Advices that the CC produces for the Management Team and other bodies will be posted on this page. In addition their responses will also be posted.
*Each new blue heading indicates a new topic of Advice
*Each new blue heading indicates a new topic of Advice
Advice on how to improve current course evaluations
In February 2019, the UCUC sent an advice to the Dean concerning the course evaluations which is a key element in the evaluation of teaching quality.
20190205_ucuc_advice_on_course_evaluations.pdf | |
File Size: | 761 kb |
File Type: |
The expenditure of the Quality Agreement Funds
In November 2018, the UCUC put together a document regarding possible ways to spend and invest the Quality Agreement Funds. You can find the document below.
quality_agreement.docx | |
File Size: | 20 kb |
File Type: | docx |
A&D, Scholarship Time and Career Paths Development
On February 5th, 2018, the UCUC sent a clarification email to the UCU community regarding the 10% scholarship time!
Dear colleagues,
The UCU Council (no longer CC but UCUC, sorry) has received questions about the upcoming A&D talks, specifically concerning “discussion of the use of the allotted scholarship time” as announced in an e-mail from Bettina on December 15 and again on January 9, in which the wording was slightly different. You were now asked to “reflect” on the scholarship time. We have asked the MT if this means that the way the scholarship time has been used will be part of the assessment of an employee’s (your) performance, which would be in contrast to the unconditional way in which this “first” 10% scholarship time was allotted to you. The UCUC received the reassuring answer from the MT that it just wishes to gauge how satisfied people are with their scholarship time, not whether it is “well spent”, let alone whether it will be taken away again if deemed not well-used.
The UCUC would also like to take this opportunity to point out to you that it is very enthusiastic about the organizational clarity that our management is trying to bring by conjuring up a governance document, a hiring policy document and two career path documents that have either been sent to you or have been posted on our intranet pages. On a critical note however, we would like to point out that none of these documents has been finalized and discussions on their final versions are going on as we speak. To mention but one point, the relative importance of the teacher versus tutor task in hiring and assessing performance as stated in the hiring policy document seems to be contrasting what is described in the career paths documents. Given our role as your representatives, we would therefore like to urge you to take a close look at those documents and tell us what you think! We look forward to receiving your input!
With kind regards,
Your UCU Council
Dear colleagues,
The UCU Council (no longer CC but UCUC, sorry) has received questions about the upcoming A&D talks, specifically concerning “discussion of the use of the allotted scholarship time” as announced in an e-mail from Bettina on December 15 and again on January 9, in which the wording was slightly different. You were now asked to “reflect” on the scholarship time. We have asked the MT if this means that the way the scholarship time has been used will be part of the assessment of an employee’s (your) performance, which would be in contrast to the unconditional way in which this “first” 10% scholarship time was allotted to you. The UCUC received the reassuring answer from the MT that it just wishes to gauge how satisfied people are with their scholarship time, not whether it is “well spent”, let alone whether it will be taken away again if deemed not well-used.
The UCUC would also like to take this opportunity to point out to you that it is very enthusiastic about the organizational clarity that our management is trying to bring by conjuring up a governance document, a hiring policy document and two career path documents that have either been sent to you or have been posted on our intranet pages. On a critical note however, we would like to point out that none of these documents has been finalized and discussions on their final versions are going on as we speak. To mention but one point, the relative importance of the teacher versus tutor task in hiring and assessing performance as stated in the hiring policy document seems to be contrasting what is described in the career paths documents. Given our role as your representatives, we would therefore like to urge you to take a close look at those documents and tell us what you think! We look forward to receiving your input!
