Associate Professor in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) (DCAD_02)

Working at Durham University  

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by breathtaking countryside.  Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.  

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.

Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential. 

Our Purpose and Values

We want our university to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Durham? information page.   

The Department 

The Durham Centre for Academic Development (DCAD) plays a pivotal role in advancing student success, digital teaching and learning, and academic professional development. The Centre offers academic training programs, support for digital education, teaching enhancement workshops, and educational research opportunities. Through fostering a culture of innovation and excellence in pedagogy, DCAD actively assists both students and academic staff in attaining their educational objectives.

We offer three core areas of provision: 

·  Our Student Success provision supports students to develop their academic skills and their academic language and literacy through accredited programmes and a range of training and support opportunities. Although we are available to students, we have a particular focus on supporting non-traditional students, international students, mature students. The advertised role sits within this part of DCAD.

· We support Academic Excellence in teaching and research skills for staff and PGR students engaged in teaching, learning, or research activities. We work to enhance pedagogic approaches, innovate in digital education, create robust support for leadership in teaching and research, and support effective curriculum reform throughout the university.

·  We support educational innovation through our research and development work on pedagogic and digital innovation within the Education Laboratory. This provides a space in which staff and students can explore the potentials of new technologies and pedagogies. This also provides a space where we can develop a hub of scholarship in teaching and learning to create a robust evidence-base for educational excellence and promote excellent teaching and learning innovation practice and scholarship throughout the University, nationally and internationally.

The role in DCAD

The advertised role of Associate Professor (Education) in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) will support the EAP/ academic language and literacies aspect of our Student Success provision. This provision includes:

a.     our suite of Pre-sessional EAP programmes and related short courses

b.     the Academic Skills Centre (ASC), which offers a range of courses, collaborations with academic departments, online resources, one to one consultations and drop-ins, designed to support home and international students across the institution. This is an area of our provision we are seeking to grow and develop.

For the first three years, the post would include leadership and management of the University’s range of Pre-sessional EAP provision. This currently includes intensive 20, 10 and 6-week undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research postgraduate programmes, any off-site pre-sessional provision, and related short courses.  This is a rotating role and after three years may be renewed or the post-holder may move to focus on different area of our EAP/academic language and literacies provision

Associate Professors (Education) at Durham 

Associate Professors (Education) will engage in teaching, innovation and citizenship whilst fully focussing on the key skills to further enhance their careers.  Teaching quality and innovation is critical to ensure a first-class learning environment and curricula for all of our students. You will be supported to develop your high-quality teaching expertise and to lead in teaching innovation and excellence to embed our student experience. 

Associate Professors (Education) will engage in wider citizenship to enhance their own development, support their department and discipline, and contribute to the wider student experience. 

You will be expected to engage in scholarship related to pedagogy, noting that any other independent research (beyond pedagogy) is not part of this post. The appointment will be on the University’s ‘Education Track’ career path, which provides clearly defined opportunities for progression against defined criteria.  

We are confident that our recruitment process allows us to attract and select the best international talent to Durham. We therefore offer a reduced probation period of 1 year for our Associate Professors (Education) and thereafter, subject to satisfactory performance, your position will be confirmed as permanent. 

Applicants must demonstrate teaching excellence in the field of EAP/Academic Language and Literacies, with the ability to teach our students to an exceptional standard and to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.  

The University aims to provides a working and teaching environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

Key responsibilities:  

For the first three years, working in close collaboration with the Deputy Director of DCAD, the administration team, the Pre-sessional team and the Head of the Academic Skills Centre, you will provide strategic leadership and management for the full range of pre-sessional EAP provision. This includes:

• Ensuring the range and structure of the provision meets institutional needs
• Leading the development of curriculum and assessments and ensuring we offer research-led, effective and robust programmes in line with best practice in the field.
• Maintaining effective, collaborative relationships with key academic departments
• Line managing the permanent pre-sessional team
• Supporting the pre-sessional team to develop scholarship projects related to the taught pre-sessional provision 
• Ensuring effective management of the large temporary teaching and co-ordination staff during the programmes
• Communicating effectively with key stakeholders across the institution including Admissions, the International Office and Josephine Butler College (who provide tailored pastoral support and student experience to pre-sessional students)
• Maintaining our BALEAP accreditation and engagement with the wider EAP sector
• Ensuring provision is compliant with UKVI regulations
• Remaining up to date with issues in English language assessment for the HE context 

Additional Responsibilities:

• As part of the Academic Skills Centre, our accredited programmes or wider DCAD provision, you may be required to offer lectures, workshops, seminars and tutorials for undergraduate and postgraduate students and/or for academic staff.
• You will engage in pedagogic activity that supports a high quality, academic professional community of practice within the University and beyond. This includes producing scholarly publications but also includes:
•  Maintaining an active membership and engagement with relevant professional bodies (e.g. BALEAP, HEA, BAAL, ALDinHE)
• Promoting and leading ongoing curriculum development, demonstrating innovation in educational practice to enhance the quality of the educational environment in the Department and wider University
• Providing training, mentoring and education to colleagues within the Department and University
• Providing significant contribution to the administrative functioning and collegial environment of the Department and wider University
• You must be able to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University. The University provides a working and teaching environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.
• Any other appropriate duties as specified by the Director of DCAD.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion 

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our Purpose and Values  and our Staff Code of Conduct.   At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all colleagues undertake activities that are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. 

