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Career development

The Ear Institute actively encourages the career development of all staff and students. We have for example set up an EI conference fund to help academic, research and professional services staff attending essential workshops or meetingsThe following sections highlight the opportunities for independent funding, fellowships, resources and mentoring programmes.

UCL Arena

Teaching, learning development and awards

UCL Arena is a professional development programme for teaching and learning. There are pathways for all staff at UCL who teach, supervise, assess or support students’ learning and who would like to develop their skills. The pathways provide guidance on gaining recognition for your work by applying for a UCL Arena fellowship which is accredited by the Higher Education Academy (HEA). The skills gained and the fellowship awards will be helpful when applying for promotions or for other job roles.

Information for post docs on Arena
Click here for information about the Arena programme for Postdoctoral Researchers

Nazia Mehrban is a senior research fellow at the Ear Institute and she gained fellowship of the HEA in 2016. Here she tells us about her experience.

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Why did you decide to do the Arena programme?

As I navigate academia towards starting my own group I felt gaining a HEA-approved teaching qualification early in my career was important and advantageous. The Arena Centre and its staff provide a uniquely supportive environment in obtaining formal teaching qualifications that are nationally (and in some cases internationally) recognised. Understanding exactly what the HEA require for a Fellowship is not easy but the Arena Centre staff offered guidance throughout, including one-to-one sessions where needed.

What did you learn?

My first introduction to the Arena Centre was through the myriad of CPD courses they offer. It was through these that I became aware of the HEA Fellowships. Through a combination of the CPD courses and the Fellowship application process I learned about pedagogy, the UK Professional Standards Framework, the importance of continuous feedback and how teaching (both inside and outside of academia) is a two-way process where knowledge on the subject material is only one part of the puzzle. I like to think I am now much more informed!

How much time did it take?

Surprisingly not that long once I understood what the HEA and UCL Arena needed. Armed with examples of previously successful Fellowship applications it took me a couple of months to gather my evidence and lay it all out in a coherent way. If combined with the one-to-one advice sessions I believe it could be an even quicker process.

What are the benefits?

As well as having a formal teaching qualification and being able to put FHEA after my name, the Fellowship recognises that you have received formal training on standardising your teaching against a national framework, that you are able to adapt your teaching style to suit different audiences and students, that you can evaluate your own teaching and approach the whole process from the learner’s point-of-view. I don’t think I will ever lose these skills wherever I go! I am also an Assessor for UCL Arena and can honestly say I learn something new every time I assess a new set of HEA applications.

Would you recommend the Arena programme to all postdocs?

Absolutely! The Fellowships are difficult to navigate on your own and whether you choose to stay in academia or not they teach you invaluable skills in connecting and communicating with your audience.

Information for professional services staff on Arena

Click here for information about the Arena programme for Professional Services

Neil Roberts is the Ear Institute’s Learning Technologist & Communications Officer and he gained Associate Fellowship of the HEA in 2017. Here he tells us about his experience.

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Why did you decide to do the Arena programme?

I had recently completed my CMALT portfolio and it was suggested that I use that exercise as a springboard to gain HEA fellowship. It seemed like a very good way of gaining more CPD achievements and the official accreditation aspect, based on UK standards was very attractive, as it would clearly highlight my overall teaching support within a national framework.

A delay ensued as family life took over for a bit and I started the process about 18 months after gaining my CMALT.

What did you learn?

That colleagues in UCL Arena are so helpful! The programme is really excellent in that you can get one to one tuition and proved invaluable for helping me shape the case studies.

I also realised that I did more ‘teaching’ than I thought I did (workshops, one to one training etc) and that supporting teaching was just as valuable, so it boosted my confidence in applying.

How much time did it take?

I attended an introductory session for an hour to decide if it was for me / what level to go for and then a couple of one hour drop-in writing workshops where I was able to get that one to one feedback.

UCL gives staff 5 study days a year, so as I had done previously with my CMALT I took full advantage of a few afternoons to get some further writing done and then a full day to finish off, re-edit and submit. These individual blocks of time spent chipping away at it were done over the space of a couple of months.

Always remember you have this time to take and you just need manager approval to do it!

What are the benefits?

Many. The first one was being able to put my work in a context that I had not really appreciated (purely pedagogical) and really consider my own contributions and the importance of reviewing your practice. The second was the process of writing and linking with the literature which I hadn’t really done since University days (a long time ago!) it felt really good to make these connections.

Additionally, being able to use the accreditation as a measure of success and use the post denominational letters (when I feel like it) was a nice bonus. It also looks great on a CV and for most there is always the next stage to climb up to – I hope to be looking at Fellowship level soon.

I have also put my name down and been on the Mentorship programme to help other candidates with their Associate Fellowship applications.

Would you recommend this to all professional services staff involved in supporting students’ learning?

Definitely. For staff who support teaching, then Associate Fellowship level is absolutely for them and once you do it, it makes you consider your role very differently. 

Information for lecturers and teaching fellows on Arena

Click here for information about the Arena programme for lecturers and teaching fellows.

Hannah Cooper is a lecturer at the Ear Institute and she gained fellowship of the HEA in 2020. Here she tells us about her experience.

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Why did you decide to do the Arena programme?

It’s a probationary requirement for new lecturers and teaching fellows so I had to do it!

What did you learn?

I met lots of people from across the university who were new to teaching and were experiencing the same issues as me. It was really helpful to discuss challenges and potential solutions. Colleagues at the Arena centre are very encouraging and they have a wide range of experiences to share. They are non-judgmental and are very good at gently questioning teaching practices and pointing you in the direction of examples of good practice.

How much time did it take?

It’s not as much work as you think it will be at the start! The application itself is pretty straightforward once you understand what it’s asking and the 1-1 sessions offered by the Arena centre are really supportive and reassuring. I did the Arena 2 training program which was one session a week for 8 weeks. The writing didn’t actually take that long, but I have to admit that I dragged it out over several months – the looming end of my probationary period helped me to finish it off!

What are the benefits?

It gave me more confidence in my teaching ability and made me think about what I was doing and why. And of course, I fulfilled one of the requirements of my probation!

Would you recommend this to all lecturers and teaching fellows?

Definitely! Even if you passed your probationary period before this became a requirement you should look into the program. It will help you to look at your teaching practice in a new way.

Job shadowing

Job shadowing (SHARE@UCL scheme), open to all staff  

Study Assistance Scheme

The Study Assistance Scheme – Central funding for all UCL staff for study that counts towards a degree or other professional qualifications

Research staff

In addition to the opportunities set out in the Professional Services Staff Section above, UCL also actively supports the career development of academic staff by providing a gateway to independence at UCL, and support in the application process for various fellowship schemes:

Academic promotion processes

Details about the promotion processes for different grades of academic, research and teaching staff can be found at the following websites:

Appraisals 

Staff have a right to request an appraisal, which are important to aid your career development and progression. The aim of the Ear Institute is to conduct annual appraisal of all our staff.

Documents for appraisals and promotions can be found on the faculty internal pages.