Errors in Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes Report

Damian_Gordon

I'm trying to identify if there are any factually incorrect statements, or ommisions, or errors, in the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes Report. I'm a lecturer in DIT, these are the points I have with the document regarding third-level issues;

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D.1 Staffing efficiencies across the third level sector

“For example, in some cases a lecturer may have no further work from March until September because of student work placements.”

This is untrue, it is extremely unlikely that a lecturer will only be teaching on the single year of a programme where work placement occurs, typically lecturers teach on a range programmes and on a range of years, some that have work placement, others that don’t, so it is never the case that once students go on work placement the lecturer will have no other teaching. Additionally students on work placement require supervision by lecturers and placement visits to ensure the students are getting on. Finally the student should be producing weekly reports that are read by their supervisors.

“There is no contractual requirement to be on campus other than for delivering lectures”

This is factually incorrect, lecturers are required to be present for student meetings, staff meetings, student supervision, all corrections and assessments have to be done on the premises of the institute by contract, etc.

“there is no system of accountability for the performance of non-lecturing duties”

This is factually incorrect, a range of non-lecturing duties, e.g. student supervision have the standard accountability processes. Students have the right to complain and appeal. There is a whole QA/E process in DIT.


D.2 Rationalisation of third level institutions

“2. Amalgamation of the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS) with UCD or TCD”

I find it distressing that the group suggest only UCD and TCD, and make no rationale as to why there is no mention of DCU or DIT.

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Any other takers ???

j1smithy

Damian_Gordon wrote: »

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D.1 Staffing efficiencies across the third level sector

“For example, in some cases a lecturer may have no further work from March until September because of student work placements.”

This is untrue, it is extremely unlikely that a lecturer will only be teaching on the single year of a programme where work placement occurs, typically lecturers teach on a range programmes and on a range of years, some that have work placement, others that don’t, so it is never the case that once students go on work placement the lecturer will have no other teaching. Additionally students on work placement require supervision by lecturers and placement visits to ensure the students are getting on. Finally the student should be producing weekly reports that are read by their supervisors.

“There is no contractual requirement to be on campus other than for delivering lectures”

This is factually incorrect, lecturers are required to be present for student meetings, staff meetings, student supervision, all corrections and assessments have to be done on the premises of the institute by contract, etc.

---

Any other takers ???

Well when I was in TCD, it was next to impossible to get into contact with certain lecturers, because as the lady in the faculty office put it "he keeps his own hours". I don't think its unreasonable to expect a lecturer to be on campus or off on official duty from 9 to 5 every week day.

Regarding teaching, well Students generally have between June and September off so not a lot of teaching goes on during that period. Yes Exams need to be corrected, but certainly in the case of non final years this can be delegated to PhD and Postgrads, working off a marking scheme. What do university staff do during the summer months? Supervise the postgrads and do some research themselves... Its a sweet well paid number and I'd love to work in a Uni as an academic.

Damian_Gordon

j1smithy wrote: »

Well when I was in TCD, it was next to impossible to get into contact with certain lecturers, because as the lady in the faculty office put it "he keeps his own hours". I don't think its unreasonable to expect a lecturer to be on campus or off on official duty from 9 to 5 every week day.

Regarding teaching, well Students generally have between June and September off so not a lot of teaching goes on during that period. Yes Exams need to be corrected, but certainly in the case of non final years this can be delegated to PhD and Postgrads, working off a marking scheme. What do university staff do during the summer months? Supervise the postgrads and do some research themselves... Its a sweet well paid number and I'd love to work in a Uni as an academic.

Hey, I have a lot of sympathy with you, but with all due repsect, the section of the report I am refering to is about Institute of Technology lecturers, not university lecturers.

If you had TCD lecturers that were uncontactable, you were entitled to ask for an official appointment, first by e-mailing the lecturer, second by contacting your Tutor, and failing that by contacting the Head of Dept.

As to your second point, all I can tell you is that the situation is very different in IoTs to Universities, we are legally required to correct all of our exam papers, etc. so there is no farming it off to post-grads for us. Also, as I'm sure you can imagine a lot of work gets done in the Summer in terms of recruitment which can be meeting and interviewing potential students and production of promotional materials, development of new courses and subjects, research, liasing with Industry and government bodies, writing research papers, dealing with student appeals and cases of unfair practice, supervising postgraduate students, applying for research funding, helping organise conferences, reviewing journal papers and drafts of student dissertations, helping students revise for repeat exams, teaching in partner insititutes, development of teaching and assessment materials for next year (so I typically teach 4 courses in Semester 1 and 4 in Semester 2, and rarely get the same courses two years in a row. It typically takes me 2-3 hours to prepare an hour of lecturing for an undergraduate course, and 5-6 hours for a Masters course (you can't exactly make this stuff up on the spot), and as it happens for next year I am going to be teaching subjects on four different Masters courses, so I'm going to have to be working at least 9-5 for all of the summer taking off a week or two).

As I said I really can't speak for the University lecturer experience, but I'm sorry to hear you had problems contacting some lecturers.

Nermal

Damian_Gordon wrote: »

2. Amalgamation of the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS) with UCD or TCD”

I find it distressing that the group suggest only UCD and TCD, and make no rationale as to why there is no mention of DCU or DIT.

Come on now, it is the institute of ADVANCED studies after all...