With kind regards,
Your UCU Council
Clarification on the Appointment, Tasks and Responsibilities of Deputy Figures at UCU
(Sent via email, 15-12-2017)
Dear James, Sabine and Bettina,
We, the UCU council, have become aware of the existence of a deputy Head of Department in the SSC. We are convinced that such a figure may be useful as well as important, perhaps also to other figures in the UCU governance, not only as a temporary replacement during an absence, but also in supporting the development and implementation of daily duties. We notice, however, that such a deputy figure has no formal recognition within the UCU governance. This is particularly problematic given that a deputy figure may take up, in fact, the full range of tasks and responsibilities of the person she is replacing. We came to the conclusion that, for the sake of transparency, it is important to address the following issue.
1) How is a deputy selected? Is it appointed directly, on the basis of trust, or is it selected through a formal procedure?
2) What is the function of the deputy figure? Is she only expected to cover a person’s absence or can her function be permanent? And, if this is the case, how are the tasks and responsibilities shared between the two figures? And where are such tasks and responsibilities laid down?
3) Finally, as it is fundamental for the smooth and efficient functioning of our institution that the UCU community is kept informed, how and when are such decisions communicated?
We believe that there is an important opportunity to clarify practices that, until now, have been perceived as ambiguous and, at times, arbitrary. As UCU grows as an institution, it is clear to us that deputy figures become more important in assisting in the development and implementation of duties and strategies that are fundamental to the functioning of UCU. It is, therefore, useful to define their role and relevance transparently.
Best regards,
The UCU Council
Dear James, Sabine and Bettina,
We, the UCU council, have become aware of the existence of a deputy Head of Department in the SSC. We are convinced that such a figure may be useful as well as important, perhaps also to other figures in the UCU governance, not only as a temporary replacement during an absence, but also in supporting the development and implementation of daily duties. We notice, however, that such a deputy figure has no formal recognition within the UCU governance. This is particularly problematic given that a deputy figure may take up, in fact, the full range of tasks and responsibilities of the person she is replacing. We came to the conclusion that, for the sake of transparency, it is important to address the following issue.
1) How is a deputy selected? Is it appointed directly, on the basis of trust, or is it selected through a formal procedure?
2) What is the function of the deputy figure? Is she only expected to cover a person’s absence or can her function be permanent? And, if this is the case, how are the tasks and responsibilities shared between the two figures? And where are such tasks and responsibilities laid down?
3) Finally, as it is fundamental for the smooth and efficient functioning of our institution that the UCU community is kept informed, how and when are such decisions communicated?
We believe that there is an important opportunity to clarify practices that, until now, have been perceived as ambiguous and, at times, arbitrary. As UCU grows as an institution, it is clear to us that deputy figures become more important in assisting in the development and implementation of duties and strategies that are fundamental to the functioning of UCU. It is, therefore, useful to define their role and relevance transparently.
Best regards,
The UCU Council
Response from MT
(Sent via email, 15-12-2017)
Dear Council,
Thank you for your email. We will take this up, as it indeed should be spelled out. We'll have to look into this.
Does the Council itself have a normative view on the role of deputies, or does it just want the position clarified and subject to clear procedures? It seems that you consider them important (last paragraph). In other words, do you also want us to answer the normative question of whether a deputy should be appointed?
Sincerely,
James
(Response during Large UCUC Meeting 23-01-2018)
James clarified the Deputy HoD for SSC was instituted by James’ pre-decessor (previous Dean), he realizes it was done at the time as professional development for the Deputy HoD. It was not done due to the “sick leave” of previous HoD. Nor was it Ad Hoc as is commonly believed in the social circles. There does not seem to be a “sunset law” attached to the position, meaning there was no clause in the agreement on termination conditions for the Deputy position.
James believes some departmental members were consulted in the creation of the position, but is unsure.
UCUC requests to follow-up on a plan for the visibility of this position and its creation.
(Sent via email, 15-12-2017)
Dear Council,
Thank you for your email. We will take this up, as it indeed should be spelled out. We'll have to look into this.
Does the Council itself have a normative view on the role of deputies, or does it just want the position clarified and subject to clear procedures? It seems that you consider them important (last paragraph). In other words, do you also want us to answer the normative question of whether a deputy should be appointed?
