General Information

Staff Development Case Studies 2010

The Staff Development Opportunities Brochure 2010 featured only a few examples of the different forms of Staff Development currently being used by staff to develop their careers.

Here you will find Case Studies on Coaching, Mentoring, Formal Qualifications, Team Building and many more.

Formal Qualifications - Joe Thompson, Commis Chef, Campus Services.
I am part of the catering team at Rees Hall with my main role being to assist the 2nd Chef and Chef Manager in the preparation and delivery of good quality food to students and conference guests both internal and external all year round and ensuring the kitchen environment meets the required hygiene standard.
Since becoming part of the team, the support and investment given to me regarding personal and professional development has been great.  I have been encouraged and helped to develop my culinary skills through on the job coaching by my 2nd Chef and NVQ college day release, which gives me a clear message that the Campus Services department are committed to developing in house talent and promoting internally to ensure students gain from higher culinary skills amongst the catering team.
My aspiration is to go as far as I can within the department and one day become Head Chef in one of the halls or catering outlets .
I have recently completed my NVQ level 2 and will hopefully be undertaking an apprenticeship Level 3, starting in September and who knows I could then win Hospitality Apprentice of the Year.

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Courses and Workshops - Andrea Foley, Senior Lecturer, Department of Strategy and Business Systems
‘…… if I hadn’t attended the staff workshop I would still be doing the same things in the same way. ….’
Producing student feedback is an important part of our teaching.  When I attended a staff development workshop concerning feedback, it really made me think about good practice.  So, I decided to change my approach to feedback to make it more clearly aligned to the marking scheme (grading criteria) with a grade for each aspect of the criteria.  “But...” I hear you say, “We ought to be doing that anyway” – well, in my experience there’s a big difference between “ought to” and what we actually do.
I asked students to give me feedback about this and every student said they preferred the ‘new’ method as they could see immediately the strengths of their work and the aspects where they needed to raise their game.  Since then, other students on the course have said they would like their feedback in that format.
The next change I made was to speed up the whole marking and administration process.  I was already entering my marks and feedback comments onto a spreadsheet so I took that to the next level and developed a spreadsheet that cut out entering the same data in several different places.
All in all, if I hadn’t attended the staff workshop I would still be doing the same things in the same way.  I found the workshop to be a great opportunity for stepping back, reflecting on my professional practice and then actually doing something about it.

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Coaching and Mentoring - Dr Rinat Khusainov, Senior Lecturer, Electronics and Computer Engineering
I was approached to undertake investigative research on behalf of a large private sector business, which involves using artificial intelligence to manage large data sets.  I accessed mentoring and coaching advice through Research and Knowledge Transfer Services which has given me the confidence to work with such a company and ensured the relationship with the customer was managed on an ongoing basis.  This support was provided through regular one to one meetings, and guidance when meeting with the company, as well as having the administration and negotiation handled on my behalf.  My work has led to repeat business with an important local high tech company.

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Conferences - Sian Kennedy, Senior Administrative Assistant, The University Library
I felt that the conference was a very useful and constructive day.  Firstly, just having a conference for support staff made us feels valued.  The topic of Customer Service was a good choice as that is something that support staff focus on heavily.  I attended the parallel session led by Steve Rathbone, and it was fascinating to work in a group with people from other areas of the University, to see things from their perspective and be introduced to different ideas and models of customer service. The day in general was very positive.  The sessions were informative, and it was good to meet support staff from other areas of the University, and have a chance to chat.  I went back to my department feeling enthused and motivated to take a step back and look at our customer service as an outsider, to ensure we are providing as good a service as we can.


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Conferences - Lizzie Wildgoose, Library Assistant, The University Library
The Staff Support Conference allowed us to share and learn about customer service provision and delivery throughout the HE sector.  The aim of the day was to emphasise the role of provider and needs of the user and was illustrated by workshops and lectures.
‘How not to do it’ was highlighted in a wry but though-provoking vignette by the University Library thespians (UPActUp).  It may have been OTT but certainly provided a lively response when the curtain fell.
Lorraine Pickett-Rose  provided a fascinating insight into international students and their cultural differences.  Here’s food for thought:  what we see as plagiarism is often seen as ‘sharing information with my cousin’.  Probably the most absorbing presentation I have attended since starting with the university five years ago.
It was an interesting day with lots of opportunity to network and share your experiences with other support staff from within the University.

