Professional Development

ENHANCE

ENHANCE is the new University of Roehampton framework for the professional development of colleagues across the university. ENHANCE allows us to bring together and refocus a number of activities with the purpose of embedding consistent values and expectations about professional development for those involved in teaching and supporting learning. The scheme has been designed against a number of frameworks, including the UKPSF, VITAE and the AUA, and provides the opportunity to recognise, record and reward professional activity. 

ENHANCE is a developmental framework, providing a number of opportunities for professional development, including peer review, teaching and learning workshops, professional networks, such as the Programme Convenors’ Network, the annual Learning and Teaching Festival, the Technicians’ Forum and accredited programmes to enable individuals to further enhance their practice. These programmes include:

  • Recognition for new Academics (R4NA)
  • Introduction to Teaching and Supporting Learning in HE
  • SEDA Supervising Postgraduate Research 
  • SEDA Certificate in Professional Practice 

Engagement with ENHANCE will enable you to compile evidence about your accumulating development activity for use within the University career structures and other internal activities including:

  • The completion of probation
  • Appraisal
  • Promotion
  • Peer Review

R4NA

Recognition for New Academics (R4NA) is part of the ENHANCE framework, our CPD framework designed for our own academic staff at the University of Roehampton  It  is a course for those new to teaching and supporting learning in HE, although more experienced colleagues who want to update their knowledge of teaching and supporting learning are also very welcome to join. It is designed against the UKPSF at Descriptor 2 and successful completion means that your practice as a teacher in HE has been benchmarked against that of your peers across the sector. 

R4NA is primarily a vehicle for developing further understanding and critical reflection about learning and teaching in HE in the light of the UKPSF, giving the opportunity to develop new ideas, question existing practices, challenge assumptions and try things out in a supportive and enthusiastic environment. It offers participants the chance to dedicate some time to thinking critically about their own academic practice, students and the context in which they work. Past participants report how they appreciate the sense of community and spending time with peers from across the University with similar concerns, examining, and reflecting on ways of working to benefit students and colleagues. This exchange of ideas and approaches with people from different subject disciplines is an added bonus.

Please contact Bridget Middlemas, SEDA Programmes Convenor for further information at: b.middlemas@roehampton.ac.uk

SEDA courses

The LTEU runs two SEDA courses, both with autumn and spring start dates each year. They are offered free of charge to eligible staff and PhD students. Both courses involve a mixture of face to face workshops and online Moodle activities.

Supervising Postgraduate Research is designed for newly appointed doctoral supervisors, or those who wish to take up this role during the next academic year. The course is run in conjunction with Roehampton’s Graduate School. It offers participants an overview of pedagogic approaches in different disciplines, and also offers an introduction to the Graduate School's systems and core processes.  

An Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education is designed for PhD students with a teaching or demonstrating role, or part time staff who have not previously worked in the UK higher education sector. Library staff and technicians are also very welcome to attend.

Please contact Bridget Middlemas, SEDA Programmes Convenor for further information at: b.middlemas@roehampton.ac.uk

Peer Review

Peer Review takes place annually for all academic colleagues. The Roehampton scheme is built on best practice from across the sector. There can be a number of different purposes of peer review of teaching; however, the Roehampton scheme is formative, as part of staff development and a sharing of good practice: 

At Roehampton we suggest two possible foci for peer review: 

  • peer observation of teaching (A)
  • peer review of a specified area of work (B)

 To find out more about the two foci please refer to the following document: 

Peer review policy 

Staff Induction

Roehampton has a strong commitment to introducing new members of staff to our organisation, and has an engaging and full induction process. We recognise that there are core elements of our induction programme which are standard to all staff, at all levels across the academic and administrative profile, and which are appropriately followed in common. For this reason we have in recent years evolved an institution-wide programme of staff induction which is comprehensive in its content and which is complemented by the departmental input for new members of staff. 

Induction takes place four times a year and all staff are required to complete an induction programme, to ensure they familiarise themselves with the culture and practices of the University. Below are some key links.