JOB DESCRIPTION

Post: Digital Champion (Senior Lecturer)
Department: Sociology and Criminology, Economics and International politics
School: School of Politics and Global Affairs
Grade: 8
Tenure: Full time permanent role
Responsible to: Head of Department

The School of Policy and Global Affairs

The School of Policy and Global Affairs (SPGA) is City St George’s school for transformative education and world class research. It is a centre of world class scholarship, education, and public service, making a transformative impact on society. It is home to over 2,500 students and 100 staff in three departments (Economics, Sociology and Criminology, and International Politics). The School attracts outstanding members of academic staff who produce world-leading or internationally excellent research of benefit to society; provide innovative and exciting programmes of study; and enrich the lives and enhance the career prospects of its students.

The Departments

The Department of Sociology and Criminology has established an international reputation as a centre of excellence in the research and education. The Department has been ranked 5th nationally and 1st in London in the 2021 REF. It offers an exceptional and varied programme of study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and runs a well-established PhD programme. The Department is home to high-profile research centres including: the Centre for Justice Reform; the European Social Survey (ESS) centre, the Violence and Society Centre, the Work and Society Centre, and the new Centre for Online-Safety, Safeguarding, Privacy, and Identity (COSPI). For more information on the courses and modules we currently provide please see our website.

The Department of International Politics has established an international reputation as a centre of excellence in research and teaching. Over the past 10 years it has rapidly expanded and currently has over 800 students and a vibrant interdisciplinary community of researchers, in Comparative Politics, International Political Economy, International Relations, and Modern History. The Department offers an exceptional and varied programme of study providing a full teaching programme, which includes six undergraduate programmes (BA History, BA History and Politics, BSc International Political Economy, BSc International Politics, BSc International Politics and Sociology, BSc Politics), four MA programmes (MA Foreign Policy and Diplomacy, MA Global Political Economy, MA International Politics and Human Rights, MA International Politics) and a PhD programme. The Department contributes to the teaching of interdisciplinary BA Journalism, Politics and History. For more information on our staff, their research interests and publications please see our website.

The Department of Economics is a dynamic centre for research and undergraduate and postgraduate education. The Department has core research strengths in microeconomics (both applied and theoretical), macroeconomics, development economics, financial economics, and health economics. It has hosted several academic conferences in recent years and runs an external as well as internal seminar series. The Department delivers a growing PhD Programme alongside its highly successful BSc and MSc programmes and is part of the South East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS) Doctoral Training Partnerships funded by the ESRC. For more information on our research and the teaching programmes we provide, please see our departmental website.

Job Purpose

To be a digital champion for the School/Department. To contribute to teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level; supervise students and undertake leadership and management duties commensurate with the role. If appointed to an Education and Career track, to contribute to the research profile of the Department.

Main Responsibilities

The successful candidate is expected to contribute to the following main duties:

Digital Champion

SPGA is determined to achieve a step change in our digital practice, particularly our teaching provision for students and how we undertake and present our research. To do this are appointing ‘Digital Champions’ in all three of our Departments. Digital champions are subject specialists who use digital means to equip students with the necessary core knowledge to progress, advance and enrich their pedagogic understanding of the subject they study. They build dynamic and constructively aligned learning activities that provide students with the space needed to fully comprehend the issues being presented in a variety of ways, and in a manner that respects individual learners, learning differences, as well as diverse learning communities.

Digital Champions have three main missions:
First, to produce high quality learning materials designed for asynchronous learning and teaching via state-of-the-art VLEs and in a student friendly format.

Second, to cascade digital expertise across the Department through the partnering with and mentoring of colleagues with less developed digital skills and interests.

Third, to be part of a cadre of digital champions across SPGA that can be an effective stakeholder and business partner with City’s professional services working in the digital space. In particular, the digital champions will canvass the opinion of colleagues and use their own expertise to provide meaningful technical advice and feedback on proposed investment in digital platforms across City as part of the University’s digital strategy.

These three missions will drive SPGA’s embrace of meaningful digital provision as we transition to a new model of teaching delivery and research practice. In particular, we intend to generate a diffuse level of professional competence across the School that empowers us to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing HE sector.

Education

• Use digital media and platforms to build a relevant and appropriate range of effective learning and teaching methods that foster a positive learning environment for students.
• Design and deliver an exciting and challenging education in their discipline.
• Contribute to the teaching needs of the UG and PG programmes in their Department.
• Support, supervise and mentor students, aiding their educational and professional development (including acting as personal tutor to students).
• Carry out course evaluation including providing excellent student feedback; reflecting on own teaching design and delivery; and implementing ideas for improving performance.

Research (where appropriate)

• Pursue a concrete plan of personal research activity that will deliver internationally excellent publications and/or projects.
• Research experience in areas including digital sociology, digital methods, platform governance, mis/disinformation and/or content moderation is desirable.
• Seek external funding to support research individually and/or jointly.
• Present research findings to diverse audiences.
• Contribute to policy development at a national/international level.
• Recruit, supervise and mentor PhD students.

