Role profiles

Communication

• Communicates complex concepts and ideas to students at undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels.
• Communicates regularly with colleagues on matters related to the educational process and student progress at Brookes.
• Contributes as part of the teaching team to the design and implementation of written course materials, guides and those documents associated with Quality Assurance.

Teamwork, Motivation and Managing people

• Develops productive and effective working relationships with academic and administrative colleagues.
• Contributes collaboratively as part of the teaching team to ensure that the planned quality of the teaching and learning experience is fully achieved.

Liaison and networking

• Liaises with others as appropriate as part of a teaching team responsible for quality assurance, and/or implementation, and the student experience.

Teaching and Learning Support

• Delivers teaching and learning activities at the undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels, using appropriate materials and methods, devised and /or selected by the role holder.
• Undertakes individual tutorial sessions, supervises projects and dissertations, manages external student activity which contributes to the student learning experience (e.g. Fieldwork trips and work placements).
• Sets, marks and assesses course work and examination material, and participates in awarding processes at School and University level.

Pastoral Care

• Acts as a first point of contact in providing pastoral support and guidance to students within tutorial provision and refers students on to their Academic Adviser as appropriate.
• Initiative, Problem-solving and Decision Making
• Contributes collaboratively with others in the teaching team to the continuous development of course content, structures and materials, making proposals to ensure that the School’s academic/student experience goals are delivered.
• Contributes collaboratively to course accreditation and other quality control/assurance processes.
• Deals appropriately with problems of student performance, progression and assessment (in conjunction with other colleagues).

Sensory, physical and emotional demands

• Uses PC/laptop and other presentation/audio-visual equipment.

Work environment

• Based in office, laboratory or teaching rooms.

Knowledge and Experience

• Possesses sufficient breadth or depth of specialist knowledge to be able to effectively work within and contribute to the established teaching programmes.
• Capacity to use a range of delivery techniques that will engage students and provide an appropriate high level student learning experience.

Communication

• Communicates complex concepts and ideas to students at undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels.
• Communicates regularly with colleagues in peer communities within and outside the University on professional/specialist topics.
• Communicates with academic and administrative colleagues within the University and externally on matters related to the educational process, relating both to student progress at Brookes and wider issues of pedagogy and higher education policy.
• Contributes as part of the teaching team to the design and implementation of written course materials and guides.

Teamwork, motivation and managing people

• Contributes to modular, field, and /or programme teams.
• Develops productive and effective working relationships with academic and administrative colleagues.
• Contributes collaboratively to projects at school, department or subject area level.
• Contributes collaboratively as part of the teaching team to ensure that the planned quality of the teaching and learning experience is fully achieved.

Liaison and networking

• Contributes to School structures which are responsible for quality assurance, policy development and/or implementation, and the student experience.
• Participates in external bodies/organisations with the objective of maintaining and developing a productive involvement in the academic and /or professional field in which they are working.
• Participates in external bodies/organisations in order to facilitate student recruitment, placement and employment.

Planning and organising resources

• Manages resources for personal research and scholarship.
• Input as part of the teaching team to budget management and other resource allocation issues related to teaching and research.

Teaching and learning support

• Delivers teaching and learning activities at the undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels, using appropriate materials and methods, devised and /or selected by the role holder.
• Undertakes individual tutorial sessions, supervises projects and dissertations, manages external student activity which contributes to the student learning experience (e.g. Fieldwork trips and work placements).
• Contributes to curriculum development and re-design, meeting appropriate QA standards and developments in the area/s concerned.
• Contributes to the planning, design and development of teaching and learning objectives and materials.
• Sets, marks and assesses course work and examination material, and participates in awarding processes at School and University level.

Research and scholarship

• Engages in subject, professional and/or pedagogic research.
• Reflects on practices and the development of personal learning and teaching skills
• Contributes to the process of securing grants and/or other forms of research funding.
• Disseminates research findings through publications (books, monographs, articles) and/or other appropriate methods.
• Gives presentations, lectures, seminars (internal or external) based on personal scholarship and research; and/or exhibits work at appropriate events.

Pastoral care

• Personal tutor responsibilities involving a wide range of student pastoral /welfare issues e.g. personal , health, academic, financial.
• Knowledgeable about appropriate referral agencies.
• Initiative, problem-solving and decision making
• Contributes collaboratively with others in the teaching team to the continuous development of course content, structures and materials, making proposals to ensure that the School’s academic/student experience goals are delivered.
• Contributes collaboratively to course accreditation and other quality control/assurance processes.
• Deals appropriately with problems of student performance, progression and assessment (in conjunction with other colleagues).
• Takes responsibility for the management of personal scholarship, research, and the dissemination of results and outputs.

