1. Educational Teams: teaching in a different way Heather Fry Centre for Educational Development Imperial College London Barcelona 2007

2. Main Areas The course/teaching team: a particular type of educational team? Some questions about educational teams My personal experience as part of educational teams Working with (and helping to create) educational teams Some propositions for consideration before embarking on or promoting educational teams Some arguments for and against educational teams

3. What is a teaching team? A group of people engaged in curriculum design and/or teaching and supporting the learning of students taking a course or programme. Course: a unit of teaching, a module. Part of a complete degree programme.

4. Questions About Educational Teams How or why do they form? What happens to role and status in a teaching team? What happens to choice? Efficient and Effective? From whose perspective?

5. Questions About Educational Teams Permanence or of the moment? Do some teaching methods/forms of curriculum organisation demand having a team? Do regulatory requirements demand a team? Who belongs to a course team? And how many teams can/should an individual belong to?

6. Personal Experience

7. Maximally, what might be the composition of a teaching team? –one or several academic teachers –an administrator –a learning technologist –a lab technician –a librarian –PhDs and Postdocs running seminars and labs –a student learning support officer –a person looking after pastoral care –an educational developer (or the e-learning specialist might combine these roles) –students –others? Does it need an inner core group? How do you get buy-in from all? Can only divide tasks once there is an agreed plan for outcomes, teaching, assessment, evaluation: these aspects are interdependent

8. CED work with teams and groups A one–off workshop designed for teaching teams: Designing Courses and Curricula An educational interest group facilitated by CED: Topic Focussed Learning Sets

9. Propositions about educational teams for consideration A team can focus on a different thing from a course Need a clear purpose and rationale – shared goals Top down may not work; BUT often need a leader Most needed in times of change or innovation Vary in intensity and effectiveness over lifetime For buy-in need outcomes worthwhile to individuals Can be more or less a requirement for some types of teaching/ curriculum organisation

10. Propositions about educational teams for consideration The main costs are financial – money and time Their output will limit freedom for individual action They help the whole to be greater than the parts The composition of educational teams needs careful thought External factors may be among some of the main reasons for forming teams – but there main purpose/value should be pedagogic

11. Arguments for and against course teams? AGAINST Can take more time and difficult to get everyone together People are not used to it May have difficulty reaching consensus IN FAVOUR A democratic way of working Shares problems, ideas and solutions If formed by members choice they will have commitment Provides a forum for discussion of teaching and may prepare the ground for decision-making Can help with inducting newer staff members Other points…?

12. Heather Fry Centre for Educational Development, Imperial College London Barcelona 2007