• MLP

eTutors

Further Details

eTutors (Teaching Assistants)
Manchester Leadership Programme (MLP)

Background to MLP

The Manchester Leadership Programme is a university-wide programme which offers students the opportunity to explore sustainable and ethical leadership in response to the major challenges facing the world in the 21st Century, and to engage with the wider community.

The Programme consists of two elements: a range of taught academic Leadership in Action units and up to 60 hours of accredited volunteering over an academic year.

The MLP was launched in 2005/6 with 80 students and has grown rapidly to 1250 students in 2011/12. Up to 1,600 student places are available in 2012/13. We employed 25 eTutors (GTAs) last year and would like to expand the team again for 2012/13.

We are keen to hear from current PhD students who are interested in opportunities to tutor on our Leadership in Action units in Semester 2, 2012/13. We have a number of eTutor vacancies on our Semester 2 Online Unit but, subject to student numbers, we may also recruit tutors for our semester 2 lecture based unit.

Please note:

• eTutors on all units will be required to attend up to 4 training/moderation meetings, and should therefore be resident in Manchester during Semester time, and during the assessment periods. For Semester 2, 2012-13 these dates are:
  • 28th January - 22 March 2013
  • 15 April - 7 June, 2013

Overview of the eTutor role

Given the diverse topics which make up the Manchester Leadership Programme and the interdisciplinary nature of the programme, we hope to recruit eTutors from a wide range of backgrounds and do not expect you to have expertise in all of the areas covered.

We are however looking for a real personal interest in the subject matter and a passion for working with students. This is not like a conventional "lab demonstrator" role, and although that sort of experience is very valuable, you also need to convince us that you have something to offer related to the subject matter of the Manchester Leadership Programme - maybe your own volunteering experience, or any previous academic, or other, interest in these areas.

You will need to be a skilled communicator, especially in writing, as you will be setting activities and responding to student queries through Blackboard discussion boards and email. You will need to commit to regularly interacting with students online, as well as attending face to face lectures where applicable. There will be some face to face contact in all of the units, so you must be able to develop and deliver materials (with support from the MLP team) directly to students.

Workload and Payment

Working hours average 5 hours per week per semester. For lecture-based tutors this includes attending the 90 minute lecture (Semester 1: Tuesdays, 4.00-5.30pm, Semester 2: Thursdays, 3.00-4.30pm). For online tutors this includes working through the interactive learning modules that comprise the online unit core content (at least 90 minutes each week).

However, please note, there can be considerable variation in the hours worked over the semester, with less than 5 hours needed during some weeks, and substantially more than 5 hours per week needed during assessment periods (December-January for Semester 1, May/early June for Semester 2). eTutors are paid for a standard 5 hours per week over 18 weeks to account for this.

Payment will be made at the agreed hourly rate for teaching assistants (currently £14.29 per hour).

eTutoring and teaching duties

(NB. Training will be provided for eTutors)

• Acting as an eTutor to a group of approximately 25 students providing ongoing support throughout the course using Blackboard
• Stimulating online discussion based around lectures and online course content, including moderation of discussion boards
• Providing interim feedback and guidance on project proposals and contribution to discussions
• Being the first point of contact for student queries during the course
• Leading face to face meetings with your tutor group (lecture based units only)
• Ensuring students in your tutor group are making satisfactory progress towards their assessment

Assessment

eTutoring also involves a significant amount of assessment. Assessment requirements vary across the different units, and include innovative forms of assessment. For example, 10 credit lecture-based students develop group ePosters on a topic of their choosing related to an MLP theme, using linked PowerPoint slides to simulate a web presentation. Whether you are a tutor on an online or lecture-based unit, you will be required to assess a range of student work, including group work, individual research projects and online discussions.

All eTutors will be required to attend assessment training and moderating meetings.

Administration

eTutors will also be required to undertake a range of administrative tasks related to student support and monitoring, such as:

• tracking student participation in Blackboard
• submitting marks to MLP Team
• writing feedback on assessed coursework using an agreed format
• (for lecture-based courses) supporting the MLP team in various tasks related to the management of the lecture theatre to ensure the smooth and efficient running of lectures

Person Specification

Essential

• Registered as a current PhD student at the University of Manchester for the period of time covered by the unit. (Note: You need to have access to the university's IT networks to tutor on these courses)
• Either in possession of a University of Manchester postgraduate teaching certificate or equivalent, or an undertaking to obtain this upon appointment
• A clear interest in (and some general knowledge of) the concepts underpinning the Manchester Leadership Programme (leadership for environmental, social and economic sustainability)
• Excellent ability to communicate well in English, both orally and in writing

Desirable

• University teaching experience at undergraduate level
• Experience of, or interest in, eTutoring
• Ability to lead group activities
• Good presentation, communication and analytical skills
• An understanding of the issues affecting undergraduates
• A willingness and ability to acquire knowledge and understanding of the University teaching quality standards, including examinations standards and procedures
• Adaptable and flexible approach to work, with the ability to think outside the box

Further Information

The closing date for applications is Thursday 4th October by 12 noon.

Interviews for the above posts will take place on 18 and 19 October 2012

If successful you would need to attend an eTutor training session to take place on Thursday 24 January 2013.

If you have any question about the role please contact Sian Yeowell or Sam Hemsley on tel: 0161 275 2828

Download the application form (.rtf);

Completed forms should be emailed to leadership@manchester.ac.uk using the subject line "MLP eTutor Vacancy Application".