Sincerely,
James
(Response during Large UCUC Meeting 23-01-2018)
James clarified the Deputy HoD for SSC was instituted by James’ pre-decessor (previous Dean), he realizes it was done at the time as professional development for the Deputy HoD. It was not done due to the “sick leave” of previous HoD. Nor was it Ad Hoc as is commonly believed in the social circles. There does not seem to be a “sunset law” attached to the position, meaning there was no clause in the agreement on termination conditions for the Deputy position.
James believes some departmental members were consulted in the creation of the position, but is unsure.
UCUC requests to follow-up on a plan for the visibility of this position and its creation.
Clarity of UCU Governance
On September 29, 2017, the UCUC sent the following advice to the MT regarding the need of more clarity in the UCU Governance.
Dear Management team,
The CC notices that our college is on the verge of undergoing several profound changes, and we welcome all your efforts in improving our UCU community in the process. It is also clear that the structure of our governance is in a state of transition. Although we acknowledge the good intentions of the proposed changes, we see a number of issues, some of which are particularly pressing given the upcoming accreditation. These include:
a. The old “heads meeting” has been replaced by a decision making new organ, the Board of studies. It is still unclear whether the reglement needs to be adjusted to accommodate the BoS, but since it needs to be changed anyway, now it seems the time to do just that. In addition to this, and for the sake of clarity we would like to ask where is the BoS constituent document in which its mandate is clearly stipulated?
b. Our curriculum is scrutinised as we speak by an ad hoc committee, the “Curriculum Taskforce” whose working methods, mandate and hours expected to be invested by its members is not yet made public.
c. We have an upcoming accreditation round and one of the issues the accreditation committee will be looking at is how well our course goals are defined and whether course assessments can withstand a critical scrutiny by independent academics. Yet no accreditation plan has been communicated to the UCU community, and we wonder how then are we supposed to be prepared for it?
We strongly feel that in light of all this, and after talking to several parties on campus, it is imperative that the tasks and responsibilites of all parties involved in the governance of our college are clearly outlined in order to ameliorate or even abolish the growing unrest. Who is in charge of what and when, and who reports to whom? In other words, we strongly advise you to strive for more clarity and transparency in the decisions you make, whether related to a new policy, the creation of a new body, or the adoption of a document. It is the MT who should define the ‘standard setting’ of Clarity and Transparency to be followed by the entire UCU community in order to ensure work Efficiency and Accountability of all actors of our beloved UCU community.
We trust that you share with us the urgent need to provide even more clarity and transparency to our community. We know for a fact that many people “on the workfloor” are at a loss. We therefore advise you to make the provision of clarity on tasks and responsibilities an important and urgent issue of your agenda. The retreat seems an ideal opportunity for you to announce when you are planning to make available a document explaining how a new and strong governance structure can tackle the challenges UCU is facing in the next twenty years of its existence. Please be reminded that we, the college council, are very much committed to helping the MT in all of this!
With kind regards,
The College Council
Dear Management team,
The CC notices that our college is on the verge of undergoing several profound changes, and we welcome all your efforts in improving our UCU community in the process. It is also clear that the structure of our governance is in a state of transition. Although we acknowledge the good intentions of the proposed changes, we see a number of issues, some of which are particularly pressing given the upcoming accreditation. These include:
a. The old “heads meeting” has been replaced by a decision making new organ, the Board of studies. It is still unclear whether the reglement needs to be adjusted to accommodate the BoS, but since it needs to be changed anyway, now it seems the time to do just that. In addition to this, and for the sake of clarity we would like to ask where is the BoS constituent document in which its mandate is clearly stipulated?
b. Our curriculum is scrutinised as we speak by an ad hoc committee, the “Curriculum Taskforce” whose working methods, mandate and hours expected to be invested by its members is not yet made public.
c. We have an upcoming accreditation round and one of the issues the accreditation committee will be looking at is how well our course goals are defined and whether course assessments can withstand a critical scrutiny by independent academics. Yet no accreditation plan has been communicated to the UCU community, and we wonder how then are we supposed to be prepared for it?