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Employer status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

Person Specification  

Education 

Candidates will make a significant contribution to the development and delivery of high-quality teaching with demonstrable contribution to the design of an excellent learning environments and curricula that enables students to achieve their potential.  You’ll help us deliver outstanding teaching throughout the year and develop pedagogical innovations alongside a team of truly world class colleagues. Please note the role will include pedagogical duties that may extend into the summer period.

Essential Education Criteria

Scholarship and Educational Impact

Candidates will have the ability to engage in scholarly activity which contributes to pedagogical practice and understanding within the department.  

 Essential Scholarship Criteria

1.  Scholarship and Educational Impact – candidates will be expected to demonstrate scholarly activity at a university level that supports a high-quality academic professional community of practice including in ways that positively impact on pedagogical practice and education at a university level (and potentially beyond) including development and delivery of teaching enhancement activities [or positively impact on a professional community of practice within the practitioners discipline or organisation (and potentially beyond)].

Candidates should evidence a significant contribution to (and recognition by) an academic professional community of practice [or a professional practice/discipline] at a regional level (and potentially beyond) e.g. through high quality scholarly engagement and educational innovation and impact [or engagement with professional associations with notable impact].

The format will depend on the discipline and the candidate’s career to date but evidence of scholarship and educational impact may include some of the following (or similar) activities: 

a.     Develop, design and lead pedagogic developments relating to learning and teaching to a level externally recognised for excellence;

b.     Research and engagement in consultancy with demonstrable high-quality outputs which focuses on pedagogy;

c.     Involvement in education projects which have a significant and demonstrable social and/or economic impact and benefit;

d.     Success in external grant capture to support educational innovation and scholarly impact;

e.     Production of scholarly pedagogic publications and disseminating the findings;

f.      Active external professional engagement eg external member of a programme review committee or an externally invited speaker;

g.     Work or initiatives which have developed the practitioners professional discipline beyond their own practice;

h.     Supervising higher degree candidates;

i.       Presenting at a regional conference (which may be related to teaching); or

j.       Publishing in a practitioner level journal

Service, Citizenship and Values 

Active engagement in the administrative and citizenship requirements of the Department. Positive contributions to University values  and to fostering a respectful environment, as well as demonstrating their commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. 

Essential Service, Citizenship and Values criteria

1.     Citizenship contribution – Evidence of a demonstrable contribution to the collegial / administrative work and environment of an academic Department and/or related to a relevant discipline. Candidates may choose to highlight any roles and responsibilities held within academic departments, Faculty or University level committees or projects, engagement with mentoring or widening student participation, involvement in equality and diversity initiatives, contributions to departmental programme management and strategic development or membership of significant external bodies.

2.     Leadership - Evidence of a prior significant contribution to leadership activities which support the functioning of an academic Department, Faculty or University and / or which support the development of a relevant academic discipline or area of professional practice (preferably related to teaching). 

Candidates may choose to detail any prior leadership roles which they have undertaken and potential examples may include:

a.     editing an academic or professional publication;

b.     leading the organisation of a national conference;

c.     strategic planning in curriculum, assessment or similar with demonstrable impact on the quality of provision;

d.     creating and developing new relationships with external clients/partners;

e.     promoting and leading change processes within and/or beyond a department; or invited external reviews eg on a programme review panel

3.     Communication - candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.

Contact Information 

Department contact for academic-related enquiries 

Louise Greener Deputy Director DCAD [email protected]

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you to send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to [email protected]  

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time.  We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).  

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

Lauren Gulliver Recruitment Coordinator [email protected] 

How to Apply  

We prefer to receive applications online.    

Please note that in submitting your application, we will be processing your data.  We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/  which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.  

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit:

• A CV
• A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above; 
• A personal scholarship plan that sets out how you would develop your scholarly activity/ outputs over the next 3 years and how this will enhance DCAD’s EAP/Academic language and literacies provision
• 2 of your most significant pieces of scholarly work or evidence of your pedagogic activity demonstrating scholarship and educational impact. This could be publications, conference presentations, a workshop/teaching materials or a course overview.
• An EDI & values statement – (of no more than 500 words) that outlines work which you have been involved in which demonstrates your commitment to EDI and our values. I.e. Involvement in quality, diversity, and inclusion activities such as mentoring, volunteering, or attending conferences.

Where possible we request that you provide accessible web links to your publications, which the hiring Department will use to access your work. The application form contains fields in which to enter each of the web links.

Please note we are unable to access publications behind a paywall. 

In the event you are unable to provide accessible links to online hosting of your work, publications should be uploaded as PDFs as part of your application in our recruitment system.

Please ensure that your PDFs are not larger than 5mb . Your work may be read by colleagues from across the Department and evaluated against the current REF criteria.

All application documents should be uploaded with your name and document type as PDF files.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.  

Referees 

You should provide 3 academic referees they should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s).  The majority should be from a University other than your own (save for early career applicants applying for their first post). 

References will be requested for candidates who have been shortlisted and will be made available to the panel during the interview process. 

As part of your application, you will be asked whether you give your consent to your academic references being sought should you be invited to attend an interview. We will only request references where permission has been granted.  

Next Steps 

All applications will be considered; our usual practice is for colleagues across the Department to read the submitted work of long-listed candidates.   

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, The assessment for the post will take place over two days and include an interview, presentations to staff and discussions with the wider team. The assessments and interviews will take place on 26th and 27th February.  

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Applicant Guidance  

For further guidance on your application please see HERE