Staff and Personal Development

• Pursue academic and research excellence through a continuing commitment to academic, professional, and personal development.

Academic Administration and Leadership

• Undertake administrative duties at Programme, Departmental, School and University level under the direction of the Head of Department.
• Maintain excellent communications with staff and students.
• Present an appropriate external profile on the web and through outreach activities.
• Ensure a continuous process of quality assessment and programme review to meet the requirements of the University and relevant professional bodies under the direction of the Head of Department.

Student Experience

• Work closely with colleagues and the Professional Service teams to monitor and enhance the student experience, from recruitment and induction to completion of studies under the direction of the Head of Department.
• Communicate effectively with students, monitor feedback and deal with concerns as required as approved by the Head of Department.
• Engage in student recruitment activities – e.g., student open evenings, open days, taster days, etc.

We envisage the successful candidate to become the Digital Champion for the Department as the demands for digital and online provision increase.

Additional information

• The post holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to City St George’s, University of London’s Equal Opportunities Statement.
• The post holder must accept responsibility for ensuring that the policies and procedures relating to Health and Safety in the workplace are adhered to at all times.
• The post holder must respect the confidentiality of data stored electronically and by other means in line with General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) the Data Protection Act 2018.
• The post holder must carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the non-smoking environment of City St George’s, University of London.

 Workplace values

• The post holder will be expected to operate in line with City St George’s workplace values which are:

• • We care
  • We learn
  • We act

Sustainable Development

City St George’s, University of London is committed to a policy of best practice to assist in building a sustainable way of life by taking a positive, solutions-orientated approach. All post holders are encouraged to contribute through their roles to improving the environment for City St George’s and the wider community.

Details of policy, information and staff development supporting the policy on the environment and sustainability can be found here.

The above list is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post. All members of staff are required to be professional, co-operative, and flexible in line with the needs of the post, Department, School and City St George’s, University of London.

Job descriptions should be regularly reviewed and at least prior to the annual appraisal, if applicable or on a regular basis to ensure they are an accurate representation of the post.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement (EDI)

City St George’s, University of London is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in all its activities, processes, and culture for our whole community, including staff, students, and visitors.

The university will meet its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 in recruitment and seek to eliminate discrimination on the basis of age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, pregnancy, race and ethnic origin, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background.

Selection and promotion criteria are kept under review to ensure that individuals are treated on the basis of the job requirements and on their relevant personal merits; and are not disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable. City St George’s operates a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Post: Digital Champion (Senior Lecturer )
Department: Sociology and Criminology, Economics and International politics
School: School of Politics and Global Affairs
Grade: 8
Tenure: Full time permanent role
Responsible to: Head of Department

All of the following criteria are considered essential and will be assessed by application and interview unless otherwise noted.

Qualifications and Knowledge

• (For Education and Research profile only) Educated to PhD level in their discipline at time of appointment. (Application only)
• (For Education Profile) A first degree in a relevant subject/discipline and a postgraduate degree or appropriate professional qualification/experience.
• Evidence of engagement with the dimensions of the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in Higher Education, and evidence of meeting the Descriptor 2 criteria for Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellow level (or working towards). (Application only)

Experience

• Teaching: Delivering high quality and engaging teaching in their discipline.
• Teaching: Ability to produce high quality learning materials designed for asynchronous learning and teaching via state-of-the-art VLEs and in a student friendly format. (Exercise only)
• Teaching: Effectively supervising students and research projects at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Desirable
• Teaching: Experience of designing and / or delivering training to improve students’ employability and understanding of future career options. Desirable
• Teaching: Developing or fostering programmes and joint degrees to enhance student experience and community. Desirable
• Research (where relevant): Pursuing impactful research.
• Research: (For Education and Research profile only) Pursuing high-quality research on digital sociology, digital methods, platform governance, mis/disinformation and/or content moderation is desirable. Desirable
• Research (For Education and Research profile only): Demonstrated ability to produce publications of internationally excellent quality.
• Research (For Education and Research profile only): Research agenda with the potential to secure external funding. Desirable
• Research (For Education and Research profile only): Potential to produce impactful research.
• Administration: Ability to cascade digital expertise across the Department through the partnering with and mentoring of colleagues with less developed digital skills and interests. (Interview only)
• Administration: Ability to be part of a cadre of digital champions across SPGA that can be an effective stakeholder and business partner with City’s professional services working in the digital space. (Interview only)
• Administration: Contributing to organisation and management of academic departments.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to maintain good working relationships with students and colleagues.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of students from international and widening participation backgrounds.
• Strong administrative, management and organisational skills.
• A capacity to work effectively in their Department.
• Commitment to equality and diversity and City St George’s values.