Sensory, physical and emotional demands

• Balances pressures of teaching, research and administrative demands.
• Uses PC/laptop and other presentation/audio-visual equipment.

Work environment

• Based in office, laboratory or teaching rooms.
• Travel requirements away from the University may be required (e.g. fieldwork, research, placement supervision, school-based assessment, practice based assessment).

Knowledge and experience

• Possesses sufficient breadth or depth of specialist knowledge to be able to effectively work within and contribute to the established teaching programmes.
• Capacity to use a range of delivery techniques that will engage students and provide an appropriate high level student learning experience.
• Engaged in further professional development in relation to teaching, scholarship and the development of personal research skills and output.

Communication

• Regularly communicates complex concepts and ideas to students at undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels.
• Communicates regularly with colleagues in peer communities within and outside the University on professional/specialist topics.
• Communicates with academic and administrative colleagues within the University and externally on matters related to the educational process, relating both to student progress at Brookes and wider issues of pedagogy and higher education policy.
• Writes research papers, journal articles and materials for publication.
• Is expected to lead on/or have significant input to the design and implementation of written course materials and guides.

Teamwork, motivation and managing people

• Leads modules, fields and/or programme teams.
• Develops productive and effective working relationships with academic and administrative colleagues.
• Leads development projects at Faculty, department or subject area level.
• Involved in integrating HPLs and non-core staff into teaching, learning and other job-related activities.
• Advises, coaches and supports colleagues using personal knowledge and experience.
• As a module/field/course leader, ensures that the planned quality of the teaching and learning experience is fully achieved.
• Supervises the work of colleagues in a research team/project or PhD students.

Liaison and networking

• Participates in university structures which are responsible for quality assurance, policy development and/or implementation, and the student experience.
• Participates in external bodies/organisations with the objective of maintaining and developing a strong involvement in the academic and /or professional field in which they are working.
• Participates in external bodies/organisations with the objective of marketing the University to potential students, funders and those who might collaborate on research and/or consultancy projects.
• Participate in external bodies/organisations in order to facilitate student recruitment, placement and employment.

Planning and organising resources

• Co-ordinates support functions related to teaching and learning responsibilities.
• Manages resources for personal research and scholarship.
• Involved in budget management and other resource allocation issues related to teaching and research.

Teaching and learning support

• Responsible for the delivery of teaching and learning activities at the undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels, using appropriate materials and methods, devised and /or selected by the role holder.
• Undertakes individual tutorial sessions, supervises projects and dissertations, manages external student activity which contributes to the student learning experience (e.g. fieldwork trips and work placements).
• Undertakes curriculum development and re-design, meeting appropriate QA standards and keeping abreast of pedagogic developments in the area/s concerned.
• Plan, design and develop teaching and learning objectives and materials.
• Set, mark and assess course work and examination material, and participate in awarding processes at faculty and University level.
• Acts as an external adviser or examiner to other HEIs on teaching and learning issues.

Research and scholarship

• Engaged in significant subject, professional and/or pedagogic research.
• Develops research objectives for individual or collaborative research/scholarly projects.
• Identifies sources of research funding and contributes to the process of securing grants and/or other forms of research funding.
• Disseminates research findings through publications (books, monographs, articles) and/or other appropriate methods.
• Gives presentations, lectures, seminars (internal or external) based on personal scholarship and research; and/or exhibits work at appropriate events.

Pastoral care

• Personal tutor responsibilities involving a wide range of student pastoral /welfare issues e.g. personal , health, academic, financial.
• Knowledgeable about appropriate referral agencies.

Initiative, problem-solving and decision making

• Contribute to the continuous development of course content, structures and materials, making proposals to ensure that the faculty's academic/student experience goals are delivered.
• Contribute to the development of faculty policies on the marketing and promotion of the subject area and the curriculum offered.
• Contribute to course accreditation and other quality control/assurance processes.
• Deal appropriately with problems of student performance, progression and assessment (generally, in conjunction with other colleagues).
• Take responsibility for the management of personal scholarship, research, and the dissemination of results and outputs.
• Provide advice on strategic issues for the faculty/University, such as student recruitment and widening participation.
• Contribute through the faculty/University Committee structures to the decision making processes affecting the teaching and learning service provision.

