Teaching by Postgraduates

Employment of Postgraduate Research Students to carry out Teaching within the Department

The Department of Law and Criminology employs a certain number of postgraduate research students registered within the Department to carry out teaching and assessment of undergraduate students. This practice is based upon the following main principles :

1. The utilisation of available subject expertise and qualification to satisfy the teaching needs of the Department (usually the provision of seminars).
2.  That the experience of such teaching should enhance the career development of those at an early stage of an academic career.
3. That such teaching should complement the research activity of postgraduates and should not intrude upon their core research activity, and therefore in practice should not exceed 60 hours per annum (except in the case of half-time tutors ((1) below) when registered also for a research degree).
4. That postgraduate tutors should receive appropriate training and support and should be fully integrated into module teaching teams.

Postgraduate tutors fall into a number of categories.

1. Part-time (50%) tutors employed as salaried staff on fixed-term contracts (usually three years) as part of the staff establishment of the Department. Such tutors are appointed on the basis of open competition. Frequently such tutors may also be registered as part-time doctoral students.

2. Holders of postgraduate studentships, either funded by the University or externally, e.g. by one of the Research Councils. It is frequently a condition for the award of such studentships that the holder of the studentship carries out some undergraduate teaching through seminars, and assesses undergraduate examination answers and coursework. Such studentships are awarded on the basis of open competition. Such PG tutors are remunerated at an hour rate.

3. Other registered research postgraduates who may be offered teaching work but not as salaried staff and outside of any studentship provision. Such opportunities may be available but variable according to departmental teaching needs in any one year and may be offered subject to appropriate qualification (i.e. knowledge of the relevant subject area and ability to carry out the teaching). It may be necessary to choose between two or more interested persons by means of an open competition within the Department. Such PG tutors are remunerated at an hour rate.

(May 2009)