Hall or one of the University’s Regional
Centres in England
Closing date:
21 September at 12 noon
Job shared considered:
No
Criminal Record Check:
All applicants who are offered employment will
be subject to a criminal record check before the
appointment is confirmed.
Type of application accepted:
Covering letter, application form, CV
Number of referees required:
Two; one from current employer, one external to
current employer
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2. Summary of duties
Overall job purpose
To be responsible for the delivery of the Vital In-house Professional Development
Partnership (IPDP) in England. The role will include providing support directly to Vital
Professionals as well as managing the work of consultants who are working with IPDP
schools.
To contribute to Vital’s professional learning provision.
Main duties
1.
Managing the development and maintenance of the network of In-house
Professional Development Partner institutions in England, including providing
academic support for individual Vital Professionals (primarily at a distance).
2.
Maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of the nature and quality of Vital Professional
activity in Partner institutions.
3.
Organising and contributing to Vital events, both online and face to face.
4.
Teaching the modules and webinars (including for the IPDP).
5.
Developing and managing a national network of consultants to provide support for
the IPDP, to ensure that Vital Professionals progress through the IPDP process
and gain Accredited Vital Professional Status.
6.
Providing advice to enquirers, participants and other customers.
7.
Attending Vital team meetings and contributing to development planning for Vital.
8.
Promoting Vital in England and liaising with the relevant educational organisations,
networks and institutions.
9.
Undertaking other duties as required by Vital’s Director.
These duties require travel within England and to the University’s central campus in
Milton Keynes. Other travel may be required from time to time. Work away from home
on some weekends and evenings is required.
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3. Person specification
Qualifications, experience and expertise
Essential
1.
Higher degree or equivalent professional experience in a field relevant to Vital’s
provision.
2.
Understands and can evidence their support for Vital’s ethos and approach, and
the strategic model that is the core of the IPDP.
3.
Good understanding of the English education system and of the markets for Vital’s
current and planned provision.
4.
Proven ability to identify a school’s or individual teacher’s development needs and
match that with appropriate provision.
5.
Proven ability to support teachers’ professional learning, particularly at a distance.
6.
Proven experience in organising and contributing at events to support professional
learning in the area of ICT in education.
7.
Ability to act as an ambassador for Vital and The Open University.
8.
Proven organisational skills, including the ability to exercise judgement, to
prioritise, to work in pressurised situations and to meet targets.
9.
Ability to build good relationships and use a variety of communication methods to
suit the occasion.
10. Successful track record of working individually and in teams in a positive,
collegiate and supportive manner.
11. A commitment to equal opportunities policies and practices.
12. Ability to travel within England.
Desirable
13. Expertise in the strategic leadership of ICT in schools and/or ‘Bring Your Own
Technology’
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4. About the unit/department
Faculty of Education and Language Studies
The Faculty of Education and Language Studies has approximately 1,140 members of
staff (including 870 Associate Lecturers), based in Milton Keynes and in regional and
national offices, who support approximately 26,000 students. The majority of these are
in the UK, but the Faculty also has students in the Republic of Ireland, Continental
Western Europe and elsewhere in the world. The Faculty’s curriculum comprises
programmes at undergraduate, Masters and doctoral levels. It offers undergraduate
study in Early Years, Working with Young People, Childhood and Youth Studies, Child
Development, Sport and Fitness, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Welsh
and English Language. The Faculty offers initial teacher training through a flexible
PGCE programme in six secondary subjects: Mathematics, Science, Design and
Technology, Music, Modern Foreign Languages and Geography.
Academic staff belong to one of the four sub-units which are involved in producing and
presenting modules, and conducting research:
•
Centre for Childhood, Development and Learning;
•
Centre for Language and Communication;
•
Department of Education;
•
Department of Languages.
In addition, the Faculty is being funded to develop and deliver the ‘Vital’ Programme,
the aim of which is to improve the quality of ICT teaching in English schools.
Further information about the Faculty can be found at
http://www.open.ac.uk/education-and-languages/
The Faculty research activities are directed from the Centre for Research in Education
and Educational Technology (CREET).