Sensory, physical and emotional demands

• Balance pressures of teaching, research and administrative demands.
• Uses PC/laptop and other presentation/audio-visual equipment.

Work environment

• Based in office, laboratory or teaching rooms.
• Travel requirements away from the University may be significant (e.g. fieldwork, research, placement supervision, school-based assessment, practice based assessment).

Knowledge and experience

• High degree of specialist knowledge, developed from academic and/or professional experience and qualification routes.
• Capacity to develop high-level teaching and research programmes.
• Capacity to use a range of delivery techniques that will engage students and provide an appropriate high level student learning experience.

 Updated June 2014

Communication

• Regularly communicates complex concepts and ideas to students at undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels.
• Communicates regularly with colleagues in peer communities within and outside the University on professional/specialist topics, leading and building collaborative partnerships.
• Communicates with academic and administrative colleagues within the University and externally on matters related to the educational process, relating both to student progress at Brookes and wider issues of pedagogy and higher education policy.

Writes research papers, journal articles and materials for publication.

• Exercises a leadership role in relation to teaching/learning policies and pedagogy or research and consultancy activities for the School/department. Is expected to take the lead on and manage delivery of the design and implementation of written course materials and guides.
• Plays a leading role in institution-wide Committees and/or external bodies

Teamwork, motivation and managing people

• Leads modules, Fields and /or programme teams.
• Is expected to take a leadership role in relation to teaching and learning policy and strategy or research and consultancy activity for School or Department.
• Is expected to take a leadership role in key strategic development in relation to the marketing of collaborative programmes and income generation for the School.
• Manages the work of other academic staff and gives leadership support to associated teaching teams.
• Participates in personal development and review process for other academic staff.
• Develops productive and effective working relationships with academic and administrative colleagues.
• Leads development projects at School, department or subject area level.
• Involved in integrating HPLs and non-core staff into teaching, learning and other job-related activities.
• Advises, coaches and supports colleagues using personal knowledge and experience.
• As a module/field/course leader, ensures that the planned quality of the teaching and learning experience is fully achieved.
• Supervises the work of colleagues in a research team/project or PhD students.

Liaison and networking

• Participates in University structures which are responsible for quality assurance, policy development and/or implementation, and the student experience.
• Participates in external bodies/organisations with the objective of maintaining and developing a strong involvement in the academic and /or professional field in which they are working.
• Participates in external bodies/organisations with the objective of marketing the University to potential students, funders and those who might collaborate on research and/or consultancy projects.
• Participate in external bodies/organisations in order to facilitate student recruitment, placement and employment.
• Chairs School committees and working groups.
• Represents the institution on external bodies, committees and national working groups.
• Leads and develops external partnerships.

Planning and organising resources

• Contributes to the overall management of the School/department in areas such as business and curriculum planning, and leadership of research and teaching/scholarship.
• Co-ordinates support functions related to teaching and learning responsibilities.
• Manages resources for personal research and scholarship.
• Involved in budget management and other resource allocation issues related to teaching and research.

Teaching and learning support

• Responsible for the delivery of teaching and learning activities at the undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels, using appropriate materials and methods, devised and /or selected by the role holder.
• Undertakes individual tutorial sessions, supervises projects and dissertations, manages external student activity which contributes to the student learning experience (e.g. Fieldwork trips and work placements).
• Undertakes curriculum development and re-design, meeting appropriate QA standards and keeping abreast of pedagogic developments in the area/s concerned.
• Plan, design and develop teaching and learning objectives and materials.
• Set, mark and assess course work and examination material, and participate in awarding processes at school and University level.
• Acts as an external adviser or examiner to other HEIs on teaching and learning issues.

Research and scholarship

• Contributes to the leadership of the department research and/or scholarship strategy.
• Makes invited presentations/lectures at national or international conferences and other similar events and enjoys a well-evidenced national /international reputation through a sustained track record of publications/outputs.
• Engaged in significant subject, professional and/or pedagogic research.
• Develops research objectives for individual or collaborative research/scholarly projects.
• Identifies sources of research funding and contributes to the process of securing grants and/or other forms of research funding.
• Disseminates research findings through publications (books, monographs, articles) and/or other appropriate methods.
• Gives presentations, lectures, seminars (internal or external) based on personal scholarship and research; and/or exhibits work at appropriate events.

