Further Particulars

This document includes information about the role for which you are applying and the information you will need to provide with the application.

  1. Role details

Vacancy reference:10102
Job title:Staff Tutor, Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology (MCT)
Reports to:Associate Dean, Nations and Regions
Salary:£33,562 to £45,053 per annum
Terms and conditions:Academic
Grade:AC2 or AC3
Duration of post:6 months
Working hours:Full Time
Location:The midlands or the south of England
Closing date:Noon Thursday 22 May2014
Type of application form accepted:Long OU application form and CV. Please also read the Information for Applicants for guidance on how to apply
Number of referees required:Three
Unit recruitment contact:Staffing Co-ordinator, email

2. Summary of duties

The Staff Tutor Role

A Staff Tutor is an academic who is based in one or more of the national or regional offices of the Open University, although increasingly Staff Tutors will work in virtual teams with colleagues in Nottingham, Milton Keynes and across the UK. There is some flexibility in location but it is expected that the candidate will be able to travel to London on a regular basis. He or she will contribute to the delivery and support of the Mathematics and Statistics curriculum.
A significant and distinctive part of the academic role of Staff Tutor is to manage a large number of part-time Associate Lecturers (OU tutors) who in turn directly support OU students through the means of correspondence tuition, email, telephone and face-to-face sessions and, increasingly, other mechanisms such as electronic tutorials and conferencing. Managerial responsibilities include the appointment, induction and staff development of Associate Lecturers, conducting Career Development and Staff Appraisal (CDSA), overseeing their professional development and assuring the quality of their work. The Staff Tutor role also extends to helping the largely non-subject specialist advisory and study support staff to understand the needs of Mathematics, Computing and Technology students, and in conveying the Faculty's curriculum developments and student support strategies to student services colleagues. A Staff Tutor is also involved in designing and implementing strategies to widen participation, to promote employer engagement, and to enhance more broadly the external work of the University.
It is envisaged that the post-holder will spend the majority of their time managing Associate Lecturers, engaging in outreach work and providing specialised support to students as part of a wider Student Support Team, based in Nottingham. There may be some opportunities for the post-holder to contribute to module teams based in Milton Keynes (although this can largely be done from a distance). The successful candidates will become a member of the Mathematics and Statistics department.
Staff Tutors are expected to bring their knowledge of student and Associate Lecturer needs and their understanding of the Student Services student support structures to their teaching and other department and Faculty work. They are also expected to bring their understanding of Department, Faculty and University priorities to their work in the management of Associate Lecturers, support of students and engagement in outreach work.
The nature of the Staff Tutor role means that they must be able to work well in teams, and in particular in teams that are not co-located. Many of the duties of a Staff Tutor involve the need to perform administrative tasks, and the management and quality assurance aspects of the role require an ability to deal sensitively with a wide range of people. Due to the broad nature of the Faculty’s offerings, it may be necessary for a Staff Tutor to support students and tutors in a second MCT curriculum area at Level 1.
Some aspects of the role will require working in the evenings and at weekends and Staff Tutors are expected to be flexible in their working hours. Some travel will also be necessarywithin the south of England, to Nottingham and to Milton Keynes. Such journeys will be reimbursed according to the University scheme.

Summary of the main duties of the post

  • To conduct the appointment, initial training and on-going staff development of a team of part-time Associate Lecturers and to then manage, supervise and support them. This includes providing academic advice on module content and teaching methods, taking a lead role in monitoring the teaching activities undertaken by Associate Lecturers, and conducting ‘Career development and staff appraisal’ for them. Some of these activities may take place at a distance.
  • To participate in the academic activities within theMathematics and Statistics Department to include: writing assessment material and contributing to module teams.
  • To provide direct support for enquirers, applicants and students planning to study or studying modules within the Mathematics, Computing and Technology Faculty programmes. To assist prospective students in making informed choices about their studies, and to provide the quality of ongoing support and service that will encourage registered students to continue studying with the university. The Staff Tutor is strongly supported in this work by Student Services staff, who deal with the majority of enquiries which arise.

Staff Tutors are also expected

  • To plan student support activities such as the programme of face-to-face tutorials and day schools, electronic tutorials and forums and telephone tuition.
  • To promote the study of modules and qualifications of the Faculty, particularly in respect of under-represented groups and to provide information on the Faculty’s modules for student services staff.
  • To provide a link between Associate Lecturers, students, employers and professional bodies and the Faculty (at Milton Keynes),
  • To be actively involved within Student Support teams in developing and implementing strategies and policies designed to support students and Associate Lecturers, including equal opportunities and access initiatives, and to contribute to the University’s wider role in the economy and society.

3. Person specification

Education and qualifications

Essential

  • Good honours degree (or equivalent) in Mathematics or Statistics or a closely related area.

Desirable

  • Specialist knowledge in a relevant field demonstrated by a postgraduate qualification, research publications or professional experience.
  • Ability to support modules in applied mathematics or statistics.

Work and experience

In appropriate cases the Selection Panel will use its judgement to balance proven experience and skills against potential to achieve the necessary qualities.

