[PDF] Staff Tutor in Classical Studies - The Open University

73398_5JobDescription_17978StaffTutorinClassicalStudies.pdf

Staff Tutor in Classical Studies

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences as a Staff Tutor in Classical

Studies where you will play a key role in keeping the Open University at the forefront of supported

distance higher education, particularly in desŝŐŶŝŶŐĂŶĚĨĂĐŝůŝƚĂƚŝŶŐĞĨĨĞĐƚŝǀĞƚĞĂĐŚŝŶŐŽĨƚŚĞĂĐƵůƚLJ͛Ɛ

modules and qualifications. You will oversee the work of Associate Lecturer colleagues and be responsible for the management

and staff development of those who teach modules in Classical Studies, as well as inter-disciplinary

Level One modules in Arts & Humanities.

You will also be expected to contribute to the department of Classical Studies through your teaching

as well as through discipline-specific and/or pedagogical research. According to your specialisms, you

will contribute to the running and academic management of existing Classical Studies modules (e.g. assessment setting, examination processes and quality review) and will also have the opportunity to

design teaching materials for new curriculum. Your high-quality academic research and/or scholarship

of teaching will complement and extend existing expertise in the department. A research, teaching or

knowledge exchange specialism in at least one of the following areas is desirable: the material culture

of ancient Greece; classical Latin literature; pedagogy of classics teaching; outreach and public

engagement.

The role-holder will be a designated homeworker.

Key responsibilities

The individual appointed will be expected to contribute in the following ways: oversee the recruitment and appointment of Associate Lecturers (ALs) in Classical Studies. ALs

are responsible for grading and commenting on ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ͛ǁƌŝƚƚĞŶĂƐƐŝŐŶŵĞŶƚƐĂŶĚŽĨĨĞƌŝŶŐ

support and guidance for students through ͚blended learning͛ provision, i.e. through face-to-face

day schools, online tutorials and individual electronic communications; provide line management of ALs including career development and performance management, maintaining their currency of knowledge on curriculum development, student support and teaching methods, and facilitating two-way communications between ALs and Classical Studies teaching staff; organise and implement appropriate staff development programmes, i.e. train, supervise and support the work of ALs (encompassing face-to-face, online and correspondence tuition), and to

monitor their gƌĂĚŝŶŐŽĨƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ͛ĂƐƐŝŐŶŵĞŶƚƐ͖

work with other Staff Tutor colleagues to provide an effective link between the department of Classical Studies and various student-facing support teams in the university; organise timetables for blended tuition, including face-to-face day schools, online tutorials and online forums, and facilitate effective team teaching by enabling collaboration between ALs; produce high-quality, discipline-specific and/or pedagogical research in the field of Classical Studies, complementing and extending existing expertise in the department; contribute as an academic to the development and presentation of the Classical Studies curriculum through module team work; this can include both work on current modules, but also, as part of a team, in the production of new modules; be actively involved in developing and implementing Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity and Widening Participation initiatives, both for students and ALs.

Skills and Experience

Essential

You will hold as a minimum requirement a postgraduate degree (or equivalent) in Classical Studies or a cognate area, or other professional experience indicative of a similar level of discipline expertise; relevant teaching experience in Classical Studies, with a demonstrable ability to contribute to the academic management of existing Classical Studies modules (e.g. assessment setting, examination processes and quality review) and, in particular, of the classical studies components of the level 1 interdisciplinary modules A111 and A112; an understanding of the needs of distance and independent learners, and an imaginative approach to tutoring modules for a wide range of students of different ages, backgrounds and types; experience and knowledge of online learning environments and/or use of electronic media for tuition and student support; a keen interest in innovative forms of teaching and learning, including the development of teaching skills in an online environment; excellent IT skills and willingness to use more advanced software after appropriate training; the ability to select, manage, motivate and provide staff development for Associate

