The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) states that staff teaching on an award of the University must be appropriately approved by the Institution. Faculties are responsible for approving collaborative staff, although this maybe delegated to schools.  It is suggested that up to date copies of CVs are kept relating to each partner as these maybe requested as part of future QAA audits.

 

All staff who teach on a programme leading to an award or credit of The University of Manchester must be approved by the University before they begin teaching.  However, only staff leading a unit/module, managing a programme, giving academic advice to students or supervising a dissertation must be approved.  Guest lecturers or staff involved in tutorials and seminar presentations need not be approved as long as they are under supervision of an approved member of staff.  

 

A current curriculum vitae for all staff teaching on a programme or course unit/module (leading to a University award) should be submitted to the school for approval.  This includes all full time, part time and sessional staff.  In addition, the curriculum vitae for any staff who are employed to cover for long-term sickness on behalf of approved staff must be submitted for approval. The curriculum vitae does not need to be extensive but must provide all the relevant information to allow an informed decision to be made.  It is important that the information is relevant to the proposed teaching – normally the curriculum vitae should only be two or three sides of A4 but should clearly indicate the appropriate qualifications and experience.

The following criteria should be applied when considering whether staff can be approved: 

• Anyone teaching at HE level should normally have an appropriate qualification, at a level above that of the programme on which the person would teach. 

• Evidence of academic recognition, such as an established record of research publications in the field concerned, should normally be provided. Where this is not available any other evidence should be presented to compensate for the lack of a higher degree.
  
  
• Where necessary, there will be appropriate recognition of the development difficulties faced in the FE context of building HE level teaching, and a willingness to accommodate these to some degree.  Where such accommodation has been made, it will be balanced by an active staff development programme designed to ensure that the ‘accommodation’ will not last for too long.

Normally the University expects teaching staff to hold a degree in a relevant subject at a level above that of the programme being taught eg for a BA or BSc degree programme the staff should have at least a Masters qualification; for an MA or MSc they should hold a PhD.  However, in some disciplines this is not always possible and other qualifications or experience may be more important.  For instance, in vocational subjects professional experience, coupled with an appropriate academic award, may be more appropriate.  

 

Where Partner Institutions are nominating staff with non-standard qualifications they should provide a covering letter which explains why the nominee is suitable to teach on the programme and give information on the composition of the overall programme team within which they will be working and any planned staff development. Evidence of an established record of research may also compensate for a higher degree.  Although postgraduate teaching certificates may indicate training in the methods and practice of teaching and learning, they are not in themselves adequate and must be supported by appropriate subject-specific qualifications.