Department of Sport & Exercise Science

Grade 7: - £34304 - £40927 per annum/ pro rata
Fixed Term - Part Time
Contract Duration: 12 months
Contracted Hours per Week: 28
Closing Date: 09-Aug-2022, 6:59:00 AM

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world’s top universities, boasting a welcoming and vibrant international community. Durham is an exceptional place in which to base your career. Our strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences see us listed as a top 5 UK and top 100 global university with our students and our world leading academics sitting at the heart of delivering our ground-breaking work. As part of our ambitious strategy we are growing and we look forward to welcoming your application.

About Durham University

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career while enjoying a high quality work/life balance. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breathtaking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. If you’d like to find out more about the University, please visit https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/recruitment/

The Department

The Department seeks to appoint an exceptional Teaching Fellow for a period of six months to teach on a range of social science modules across all academic years. Teaching Fellowships offer the opportunity to gain valuable experience and support from experienced staff. The post of Teaching Fellow will involve a significant teaching load, including during the summer period, and there will also be administrative duties which relate to education, pedagogy and recruitment. We seek to appoint an individual who wants to join a multi-disciplinary teaching community, and who are dedicated to tackling inequalities, promoting social justice and ensuring better health and wellbeing within and through sport, exercise and physical activity.

The post is for a fixed term of 12 months. It is not anticipated that the post will be extended beyond this fixed term. Successful applicants will ideally be in post by September 1st, 2022. The successful applicant will contribute to the Department’s taught programmes, which are ranked in the Top 10 best sport-related degrees in the country. They will also be required to be an excellent citizen by successfully contributing to the administration of the Department, undertaking citizenship roles appropriate to their career stage.

Durham University’s strategic plan identifies a diverse and inclusive workforce as one of our key priorities. The Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences therefore welcomes colleagues with the experiences and competencies to contribute to our principles of inclusion, equity and diversity throughout campus life.

For more information, please visit our Department pages at https://www.dur.ac.uk/sportandexercise/ 

The Role

The Department seeks to appoint an exceptional Teaching Fellow for a period of 6 months to convene and teach on a range of social science modules, as specified in the section below.

Teaching Fellowships offer the opportunity of valuable experience to those early in their academic careers and the University is keen to maximise the benefit to as many people as possible. The post of Teaching Fellow will involve a significant teaching load, which may extend into the summer period, and there may be related scholarship opportunities and the opportunity for administrative duties which relate to education and pedagogy. The successful applicant will be appropriately supported in career development activities.

The post is not anticipated that the post will be extended beyond this fixed term.

Successful applicants will, ideally be in post by 1 September 2022.

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 application process.

Key responsibilities

• To contribute to the teaching and convenorship of modules on both undergraduate BA Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity and BSc Sport and Exercise Sciences programmes. A number of the modules are team taught, and the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to large and small group teaching, and the marking of student assessments; 
• Teach on our sport and exercise psychology modules, and other relevant social sciences modules at the direction of the Head of Department, and supervise undergraduate dissertation projects; 
• Teach modules in appropriate learning environments at undergraduate levels, demonstrating an increasing awareness of different approaches to and methods of teaching and supporting student learning; 
• Demonstrate the ability to manage own teaching and designing, planning and writing teaching materials; 
• Lead some aspects of modules and contribute to modules led by others by collaborating with colleagues on course development; 
• Undertake assessment primarily on their own modules, but also undertake a proportionate volume of double marking and moderation as assigned by programme director; 
• Develop and deliver an inclusive curriculum and make an active contribution to an inclusive community in which diversity is embraced and celebrated; 
• Seek and take on board feedback on teaching and engage with others in CPD; 
• Contribute to the educational skill of colleagues, e.g. giving a seminar to colleagues or engaging in constructive discussion about a seminar; 
• Build internal contacts and participate in networks to exchange information; 
• Start to engage in scholarship (the creation, development and maintenance of the intellectual infrastructure of subjects and disciplines) e.g., develop online teaching resources. 
• In addition to Board of Studies, membership of some departmental committees and professional body memberships. 
• Student support, assessment of academic performance and provision of feedback, dealing with student disciplinary matters and complaints; 
• Undertake effectively and efficiently any administrative role allocated by your Head of Department. 
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. 
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline. 
• To engage in continuing professional development by attending relevant training and development courses.

How to Apply  

For informal enquiries please contact m.j.roderick@durham.ac.uk.  All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.

We prefer to receive applications online via the Durham University Vacancies Site. https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/

Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University.

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit:

• a CV and covering letter which details your experience, skills and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out above.
• a statement as to your aspirations as a Teaching Fellow in terms of what motivates you, what you would like to achieve and what your broad approaches to teaching excellence and innovation are (maximum 2 pages).

Referees

You should provide details of 3 referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference (if they are not listed as an academic referee).

Please note:

• We shall seek references during the application process.  Unless in the case of very early career candidates, referees should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s) and include references from a University other than your own.
• We would ask that you alert your referees to this application as soon as possible so that we can quickly obtain references.  If you do not wish (some or all) of your referees to be approached during the recruitment process; you must clearly indicate this to us at the time of your application.
• References sought for candidates may be made available to the panel during the shortlisting process.
• We will seek a reference from your current line-manager if we make you an offer of employment (albeit you may have also nominated your line manager as an academic referee).  Please clearly indicate on the application form which referee is your current line-manager and indicate if we should only approach them once an offer has been made.
• 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.

Next Steps

The assessment for the post will include an in person interview. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment at a date to be confirmed in August.

Person Specification

Candidates applying for a grade 7 post will have recently completed or be concluding their PhD and, while they may have limited direct experience of the requirements for the post, they must outline their experience, skills and achievements to date which demonstrate that they meet or that they have the potential to achieve the below criteria:

Essential Criteria:

Desirable Criteria:

• A good first degree in [Sport and Exercise Sciences and / or related disciplines, for example sociology, anthropology, political science].
• A PhD (or be close to submission) in [Sport and Exercise Sciences] or a related subject, or equivalent demonstrable practitioner experience which may include appropriate certification and/or membership of a relevant professional body.
• Experience of teaching and examining at University level with positive student feedback gained.
• Experience of contributing to the development and delivery of high-quality teaching and/or assessment of learning, including the design and creation of successful learning environments and curricula.
• Demonstrable ability to participate in the collegial/administrative activities of an academic department and/or discipline.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.
• Experience of successfully developing innovative teaching methods for the design/delivery of high quality teaching.
• Experience of successfully working in an administrative role within an organisation or department.
• Experience of providing high quality one-to-one student supervision.
• Evidence of work undertaken (or which would be undertaken) in preparation for teaching and keeping up to date with developments in the subject area, such as:
• active membership and engagement with a professional body;
• demonstrable innovation in educational practice;
• publication in a scholarly journal or relevant professional publication;
• Attending and presenting internal and/or external seminars or at a regional conference; and/or
• Materials/curriculum development for wider use in a department.
• Candidates may have, or should have the ability to attain the rank of Fellow of HEA.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.