We strongly feel that in light of all this, and after talking to several parties on campus, it is imperative that the tasks and responsibilites of all parties involved in the governance of our college are clearly outlined in order to ameliorate or even abolish the growing unrest. Who is in charge of what and when, and who reports to whom? In other words, we strongly advise you to strive for more clarity and transparency in the decisions you make, whether related to a new policy, the creation of a new body, or the adoption of a document. It is the MT who should define the ‘standard setting’ of Clarity and Transparency to be followed by the entire UCU community in order to ensure work Efficiency and Accountability of all actors of our beloved UCU community.
We trust that you share with us the urgent need to provide even more clarity and transparency to our community. We know for a fact that many people “on the workfloor” are at a loss. We therefore advise you to make the provision of clarity on tasks and responsibilities an important and urgent issue of your agenda. The retreat seems an ideal opportunity for you to announce when you are planning to make available a document explaining how a new and strong governance structure can tackle the challenges UCU is facing in the next twenty years of its existence. Please be reminded that we, the college council, are very much committed to helping the MT in all of this!
With kind regards,
The College Council
Response from MT
The Management Team responded by producing and releasing two documents during a Faculty meeting in October.
These can be found below.
The Management Team responded by producing and releasing two documents during a Faculty meeting in October.
These can be found below.
Governance and Organization UCU.docx | |
File Size: | 145 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Temporary UCU Committees UCU.docx | |
File Size: | 21 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Response to MT
(Sent via email, 12-01-2018)
Dear MT,
We are looking forward to a successful year of collaborating with you, and making sure that the quality of our college and its mission remain excellent. In the coming weeks you will receive several e-mails and documents, mostly concerning issues that already were addressed in the previous half of our academic year (i.e. last fall). We would like to start with the accompanying document, which addresses governmental issues we already brought up in September 2017. We are looking forward to your reaction!
(Accompanying document included the initial advice above sent on the 29-09-17)
With kind regards,
The UCU Council
(Sent via email, 12-01-2018)
Dear MT,
We are looking forward to a successful year of collaborating with you, and making sure that the quality of our college and its mission remain excellent. In the coming weeks you will receive several e-mails and documents, mostly concerning issues that already were addressed in the previous half of our academic year (i.e. last fall). We would like to start with the accompanying document, which addresses governmental issues we already brought up in September 2017. We are looking forward to your reaction!
(Accompanying document included the initial advice above sent on the 29-09-17)
With kind regards,
The UCU Council
Response from MT
(Sent via email, 16-01-2017)
Dear UCUC Council,
Thanks for your message of 12 January. The way we see this is that right now we are still experimenting with the Board of Studies and, as a college, we are trying to find our way into it. This is work in progress. Slowly we are moving towards a new governance structure, but as yet we think it is too early to jump to any conclusions.
As for the Director of Faculty development, as you know this is a temporary project, financed from central UU funds.
The Assessment committee should, in our opinion, report to the Exam Board.
We are interested to hear what the vision of the Council, and that of the entire college for that matter, is, with regard to all these subjects, before we propose any structural changes. We are talking to the community as a whole in the AccrediTEA&Coffee meetings about all the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the college, and also here these topics emerge.
Again, we’re in the middle of a year full of transitions. Therefore, we would like to postpone any official reaction to your letter for now. Perhaps we can dedicate some of our time to this when we meet next week….
With best wishes,
Bettina, on behalf of the MT
(Sent via email, 16-01-2017)
Dear UCUC Council,
Thanks for your message of 12 January. The way we see this is that right now we are still experimenting with the Board of Studies and, as a college, we are trying to find our way into it. This is work in progress. Slowly we are moving towards a new governance structure, but as yet we think it is too early to jump to any conclusions.
As for the Director of Faculty development, as you know this is a temporary project, financed from central UU funds.