Lecturers;

an understanding of issues related to student access, retention, diversity and success in the context of higher education; excellent written and oral communication skills, with a strength in academic communication; excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to manage staff, give and receive advice and deal with sensitive issues in a constructive manner; the willingness to work flexibly, independently and as part of a team; the ability to travel to undertake School work as required in Milton Keynes and other locations in England; the ability to balance a portfolio of diverse work commitments, setting priorities appropriately;

Desirable

a PhD in Classical Studies or a relevant academic area and proven ability to produce high- quality discipline-specific and/or pedagogical research. experience of interdisciplinary teaching; a research, teaching or knowledge exchange specialism in at least one of the following areas: the material culture of classical Greece; classical Latin literature; pedagogy of classics teaching; outreach and public engagement;

the ability to contribute to a ŶĞǁƐƵŝƚĞŽĨŽŶůŝŶĞ͚pre-uŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ͛ƐŚŽƌƚĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ͕ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚƚŽ

introduce learners to knowledge and skills normally acquired through the study of Classical

Civilisation Higher or A Level;

an FE/HE teaching qualification or Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy; involvement and interest in the use of social media.

Role-specific requirements

Since face-to-face and online tutorials and staff development events are held in the evenings and on

Saturdays, Staff Tutors need to be prepared to undertake evening and weekend commitments to visit

or deliver these events. Staff Tutors may need to travel periodically to places in England where face-

to-ĨĂĐĞ ĚĂLJ ƐĐŚŽŽůƐ Žƌ ƐƚĂĨĨ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ ĂƌĞ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ƉůĂĐĞ͘ ŚĞ ŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ͛Ɛ ƚƌĂǀĞů ĂŶĚ

subsistence scheme will apply. (NB There are currently no face-to-face tutorials or staff development

events scheduled for the 2020-21 academic year.)

About the Unit

Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences

The Faculty is the largest and most diverse at The Open University, with some 30,000 students (FT

equivalent) studying our modules with excellent completion rates and consistently outstanding

student satisfaction ratings. Noted for the strength of our interdisciplinary approaches, our scholars

of international standing teach and research a very wide range of topics and themes in specific subject

areas, recognised as world class or internationally excellent in the latest Research Excellence

Framework (REF) in 2014, and having a direct and profound influence on our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.

The Faculty is organised into three Schools:

School of Arts and Humanities School of Social Sciences and Global Studies School of Psychology & Counselling Students are supported by three Student Support Teams. These teams offer specialist study support

to students undertaking our qualifications across the University. Members of academic staff, including

academics based in all four nations of the UK, form part of these teams in sustaining and improving student progression and retention.

The Faculty works closely with important organisations and institutions in the UK and other parts of

the world in a range of validated partnerships and collaborations. We are engaged in world-class,

agenda-setting research tackling the most difficult challenges facing us in the 21st century, with work

in numerous subject-based and interdisciplinary research groups and projects.

With c.1,800 members of staff comprising academics, associate lecturers, support staff and full-time

research students working across the locations of the University, combining originality and innovation

in research and curriculum, the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences is a vibrant and exciting place to study

and work.

To find out more about the ĂĐƵůƚLJ͛Ɛ teaching, learning and research, please visit:

http://fass.open.ac.uk/

The School of Arts and Humanities

The School consists of approximately 100 academics, including Staff Tutors, organised into five

disciplines: Art History, English & Creative Writing, Classical Studies, History and Music. In addition to

offering single honours qualifications at undergraduate and postgraduate level, the School is proud of

its long history of interdisciplinary teaching, epitomised by its BA Arts & Humanities, and its

interdisciplinary Level 1 (first-year) modules. It also hosts several research centres, has recorded

strong performances in REF2014, and actively supports the research and scholarship of its academic staff. To find out more about the School, visit the web page: http://fass.open.ac.uk/schools/school- arts-humanities

Department of Classical Studies

Classical Studies has been one of the fastest-growing Classics groupings in the country. From a staff

of three when it first became a separate department in 1993, we now have sixteen academic staff.