Pastoral care

• Personal tutor responsibilities involving a wide range of student pastoral /welfare issues e.g. personal , health, academic, financial.
• Knowledgeable about appropriate referral agencies.
• Provides pastoral support for academic colleagues.
• Acts as second tier point of referral in dealing with issues relating to students’ academic/educational progress.
• Initiative, problem-solving and decision making
• Take a leadership role in the continuous development of course content, structures and materials, making proposals to ensure that the School’s academic/student experience goals are delivered.
• Identify opportunities for strategic development of new courses or appropriate areas of activity and manage the development process.
• Take a leadership role in the development of School policies on the marketing and promotion of the subject area and the curriculum offered.
• Contribute to course accreditation and other quality control/assurance processes.
• Deal appropriately with problems of student performance, progression and assessment (generally, in conjunction with other colleagues) acting as 2 nd line of referral for these issues where appropriate.
• Take responsibility for the management of personal scholarship, research, and the dissemination of results and outputs.
• Provide advice on strategic issues for the School/University, such as student recruitment and widening participation.
• Contribute through the School/University Committee structures to the decision making processes affecting the teaching and learning service provision.

Sensory, physical and emotional demands

• Balance pressures of teaching, research and administrative demands.
• Uses PC/laptop and other presentation/audio-visual equipment.

Work environment

• Based in office, laboratory or teaching rooms.
• Travel requirements away from the University may be significant (e.g. fieldwork, research, placement supervision, school-based assessment, practice based assessment).

Knowledge and experience

• High degree of specialist knowledge, developed from academic and/or professional experience and qualification routes.
• Capacity to develop high-level teaching and research programmes.
• Capacity to use a range of delivery techniques that will engage students and provide an appropriate high level student learning experience.
• Required to be an externally recognised authority in the subject area.

The full role profile for an Associate Lecture predominantly involves teaching-related activity.

The normal range of duties undertaken by an AL will include some or all of the following:

1. To lead lectures and/or seminars across a range of undergraduate and/or postgraduate programmes.
2. To provide support to module leaders, for example assisting with the preparation of teaching and assessment materials, as directed by the module leader.
3. To supervise dissertations.
4. Where appropriate, to supervise practical and specialist skills-based work (e.g. laboratory science practicals or studio work).
5. To mark and assess students’ work.
6. To supervise examinations.
7. To act as a first point of contact in providing pastoral support and guidance to students within tutorial provision and to refer students on to their Academic Adviser as appropriate.
8. To participate in administrative processes to ensure compliance with institutional procedures.
9. To plan/prepare student experience activities, e.g. field trips, exhibitions, etc.
10. To supervise and undertake student placement visits as required.
11. To attend programme meetings as required (normally a maximum of two per semester, approximately 2 x 2 hours) and to contribute collaboratively to curriculum development as appropriate. ALs will be paid for attendance at such meetings at the Basic Rate.
12. To participate in performance evaluation and review processes as appropriate.

ALs are not be expected to be involved in any of the following activities:

1. Module leadership
2. Academic Adviser
3. Research and knowledge exchange

While Associate Lecturers are not normally be expected to act as Module Leads, exceptionally, with the approval of the Dean and Head of Department, an AL may be asked to carry out some or all of the duties of a Module Lead. Where this is the case, the AL will be paid at the Basic Rate for the work involved.

These guidelines are issued in order to achieve the following objectives:

• to achieve education provision of a high standard;
• to recognise the professional contribution which lecturers make to the HE sector;
• to avoid lecturers undertaking unreasonable workloads;
• to enable the distribution of work to be carried out locally and fairly within an institution taking into account the local circumstances.

The duties and responsibilities of a lecturer are inherently of a professional nature and wide ranging. They include direct teaching, tutorial guidance to students' learning, research and other forms of scholarly activity, curriculum development, educational management and administration, participation in the democratic processes of the institution (committee membership etc), participation in quality assurance procedures, recruitment and admission of students, staff appraisal, income generating activities, and representing the institution on or to appropriate external bodies.

The proportion of time an individual should devote to any of these activities is a matter for professional judgement, which is necessarily made on an individual basis, bearing in mind the needs of both the individual lecturer and the institution.

Both staff and management jointly have a responsibility to seek to enhance the quality of educational provision, but at the same time to increase access to higher education to all sectors of the population, since the extent to which this is achieved is also a measure of the quality of the service. To this end there is mutual concern to improve flexibility and to bring about changes in working practices and methods of delivery, supported by a commitment to the professional development of staff.