Essential

  • Experience of leading, supporting, and (preferably) managing, people who facilitate learning
  • An understanding of the needs of adult distance learners
  • Relevant teaching experience and evidence of an understanding of different teaching methodologies.
  • An understanding of what constitutes quality learning experiences and the ability to convey this to others
  • Ability to prepare well-written assessment materials using a variety of media
  • Successful administrative experience
  • Experience in the use of IT for teaching, administration and communication

Desirable

  • Experience of teaching adults and/or experience of supported open and/or distance education
  • Expertise in the use of new technology in education
  • Experience of the Open University, and of the Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology in particular; for example, as an Associate Lecturer

Personal abilities and qualities

Essential

  • Ability to work both independently, and with others in co-located and virtual teams, to a previously agreed schedule
  • Organisational skills, including the capacity to deal quickly and effectively with queries, to prioritise demands and manage a wide range of activities.
  • Good interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively with a range of staff (academic, administrative, and support staff)
  • Good written and oral communication skills
  • Interest in personal development, in learning new skills and in assisting others to develop new skills
  • Capacity for original, creative and independent thought
  • Knowledge of and commitment to equal opportunities principles

4. Role specific requirements e.g. Shift working

Ability to undertake evening and weekend commitments and to travel within the midlands and south of England.

5. About the unit/department

The Open University regional offices

There is some flexibility as to where this post will be based. In the Midlands and south of England the Open University currently has offices in London, Oxford, Bristol, Cambridge, Nottingham and Birmingham. The post-holder will be expected to be able to travel to the London Office, which is based in Camden Town.

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics has 32 central academic members of staff based in Milton Keynes and 18 staff tutors based at regional and national centres around the UK. It is also home for a number of research fellows, visiting researchers and both full-time and part-time research students. The Department comprises four groups: Applied Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Pure Mathematics, and Statistics.
The Department is the largest UK provider of higher education mathematics and statistics teaching, with well over 15,000 student registrations each year (corresponding to about 4000 FTEs in total). Many of our courses are also taught outside the UK and this is an expanding part of our profile. The Department is very active and has a good reputation in its areas of research specialisation, both nationally and internationally; it has frequent visitors from home and abroad and organises regular research seminars, conferences and meetings at the Open University.
The Department includes two London Mathematical Society Whitehead Prize winners, an Institute of Physics Maxwell Medallist, an AMS Whiteman Prize winner, two winners of the Savage Prize, and a winner of a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award and a Royal Statistical Society Bradford Hill Medal.
Members of the Department play an influential role in mathematics and statistics nationally, with several active on London Mathematical Society, Institute of Physics and Royal Statistical Society committees and others involved in national and international initiatives. External research grants currently support 4 post-doctoral research fellows.
The Department provides a friendly and flexible working environment and is based in two floors of the Alan Turing Building in an attractive campus in Milton Keynes. Staff tutors are provided with a shared office within the department for when they are visiting Milton Keynes. There is a common room area and a well-equipped seminar room which facilitates our extensive seminar programmes of external speakers in both mathematics and statistics. There is also a large range of more informal study groups. Staff and PhD students regularly join together for lunch in the refectory.
The Department is proud to support the London Mathematical Society’s (LMS) Good Practice Scheme: Advancing women's careers in university mathematical sciences departments and is committed to developing good working practices that support the careers of all members of the Department. The Department has a high proportion of women compared to many other maths departments and, in the 2012 Good Practice Benchmarking Survey commissioned by the LMS, the Department’s working practices were scored as being well above the national average in several areas.
Further information about the Department of Mathematics and Statistics is available at
Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology
The Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology is one of the largest faculties of The Open University (OU) with a turnover of approximately £80m, and with over 200 academic staff, including regional academics based in our Regional and National Offices, as well as researchers, administrators, curriculum managers, project officers, and secretarial support staff. With over 50,000 students from a wide range of educational and social backgrounds studying our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and research degrees, our curriculum and research make a difference to people’s lives. Our modules provide breadth across the technical and scientific education demanded by the national and international knowledge economy, with the curriculum depth (from foundation through to postgraduate level) to provide the pull-through from lower- to higher-level skills. Our coverage ranges from quantitative analysis to policy, from engineering to design, from information to interaction, from vendor qualifications to technology management.
The breadth of our research enabled the Faculty to host returns to five Units of Assessment in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) and to contribute to further units of assessment across the University. Our research is currently evidenced as world leading or internationally excellent in a number of areas. It directly informs our teaching and ensures that the Faculty remains at the forefront of pedagogic innovation and technology-enhanced learning. In addition the Faculty is developing an ambitious enterprise agenda to exploit our capabilities through partnerships, consultancies and other relationships.
The Faculty consists of three academic Departments:
  • Computing and Communications
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Engineering and Innovation
These strong interdisciplinary groups work collaboratively across departments/disciplines and with other faculties.

6. How to obtain more information about the role or application process

If you would like to discuss the particulars of this role before making an application please contact Matthew Nelson ()
If you have any questions regarding the application process please contact

7. Where to send completed applications

Please ensure that your application reaches the University by:
Noon, Thursday 22 May 2014
Email your application to:
Or post it to:
The Staffing Co-ordinator, Pentz Building
Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology
The Open University
Walton Hall
MK7 6AA

8. Selection process and date of interview

The interview panel will be chaired by Lindsey Court, Associate Dean (Nations and Regions).
For the selection process applicants are required to submit:
(1) a completed application form*;
(2) a curriculum vitae(please remove any information from your CV that might give an indication of your race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation, as these details are irrelevant to your application)
The selection process for this post will be based on a short timed desk exercise followed by a telephone interview. The date and the members of the interview panel will be confirmed to shortlisted applicants.
*NB: It is important that candidates complete all sections of the application form in full. The selection panel will be paying particular attention to the following section of the application form: Describe briefly the nature of your present appointment, and any other position which you have held that you consider relevant to this application. Please provide details and evidence of how you meet the person specification.
We will let you know as soon as possible after the closing date whether you have been shortlisted for interview. Further details on the selection process will be sent to shortlisted candidates.
Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.

Human Resources HRG158 Issue 2

January 2010

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