Teaching

We teach Classical Studies to over 1,300 students a year at undergraduate level. The BA (Hons) Classical Studies was introduced in 2014. At level 1, students study the interdisciplinary modules

Discovering the Arts and Humanities (A111) and Cultures (A112). In A111, Classical Studies is

represented by three areas of study: Cleopatra, ancient sculpture and receptions of Sophocles'

Antigone. In A112, it is represented in case studies on Athens, Rome and Delphi. At level 2, the

department offers Exploring the Classical World (A229), a ͚ŐĂƚĞǁĂLJŵŽĚƵůĞ͛ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚƚŽŝŶƚƌŽĚƵĐĞ

students to key themes and questions in the study of both Greece and Rome, as well as introductory Latin (see below). At level 3, we offer Myth in the Greek and Roman Worlds (A330) and The Roman

Empire (A340), which began in October 2015.

In addition, the department offers students the opportunity to study ancient languages. Classical Latin: the Language of Ancient Rome (A276) is a beginner-level Latin module, and from October 2021 students will be able to study introductory ancient Greek in the form of a dedicated OpenLearn module. Both of these combine the teaching of language and literature in translation. Our language modules have attracted large numbers of students, making the School a leading national provider of teaching in Latin and ancient Greek.

The department also runs an MA programme in Classical Studies consisting of a postgraduate

foundation module and a subject module on the ancient body ending in a dissertation which allows

students to pursue their interests and facilitate the transition to PhD work. Unlike our undergraduate

modules, MA modules are delivered entirely online. There are currently around 200 students taking the MA. Most of our modules are designed for a life of ten or twelve years, subject to regular review and

adaptation. They carry either 60 or, in the case of the second part of the MA, 120 credit points. For

some insight into what our module materials look like, please see our Taster Materials website: https://fass.open.ac.uk/classical-studies/tasters

Classical Studies is also engaged in various outreach projects and work supporting classics teaching in

schools. Please see our webpages for details: https://fass.open.ac.uk/classical-studies/schools-and- outreach

Research

The Classical Studies department has a strong research culture and seeks to support, maintain and

develop the research and scholarship for which it is internationally renowned. We lead in developing

interdisciplinary research in classical studies, especially in the fields of reception studies, digital

classics and ancient material religion. We have an ambitious and supportive research environment involving both staff and postgraduate students, and we take part in many research and scholarship collaborations, both within the OU and beyond.

Our research is focused in nine broad areas: material religion, digital classics, classical reception,

material culture, Greek and Latin texts, the ancient body, language pedagogy, early Italy and sensory

archaeology. We are home to the Baron Thyssen Centre for the Study of Ancient Material Religion, The Classical Studies Reception Network, The Votives Project and two open-access journals

(ƌĂĐƚŝƚŝŽŶĞƌƐ͛ Voices in Classical Reception Studies and New Voices in Classical Reception Studies), as

well as the public-facing podcast site Classics Confidential; we are also part of the wider projects Hestia,

Pelagios and Google Ancient Places. Over the next few years, we aim to develop all these areas to

support both individual and collective research. Our research feeds into the taught curriculum, as well

as into broader Faculty research themes in Arts, such as Cross-Cultural Identities; Digital Humanities;

The Ferguson Centre for African and Asian Studies; and Gender and Otherness in the Humanities (GOTH). The department holds regular subject seminars and research conferences and aims to provide an ambitious, flexible and supportive environment for postgraduate study. Research student numbers and completions have increased since REF2014. At present there are 12 research students working in Classical Studies. Our membership of the OOC (Open-Oxford-Cambridge) Doctoral Training Partnership provides opportunities for postgraduate research and cross-institutional collaboration. For more information about Classical Studies at the OU, please visit our website at: http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/ classical-studies/index.shtml