Workloads which damage performance and which are detrimental to the lecturer, students and the service must be avoided through good management practice in which academic managers (Deans of Faculties, Subject Lecturers, Course Tutors etc) and their colleagues collectively determine optimum working practices which safeguard standards for all aspects of a lecturer's role, and for individuals to manage their time in a fully professional way towards individual and corporate objectives.

Working hours

On the matter of the working week, it is not appropriate in a professional contract to be specific as to the exact hours of availability for duties; moreover, it is accepted that in the case of the obligation to undertake research and other scholarly activity that obligation will not necessarily require attendance at the institution. In relation to teaching duties a reasonable norm may be helpful at institutional level. Such a norm should be comparable with those of related professional groups; it is not to be regarded as either a minimum or maximum.

Owing to the range of teaching and learning methods involved and the different needs in various subject areas, a precise specification of teaching hours is neither possible nor appropriate in a professional contract. As a general guide, however, an individual lecturer may normally expect to have formal scheduled teaching responsibilities for students within a band of 14 to 18 hours a week on average over the anticipated teaching year of that lecturer.

The teaching responsibilities of lecturers are defined by their "formal scheduled teaching responsibilities" as detailed below. These should not exceed 18 hours in any week or a total of 550 hours in the teaching year. However, this provision will not apply in subject areas where the nature of the curriculum and teaching style make it inappropriate such as aspects of Teacher Education, Art, Design, Performing Arts, and Music: in these subject areas scheduled teaching will be determined in accordance with the paragraph above

"Formal scheduled teaching" is intended to mean teaching and other learning events which are either specifically timetabled or otherwise planned, and which are explicitly included in the definitive validated course submissions.

"Teaching" includes:

• instruction methods drawn from the definitive validated course submissions such as lectures, tutorials, seminars and other formal pedagogic work;
• direct supervision of the project and/or dissertation elements of courses as found in the definitive validated course submissions;
• direct supervision of higher degrees by research.

It is in the nature of industrial placement visits and field trips that there are some elements which can legitimately be related to formal scheduled teaching. Deans of Faculties and others involved in the process are required to consider the impact of these responsibilities on the formal scheduled teaching responsibilities of individual lecturers, and adjust them where this is desirable and practicable.

Formal scheduled teaching does not include:-

• invigilating and marking;
• pastoral care of students such as counselling, welfare, and guidance;
• research and other forms of scholarly activity;
• curriculum development, including identification of consumer requirements; planning, development and evaluation of courses and course materials and supervision of course provision;
• educational management and administration, including administration and management of education and training programmes and may include responsibilities related to publicity and public relations. (Note:- It is acknowledged that the management and administration work for courses which have large numbers of students enrolled is greater than that for smaller courses. Deans of Faculties will have regard to this in determining workloads);
• participation in the processes of the institution, e.g. committee membership, quality assurance procedures, recruitment and admission of students;
• income generating activities;
• representing the institution on or to appropriate external bodies;
• participation in staff development and staff appraisal processing and in-service training;
• such other duties as may reasonably be required by the University having regard to the general principles used in these definitions.

Where possible, in arranging a lecturer's timetable special regard should be given to the family responsibilities of individual lecturers.

Factors to be taken into account

The specific teaching responsibilities of an individual lecturer, and the time to be devoted to other duties, is a matter for discussion between the lecturer and the relevant line manager (e.g. Dean of Faculty and will be such as to enable the lecturer to be effective in the overall discharge of his/her professional responsibilities. In allocating responsibilities, the following factors shall be taken into account:

• the full range and extent of actual duties to be performed;
• personal development needs both as a teacher and as a subject specialist, and in relation to research and other scholarly activity and to overall career development;
• teaching experience;
• the number of students for whom there would be overall responsibility;
• teaching group sizes, with particular regard for methods requiring interaction (e.g.seminars), and the assessment implications;
• differing subject needs;
• the teaching methods appropriate;
• the number and range of the curricula to be taught, with particular consideration given to the development and delivery of new (for the lecturer) and innovative courses;
• the desirability of achieving a reasonable balance of activities;
• wider internal and external responsibilities;

Regard for the implications in lecturers' workloads should be had at the appropriate stages of course and institutional planning, particularly in relation to those courses having specific professional demands.

