UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH MAW

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UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICHMAW
Mike Sharp, HOD
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THE UNIVERSITY STARTING POINT

• Community of over 24,000 students (Head count)
• 600 (ish) academics.
• 3 campuses
• Greenwich
• Avery Hill - Eltham
• Medway Chatham (30 miles out so travel time may
  be a factor!)
• Organised as 10 subject based Schools with
  Departments, no faculties! (Good / Bad who
  knows?)
• Heads of department line manage academic staff
  and are responsible for work load allocation.
• Relatively research intensive, (70/133 Guardian
  2009), so it not all about teaching and related
  activity!

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TYPICAL MAW MISSION / VISION

• For the University to have an academic workload
  process model recognised internally and
  externally which is consistent in practice,
  achieves effective management of staff time and
  demonstrably conforms to the key policy
  principles of equity, transparency and value.
  (To somewhat Bowdlerise Salfords vision.)
• The why question is answered for us in the
  mission,
• We simply do not have a process that delivers the
  key principles of equity (fairness), transparency
  and value across the University.
• We do have
• Buy-in from the TOP, quietly! UCU in partnership,
  HOS / HODs aboard.
• Workload Envy across the University, not
  corrosive.
• AND

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A project starting point.

• 4 out of 10 Schools with some Formal, more or
  less, models.
• BUT none of these seem generic enough as they
  have been built around the idiosyncrasies of the
  School and, more telling, the head of schools
  drives and goals. Not even all School wide, some
  only departments!
• All spreadsheet based with different value
  units. (Hours / Units)
• Rising recognition that something must be done
  and that what is done adds VALUE to our core
  business streams of teaching and research.
• Challenges include
• Possible review of post 1992 contracts! (Will we
  all arrive at the same place at the same time?)
• 2 brand new Deputy VC post holders (Resources and
  Learning), both critical champions. Early days
  but the noises are good.
• Joint school of Pharmacy, with University of
  Kent, run on a five year ownership cycle.
  (Remember Transparency and Equity!)
• Leadership / Unions
• Being sure what VALUE means.

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So cautiously forward

• We have learned a lot by watching others progress
  and seeing other implementations. Particularly
• Transparency and Equity is like Motherhood and
  Apple pie you cant diss it. So we can at least
  all agree on this one starting point.
• On-going dialogue is crucial to making it work,
  vision can be part of the dialogue.
• Never use the word standardised, Language is
  very important.
• Keep a long term continuous improvement vision
  from the start, better than it was but still not
  perfect approach.
• Avoid starting from syllabus plus (Allegedly) or
  any other timetable system, work load is not just
  about time tables.
• Keep a clear distinction between what the system
  / model does do and most importantly what it does
  not.
• The system probably does not tell the absolute
  truth!
• Issues you didnt spot in other peoples work will
  come out of the long grass at you.
• It will take 3-5 years to roll out and win hearts
  and minds.

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What do we propose to do now?

• Ground work done, University seems ready. SO
• Start a project
• DRAFT Objectives
• Work in partnership with UCU.
• Wrap the vision into the Universities strategic
  plan.
• Establish a project team, perhaps led by a DVC
• Test existing internal models against each other
  and external models.
• Prepare requirements for our model and its
  system.
• Setup and run a pilot in one, possibly two
  schools. (1 STEM 1 Non STEM)
• Roll it out across the University and a
  University wide model in place and operational by
  2013-2014!
• Key principles Plagiarise best practice both
  models systems, Under promise and Over deliver.
  
• Long and winding road that leads to your MAW

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• If you have been, thank you for listening