Title of Study:
Understanding the challenges and opportunities for internationally mobile academic staff seeking recognition of their teaching experience in UK higher education.
We are inviting you to take part in a research study. Before you decide, it is important that you know why we are doing the study and what is involved. Please read the following information carefully.
What is the purpose of the study?
The purpose of this study is to find out about the experiences of international academic staff who are teaching in UK higher education. Specifically, the study seeks to understand the challenges and opportunities for international staff who are seeking recognition of their teaching practice, for example, through Advance HE Fellowship schemes.
The outputs of the research will contribute to improving how universities recognise and develop the pedagogic practice of internationally mobile staff.
The study is being conducted at the University of Lincoln. It is open to academic staff at any other UK HE institution.
Am I eligible to take part?
You are eligible to take part in the study if you:
- Consider yourself to be international staff or an academic of migrant background
- Currently work in UK HE in a teaching or learning support role
- Have tried to gain recognition of your teaching practice via the Advance HE Fellowship scheme in the past five years (D1, D2, D3 or D4, successfully or unsuccessfully, whether through an internal institutional scheme or direct to Advance HE) or via another route (e.g. Teaching Excellence Award, National Teaching Fellow, Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence).
You will not be able to take part in the study if you:
- Are employed by the University of Lincoln
Do I have to take part?
Participation is completely voluntary. You should only take part if you want to and choosing not to take part will not disadvantage you in anyway.
What will I be asked to do?
You will be asked to participate in a single interview of between 30 minutes to 1 hour in length. The interviewer will ask about your experiences of teaching/learning support in UK HE, and specifically your experience of gaining formal recognition of your teaching/learning support practice. As part of the interview, you will also be asked to share personal data, including your contact details, gender, age, nationality, job title and employer. Before taking part, you will be asked to complete a consent form.
Will I be paid expenses for taking part?
You will not be paid to participate in the study.
What are the possible benefits / risks of taking part?
It is hoped that this project will draw attention to the needs and priorities of international staff who teach in UK universities, to inform practice and policy in this area. All participants will be offered a written summary of the research at the end of the project. It is not anticipated that participating in the study will cause any harm or discomfort.
Will anyone know I have taken part?
The University of Lincoln (UoL) is the sponsor for this study based in the United Kingdom. We will be using information from you in order to undertake this study and will act as the data controller for this study. This means that we are responsible for looking after your information and using it properly.
The research team will keep your name and contact details confidential and secure. The research team will use this information as needed, to contact you about the research study, and make sure that relevant information about the study is recorded for your care, and to oversee the quality of the study.
Certain individuals from UoL may look at your research records to check the accuracy of the research study. The people who analyse the information will not be able to identify you and will not be able to find out your name or contact details.
The interview will be confidential unless you reveal that you or someone you know is at serious risk of harm. We will talk about it with you so that we can work out together how best to handle this.
You will not be identified in any report or publication arising from this research.
Where will my data be stored?
The data obtained from the study will be stored securely on the university OneDrive in password protected files. Only the researcher will have access to it. The data from this study may be put in an Open Access repository for other researchers to use in future research. If so, responses will be anonymised and any personal data (e.g. contact details) will be removed.
What will happen if I don’t want to carry on with the study?
You are free to withdraw at any point from this study, without having to give a reason, by contacting Dr Nicola Chanamuto: nchanamuto@lincoln.ac.uk.
If you choose to withdraw from this study, we will not retain the information you have given thus far, except when such data has already been included in aggregated analyses at the time of your withdrawal.
What will happen to the results of the research study?
The results of the research may be published, shared at external conferences and presented at internal meetings. If you wish, you will be sent a copy of any research outputs produced. You can confirm this at the time of your interview.
Who is organising and funding the research?
This research is being organised by Dr Nicola Chanamuto at the University of Lincoln.
Who has reviewed the study?
All research conducted by the University of Lincoln is looked at by an independent group of people, called a Research Ethics Committee, to protect your rights, dignity and wellbeing. This study has been reviewed and given favourable opinion by a University of Lincoln Research Ethics Committee [UoL2024_20252].
What if there is a problem?
It is very unlikely that this study would cause you any harm. If you have a concern or a complaint about any aspect of this study, you should ask to speak to the researcher who will do their best to answer your questions. Contact details are given at the end of this information sheet.
If you remain unhappy and wish to complain formally, you can make a formal complaint through the University complaints procedure or by contacting ethics@lincoln.ac.uk.
Further information and contact details
Contact details
Dr Nicola Chanamuto
Lincoln Academy of Learning and Teaching (LALT)
University of Lincoln
nchanamuto@lincoln.ac.uk
Information compliance
The University of Lincoln is the lead organisation for this study and will be the data controller for this study. This means that we are responsible for looking after your information and using it properly.
The university’s Research Participant Privacy Notice (https://ethics.lincoln.ac.uk/research-privacy-notice/) explains how we will be using information from you in order to undertake this study.
If you feel that we have let you down in relation to your information rights then please contact the Information Compliance Team by email on compliance@lincoln.ac.uk or by post at Information Compliance, Secretariat, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, LN6 7TS.
You can also make complaints directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is the independent authority upholding information rights for the UK. Their website is ico.org.uk and their telephone helpline number is 0303 123 1113.
Network for Research into Chinese Education Mobilities (NRCEM) 