Summer work

The last thing I mentioned about work was the big wave of academic integrity cases that came just before the big marking deadline. So what happened next? No work? Well, less than average obviously, with me swanning off to Finland, and then taking a day off for the occasion of my dad’s visit. But the work doesn’t stop!

Three big things that happen in this period are Supplementary Assessment Week, Quality Assurance, and getting the module websites for next year ready. The first is a period (this year suddenly extended by a second week) in which students who have either not done assessments for reasons of illness and suchlike, or students who have not passed the year but could redeem that, can do assessments. If that goes well, they can still pass the year. If that is their final year, though, they will only get their graduation ceremony in winter. 

This year there were more of these assessments than ever before. Something is not going quite right! We might need to try to find out why this is. But we all had to set up these assessments for all our modules; sometimes a first sit for each separate assessment, and then an additional assessment for students trying to redeem the entire module. And then we have to mark it all. 

Quality Assurance involves evaluating all your modules, evaluating how the changes implemented last year have panned out, addressing all the feedback the students have given on it, and detailing what changes will be made for the new year. The deadline for making substantial changes, though, has already passed. 

The module websites are delivered to us as an empty template from a central source, and then we have to populate them. Some of that is just a question of copying information over from last year. A lot of it, as well, has to be custom-made. An overview of what happens when might have to be adjusted to the new timetable. Sometimes you have to re-record your lectures. If you have new or change assessments, these have to be put on there. Et cetera!

The new template has pretty pictures!

There's more going on, of course; I myself have been quite busy with updating the School EDIS induction information, and have been trying to organise a new procedure for the induction. New employees should be given information by their line manager, the head of the technical staff, and me as the equality, diversity, inclusivity and sustainability (that last term was added recently) lead of the School. Suddenly I wasn't being informed anymore of new arrivals, and I have been running around trying to find out why, and what now. And then there are always smaller things happening.

There is obviously still a lot to do, but at least in summer, it doesn't really matter when you do it. Not very many things are timetabled. So you can organise other things, such as sustainability surveys of your house, and organise work around that. I enjoy that!

Will I reach new academic year without too much stress? We'll see! I have a few time-consuming tasks on my hand, and I have one module I really need to think about how to do things in practice. Stay tuned!