Policy on occasional teachers

1.   Occasional teachers are defined as individuals who undertake teaching in the University but who are not:

• Academic members of staff of the University, or
• Research students of the University

More information on this group can be found here:

Policy on students who teach

 2.   The policy below only applies to occasional teachers who:

• have no previous experience of teaching in post-compulsory education (and therefore the policy only applies during the individual’s first engagement by the University), and
• have main responsibility for teaching all students on a module or a portion of a module amounting to at least 5 credits (e.g. 50% of a 10 credit module).

Schools should, though, still have some means of monitoring the performance of occasional teachers who do not meet these criteria e.g. sporadically observing occasional teachers while engaged in teaching.

1.   In selecting an occasional teacher and allocating teaching tasks, the School should ensure that the occasional teacher has the appropriate skills, experience and knowledge in the subject area being taught.

2.   On appointment as an occasional teacher, an individual training needs assessment should be undertaken by a member of the School's academic staff. Training may take whichever form is deemed appropriate by the School (including courses provided within the School, by Professional Development, or by organisations external to the University) in light of this assessment and the sort of teaching being undertaken by the occasional teacher.

3.   All occasional teachers should be given a mentor, who must be a member of academic staff, who can provide guidance and advice.

4.   Occasional teachers should receive constructive and regular feedback on their performance (including strengths and weaknesses) by the module convenor or another member of academic staff. The occasional teacher’s performance should be monitored over the duration of the teaching and this should include classroom observation.

5.   In respect of any assessment carried out by occasional teachers, Schools should ensure that

• They are supervised by a named member of academic staff, and
• They are provided with training appropriate to their role in the assessment process, and
• Assessments that contribute to the final module/course mark are moderated by a member of academic staff.