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Mentoring - Beatriz Lopez, Senior Lecturer, Psychology 
The Psychology Department offers a very successful mentoring system. The key to its success is the perception that it is not just another box-ticking exercise but a genuine way of making new staff feel welcome and for more established members it is the opportunity to discuss their work with a friendly and experienced member of staff. Having a mentor at the beginning of my work here made all the difference. It was great to have a point of contact for any queries I had, a familiar and friendly person to discuss how to go about establishing a research programme and how to deal with the teaching side of the job. Now I am more settled in the department, we discuss short and long term plans in all three areas of the work, admin, teaching and research and how best to combine them. The meetings give me the opportunity to reflect on what I have achieved and where I want to go next. The advice from my mentor and her inspiration has been incredibly helpful in setting up a focused and productive research programme.

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Networking - Emily Parry, Student Record System Advisor, Technology
I joined the University 7 years ago, working in a number of different roles in Portsmouth Business School, before moving to my current role as Student Records Advisor (working with the Student Records system) covering Portsmouth Business School and Faculty of Technology eighteen months ago.
My time is split between the two faculties, and one day a week I am based in Academic Registry.
This split provides the opportunity to build relationships and network with staff at all levels from across the University and to share best practice/general information where ever possible.
Over the past eighteen months, as well as studying part time for an MA in Business and Management through Learning at Work, I have attended several staff development courses as my role has evolved. These included an external 'Train the Trainer' programme, and MSD's 'Project Management' and 'How to Lead Effective Meetings' courses.

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Peer to Peer Coaching, Portsmouth Business School, Undergraduate Centre
The Undergraduate Centre in Portsmouth Business School piloted the PDR scheme in 2009.  In line with the PDR objectives, the management team of Jackie Seymour and Sharon Guthrie decided to take the approach of using the PDR to understand better the unique skills and experience each member of their team brings to the job. They identify areas for individual development, but always with a holistic view of what development might be beneficial to the whole team. Sharon was the reviewer for course administrator, Claire Nowell and together they identified that Claire would benefit from attending the MSD Making effective presentations workshop as she would be presenting to students in the near future.  However in the UGC it goes deeper than that, not only was Claire to attend, she was expected to bring back her new skills into the UGC and relay them through coaching sessions to other members of the team who might benefit from this sharing of skills.  Claire thoroughly enjoyed her day on the workshop, although she was understandably nervous about making her first presentation.  When she came back to the UGC, two members of the team were due to give presentations as part of their work for the foundation degree in Business and Management, academic development encouraged in the UGC.  Claire was able to meet with these individuals and provide guidance and inspiration to aid their presentations.  One of whom totally remodelled her presentation based on Claire’s coaching, while both benefited from the experience.   Claire individually benefitted from attending the workshop, but her learning was shared throughout the team.  The UGC is a thriving department of 14 staff, all of whom are encouraged to take part in individual and team development, whether that be formal sessions arranged by the University, team building events arranged by Jackie and Sharon, or the coaching sessions taking place throughout the team enabling the sharing of knowledge, skills, experience, and good practice.

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Professional Membership - Hetal Maniar, Student Record System Advisor, Creative And Cultural Industries 
Being a member of the Association of University Administrators (AUA) has given me personal and professional development opportunities, as well as allowing me to share good practice and make and manage changes.
Last year the AUA organised a study tour to India and I was chosen to be a participant. It was an amazing experience and the possibilities for collaboration, exchanges and sharing good practice are endless. Now with the support and encouragement from my Faculty, I am now working to realise some of these for the University’s benefit.

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Team Building - Luke Bartrop, Course Administration Assistant, Portsmouth Business School, Undergraduate Centre
As one of the newest members of staff at the Undergraduate Centre it was important for me to feel like a valued part of the team. Having never been offered such innovative training at other large organisations I was really enthusiastic to take part. Now that I have taken part in several staff development exercises with a real emphasis on team work, I feel that I am a lot more confident and established. When they are organised and run by members of your own team it feels far more personal, easier to open up and easier to be yourself.  It’s great when you’re joined by your manager catching balloons and being critiqued by your colleagues on your clay modelling!! I now feel that I can comfortably consult others on all levels, which makes work more efficient and accurate but most importantly a lot more enjoyable.

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