Vital
Vital is a £9.4million DfE funded programme to enhance the quality of ‘ICT teaching’ in
state funded 5-19 education in England, where ICT teaching includes:
o
Computer Science
o
Digital Literacy
o
ICT (as a tool across the curriculum)
Vital has always adopted an approach based upon the assumption that teachers are
the experts in education and that Vital’s role is to support these experts in sharing their
expertise. Underpinning our provision is a view of practitioner research (as illustrated in
Figure 1) as being the most effective form of professional learning.
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FIGURE 1 THE VITAL PRACTITIONER RESEARCH CYCLE
Vital’s provision currently consists of:
• Free resources (see http://www.vital.ac.uk/resources/resource-list)
• Events (see http://www.vital.ac.uk/events)
• Subject Portals (see http://www.vital.ac.uk/portals)
• The In-house Professional Development Partnership (IPDP) (see
http://www.vital.ac.uk/IPDP)
Vital is now in its third and final phase. Our KPIs during this phase are:
KPI 1: Continue to provide services to portal subscribers and partner schools
from Phase 2 (between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012)
• Portal subscribers are individuals who have a subscription to a portal
• Partner schools are institutions which have purchased one or more In-house
Professional Development Partnerships
KPI 2: Add an additional 1,000 subscribers from our target group
• Target group (continued from Phase 1) includes:
o staff in state funded 5-19 education in England
o staff and students in initial teacher education in England
o other providers of ICT CPD to state funded 5-19 education in England (e.g. LA
advisors, Naace members, RBC advisers/trainers, consultants, other
commercial CPD providers)
• Subscribers are:
o individuals who have a subscription
o individuals who enrolled for a face to face Vital event (e.g. course, conference)
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KPI 3: A minimum of 200 of the additional subscribers (from KPI 2) are classified
as ‘hard to reach’
• Hard to reach refers to schools (and other educational institutions) that have a
higher proportion of students on free school meals than 60% of schools (i.e. have
16% or more of pupils on free school meals), or have been judged by Ofsted to be
less than satisfactory
KPI 4: A minimum of 100 of the additional subscribers (from KPI 2) come from
each of Vital’s regions
KPI 5: Evaluation reports on impact on teaching practice and/or use of new
technology by participants
• Impact will be evaluated against Guskey’s five levels (see pp32-39 of
http://is.gd/pDNxfZ), using the following data sources:
o Regional Managers’ reports on their IPDP schools at the end of June 2012
o Reports of impact, submitted by Vital Professionals and signed off by a senior
manager in their school (Jan to Mar 2013)
o Feedback on webinars (participants are asked to provide feedback after every
webinar)
o
Semi-structured interviews with a sample of participants and other
stakeholders (end of 2012 and in early 2013)
This post will be primarily focussed on meeting KPI 5, and contributing to research that
will underpin a series of Vital Guides that will provide evidence informed, strategic
advice to schools on areas such as: Cloud computing; Establishing a Digital Leaders’
Programme, Developing a responsible use policy for mobile devices (in collaboration
with pupils); Setting up a school radio station; 1:1 Computing; BYOD; BYOT).
5. How to obtain more information about the role or application process
If you would like to discuss the particulars of this role before making an application
please contact, Peter Twining (Vital’s Director) on 01908 655078 or email
peter.twining@open.ac.uk.
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact the Staffing
Assistant on 01908 654450 or email FELS-Recruitment@open.ac.uk.
Please refer to section 2 in the ‘Information for applicants’ document for further
information.
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6. Where to send completed applications
Provide 5 copies of your application form, covering letter and CV – that is, top copy plus
4 copies.
Please ensure that your application reaches the University by 12 noon on 21
September 2012
Post it to:
Job title:
Staffing Assistant
Unit:
Faculty of Education and Language Studies
Address:
Stuart Hall Building (ground floor)
The Open University
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
Or e-mail your application to:
FELS-Recruitment@open.ac.uk
7. Selection process and date of interview
Information about the interview panel and the selection process will be provided if you
are invited to interview.
We will let you know as soon as possible after the closing date whether you have been
shortlisted for interview. If you have not heard by 12 October 2012 you should assume
that you have not been shortlisted for interview.
Applications received after 12 noon on the closing date will not be accepted.
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