Procedure

Determination of a lecturer's duties will normally be achieved by annual consultation between the Dean of Faculty and the individual lecturer, and should be linked to the institution's procedures for staff development and appraisal. However, there should be fairness in the allocation of overall duties and equal opportunities for all staff to develop their professional skills. Moreover, it will be important to maintain an ongoing review of the situation so as to adjust to changing circumstances and to deal with any difficulties which might occur. To these ends;

• the outcome of the process should be open within each Faculty;
• senior management has a responsibility to maintain an overview to ensure a measure of consistency across the institution in the application of these guidelines;
• the institution has effective procedures to deal with grievances or disputes over the allocation of duties and the application of these guidelines, at both the individual and collective levels. Where appropriate, the recognised lecturer union is involved at both levels.

This role description is broadly generic across the University but there are some small variations depending upon Faculty. These differences are relatively few and will be Faculty specific.

• Generic Research Lead job description (PDF)

• as delegated by the Programme Lead or Head of Department to take responsibility for the day to day operation of a particular programme or subject area;
• to ensure with the appropriate Programme Leader and/or Head of Department that the delivery of Subject modules is consistent with the content of the programme as validated;
• if delegated by the Programme Leader and/or Head of Department, to arrange and chair regular minuted meetings of the Subject Committee which are responsible for single programmes;
• to ensure with the appropriate Programme Leader and/or Head of Department, the preparation and distribution to students of up-to-date Programme and Module Handbooks and to update the relevant sections of the Undergraduate Modular Handbook each year;
• to take primary responsibility for producing marks information for Exam Committees, including mark up and checking mark sheets;
• to arrange for students on their programmes to receive careers advice;
• to take primary responsibility for the subject timetable and room bookings (working with Programme Leaders);
• to seek advice from the Academic Management Office about any proposed changes in assessment patterns, modules or Subject rules;
• to be responsible for a range of delegated QA activities, including the supporting the Programme Leader with validations and periodic reviews;
• to assist the Programme Leader with relevant professional body accreditations and preparations for external quality inspections/ reviews;
• to counsel Subject students on their choice of modules, including exchange programmes, and to liaise with the Programme Leader and/or Head of Department on subject changes;
• to approve AMO and Student Information related requests;
• to manage student international exchanges academic programmes as agreed by the Programme Lead;
• to receive and, where appropriate, action student reports and letters from Disability Services;
• to assist in the marketing and recruitment to the particular programme or subject area and
• to advise and liaise with Admissions on student applications including the consideration of applications with transfer of credit.

• reflect on a student's academic progress;
• discuss their development in critical self-awareness and personal literacy;
• discuss the development of their Higher Education Achievement Record (HEAR) (from September 2015 tbc)
• encourage the student, from an early stage in their studies, to consider what their options might be on completion of their programme and the steps they might need to take to achieve them;
• review module level results including feedback on assessments;
• discuss their overall academic performance, including them developing Grade Point Average and Honours Degree Classification;
• help the student to understand graduate/postgraduate attributes and how they are developed through their programme;
• discuss any worries that the student might have about their studies;
• discuss module choices, or possible programme changes and
• provide for a reference.

Each Faculty in the University is responsible for the ethics review of research conducted in their Faculty and is required to appoint a Faculty Research Ethics Officer (or up three Departmental Research Ethics Officers in research intensive areas), to represent their Faculty on the University Research Ethics Committee (UREC).

The role of the research ethics officer is broadly to:

• provide advice to department / faculty staff and students on ethical issues and procedures;
• keeping departmental / faculty research ethics procedures under review and reporting where required to the University Research Ethics Committee;
• act as a liaison point between the department / faculty and the University Research Ethics Committee;
• attend UREC meetings and contribute to the review process of each application discussed to ensure that ethical standards are met and
• consider research proposals from the participants’ perspective in particular.

An ACO is an academic member of staff who ensures any referred academic misconduct case is investigated, confirms whether a breach has occurred, allocates an appropriate penalty and keeps a full record of each case. In order to do this they must:

• liaise with module leaders about cases;
• interview students;
• carry out misconduct paperwork;
• liaise with the Student Disputes Officer and ACO Forum Chair;
• be an active member of the ACO Forum*;
• report on each academic year cases and 
• help to promote a culture of academic integrity.

*The Academic Conduct Officer Forum was set up to support ACOs in the work. The current chair of the Forum is Dr George Blumberg - Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment