Home

IMAC Staff

Current Research

Publications

Student Resources

Teacher Resources

Useful Links

 

 

Session staff.

 

Sessional staff are being relied upon to provide more and more of the small group teaching hours in major programs of study. This is seen as a financial necessity, not an educational decision.

Sessional staff have a range of problems associated with them:

 

• They tend to be transitory, sometimes not even staying for a full semester if better job offers suddenly become available. This can cause real problems in staffing, as well as continuity of learning for the students they are teaching.
  
  
• Sessionals often can't get a clear idea about what is to be taught, and a sense of the culture of subject unless they are immediate graduates of the program. They are expected to turn up, teach and leave.
  
  
• Students can't find them for advice outside class.
  
  
• Sessionals can feel exploited and un-engaged with faculty culture. Even such simple matters as basic stationery or pens for the whiteboards can be hard to obtain.
  
  
• They get no basic training in teaching methods, and end up "flying blind" for most of the time. Teaching tends to move towards the minimum requirement, or what they have experienced in their own learning.
  
  
• There is usually no feedback mechanism about the quality of their work in order for them to develop skill in small group teaching.
  
  
• If not graduates of the university they don't know their way around the buildings, systems or staff, and have no formal method of being introduced (as they are seen as not part of the true faculty).
  
  
• They often end up not doing important things as they did not not known, or it was too hard to achieve due to the above problems.
  
  
• Sessionals do not have a forum in which they can clarify simple matters that would enhance their teaching. Subject convenors are not able to field multiple enqiries from a large number of sessionals.
  
  
• Sessionals are har to find in the first place. At a university like Swinburne, with a small number of postgraduate students, there are few potential recruits. Poaching from other institutions generates problems with unfamiliarity of courses, and systems. Offering more substantial fractional positions (level A) may be attractive – but would be more expensive.
  
  
• Sessionals are often only available for one year – making it hard for both sides to see value in investing in training and development.

Issues:

Ideally sessional staff should be available for a number of years - they are worth investing in if this is the case. This is linked to attempts to get more Post-Grad students, as they are a prime source. Offering more substantive employment as a staff member may help entice them to stay on. Other potential support structures may be:

 

• Induction into faculty is required, even for those staying only for a semester or two: Information about staff names, roles, location administrative systems teaching approaches safety and legal requirements resources of all kinds. Needs to be created in easy to access form.
  
  
• Training in general teaching issues (such as the LATTES preliminary workshop), but specific to subject (induction into Teaching Community).
  
  
• Provide an ongoing menu of training depending on needs, such as mentoring and "sitting in" on other classes – with informed debrief opportunity.
  
  
• Provide a certificate for developed skill in teaching. Provides an extra motivation and recognition.
  
  
• Support Tracked individually to ensure they don't sink Teaching Community engagement
  
  
• In with other sessionals (ghetto?) to encourage sharing. Hot-desking.
  
  
• Support materials close to hand – particularly ideas for small group teaching and resources to make it happen. Should LATTES be right next to a large room for sessionals to operate out of – requested.

Research issues in the current project:

Teaching role:

 

• What do sessions see their role to be at entry?
• How does this evolve over time?
• What factors influence their perceptions of their role?
• What do they see as being important to develop their skill?
• What resources would be useful and why?

Classroom practice:

 

• What teaching methods do they use and why?
• Where did they learn them?
• What new ones are learned, how and from whom?
• How do they self evaluate their performance? These will have to be self reported – may not have the hours to do observations.

Emotional/affective:

 

• How do they feel about teaching?
• What future do they see for themselves in teaching – is it a necessary evil?
• What is rewarding and what is not?

All these in the context of how Teaching Communities affect their development. Contrast those in a TC with those not in a TC.

 

Data collection by interview during the year, and at "exit".

 

 

[Home] [IMAC Staff] [Current Research] [Publications] [Student Resources] [Teacher Resources ] [Useful Links]