Supporting sessional staff through structured induction: evaluation, reflections and lessons learned

Dickson, B. and Davidson, J. (2021) Supporting sessional staff through structured induction: evaluation, reflections and lessons learned. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 9(3), pp. 41-49. (doi: 10.14297/jpaap.v9i3.503)

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Abstract

The case study that is the focus of this article is based on a professional development opportunity provided for sessional staff who were recruited to the School of Education at a research-intensive university in the UK. Research literature on sessional staff demonstrates potential pitfalls both in academic management and continuing professional development for this group of staff. Taking a socio-constructive view of teaching and learning, we outline the construction and delivery of an induction training programme for sessional staff recruited to supervise Masters dissertations. The sessions were characterised by active learning, discussion among peers and with staff knowledgeable in the specific areas under discussion. The induction training programme was evaluated by an online survey. Drawing on the survey as well as our own reflections, we found that the induction sessions had enabled sessional staff to become more confident in taking up their roles; that active learning and discussion had been both important and enjoyable; and that knowledgeable staff had contributed to the effectiveness of the teaching and learning which were experienced.

Item Type:Articles
Keywords:Sessional staff, induction, support, continuing professional development, supervision.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Davidson, Dr Janis and Dickson, Dr Beth
Authors: Dickson, B., and Davidson, J.
Subjects:L Education > L Education (General)
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy Policy and Practice
College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy, Praxis & Faith
University Services > Learning and Teaching Services Division
Journal Name:Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice
Journal Abbr.:JPAAP
Publisher:Edinburgh Napier University
ISSN:2051-9788
ISSN (Online):2051-9788
Published Online:21 January 2022
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2022 Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice
First Published:First published in Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice 9(3):41-49
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License
Data DOI:10.5525/gla.researchdata.1343

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