The Assessment committee should, in our opinion, report to the Exam Board.
We are interested to hear what the vision of the Council, and that of the entire college for that matter, is, with regard to all these subjects, before we propose any structural changes. We are talking to the community as a whole in the AccrediTEA&Coffee meetings about all the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the college, and also here these topics emerge.
Again, we’re in the middle of a year full of transitions. Therefore, we would like to postpone any official reaction to your letter for now. Perhaps we can dedicate some of our time to this when we meet next week….
With best wishes,
Bettina, on behalf of the MT
Response to MT
(Sent via email, 5-02-2018)
Dear James, Bettina and Sabine,
Thank you for your reply to our letter of January 12, in which we requested for clarification of our governance structure. You wrote that we are in the middle of a year full of transitions and experimenting and that it is therefore too early to jump to conclusions. We just want to clarify that we did not mean to ask for any conclusions. Rather, we feel that these transitions and experiments are great efforts and proof that there is a will to change. Our letter was meant as support in helping you address several issues we see surfacing. We hope you do not see our ongoing requests for clarity on governance and particular positions like such as deputy HoD as well as formation documents and a cost/benefit analysis of our curriculum as efforts to make you spend your time on red tape. We think that increased clarity in such documents will be very helpful in assuring the continued quality of what we call UCU.
With kind regards,
The UCU Council
(Sent via email, 5-02-2018)
Dear James, Bettina and Sabine,
Thank you for your reply to our letter of January 12, in which we requested for clarification of our governance structure. You wrote that we are in the middle of a year full of transitions and experimenting and that it is therefore too early to jump to conclusions. We just want to clarify that we did not mean to ask for any conclusions. Rather, we feel that these transitions and experiments are great efforts and proof that there is a will to change. Our letter was meant as support in helping you address several issues we see surfacing. We hope you do not see our ongoing requests for clarity on governance and particular positions like such as deputy HoD as well as formation documents and a cost/benefit analysis of our curriculum as efforts to make you spend your time on red tape. We think that increased clarity in such documents will be very helpful in assuring the continued quality of what we call UCU.
With kind regards,
The UCU Council
Challenges of the New Academic Year
On September 7th, 2017, the UCUC sent an email an advice to James concerning the speech he delivered at the new academic year drinks.
Dear James,
All of us from the College Council would like to thank you for the inspiring speech you delivered during Tuesday’s opening of the new academic year. It inspired the spirit and determination we need to face the many challenges that lie ahead of us.
We found, however, that a few important things were omitted. Perhaps, reasonably so, given that time is, now more than ever, a precious commodity. Yet, we would like to point them out to you.
The first is the new status of the Board of Studies as a decision making body with scope over the curriculum and, more pressingly, the changes that need to be made in our “reglement”. The second is the new head of the Humanities department, who was present, but was not introduced. The third, and last, is the upcoming accreditation, which is of extreme importance for the college and its future. We are confident these issues will be central to many of the conversations to come and will find the attention they deserve in due time.
Finally, allow us to wish you, as well, a fruitful and productive academic year!
Kind regards,
The College Council
Dear James,
All of us from the College Council would like to thank you for the inspiring speech you delivered during Tuesday’s opening of the new academic year. It inspired the spirit and determination we need to face the many challenges that lie ahead of us.
We found, however, that a few important things were omitted. Perhaps, reasonably so, given that time is, now more than ever, a precious commodity. Yet, we would like to point them out to you.
The first is the new status of the Board of Studies as a decision making body with scope over the curriculum and, more pressingly, the changes that need to be made in our “reglement”. The second is the new head of the Humanities department, who was present, but was not introduced. The third, and last, is the upcoming accreditation, which is of extreme importance for the college and its future. We are confident these issues will be central to many of the conversations to come and will find the attention they deserve in due time.
Finally, allow us to wish you, as well, a fruitful and productive academic year!
Kind regards,
The College Council