LITE Initiator Fellowship

This is a secondment opportunities are open to University of Leeds Professional and Technical Service employees only.

This opportunity is only open to colleagues employed within the Professional and Technical Services.

Are you interested in fulfilling a project on teaching innovation, scholarship or pedagogy? Are you looking to set an aspirational standard of teaching excellence and pedagogic scholarship? Are you interested in fulfilling a project exploring the student learning and teaching experience?

We are inviting applications for LITE Fellowships to join the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE).

LITE embodies the University's commitment to excellence and innovation in education through its investment in a community of fellows, giving colleagues the opportunity to develop and implement projects and establish a culture of high-quality teaching innovation, scholarship and leadership.

During your fellowship, you will carry out a project that explores an aspect of the student education experience that will support the delivery of the University's strategy for student education. It is envisaged that proposals will demonstrate transformation and innovations in education in the short/medium term with evaluation and iterations built into the project plan.

Proposals are invited for LITE Fellowships that support the University of Leeds student education priorities. Service teams throughout the University provide a vital contribution to the student experience and the opportunities to explore enhancement interventions and activities are numerous. This programme applies a broad interpretation of pedagogic research, including the influence of the wider aspects of the student experience on a student's learning and teaching experience. This scheme would provide the opportunity to generate evidence that explores the value and potential of a range of activities such as (but not limited to) student voice, co and/or extra-curricular activity, community building, education spaces, employability, mentoring and assessment.

As well as carrying out your project, you will be expected to contribute to LITE's scholarly community, provide content for digital and external-facing platforms, act as an ambassador at internal and external events and support colleagues in their scholarship and pedagogic research.

You will evaluate and disseminate the impact of your project internally through research progress showcases and externally to develop the practice, pedagogy and reputation of student education at the university.

Priority will be given to new applicants and where there is a strong strategic need identified from the project proposal. Discussions on appropriateness of project in line with your service strategy need to take place with your Head of Service (or nominee) prior to submission.

Secondments should be 0.2FTE (i.e. 1 day per week) for the lead applicant and between 0 (no secondment requested) and 0.2FTE for other members of the team. The overall, cumulative LITE-funded FTE in an Initiator Fellowship project will not exceed 0.4FTE per annum at any point in the project. In a team, you are required to have at least one lead applicant, but no maximum.

It is possible for different team members to have different FTE at different stages of the project or for there to be team members with no FTE buyout. However, there must be at least one team member with 0.2FTE for the duration of the project to ensure continued progress.

For members of staff below Grade 10 (at the point of application), the LITE-funded FTE in an Initiator Fellowship will not exceed 0.2FTE per annum at any point in the project. For members of staff at Grade 10 (at the point of application), the LITE-funded FTE in an Initiator Fellowship will not exceed 0.1FTE per annum at any point in the project. In the eventuality that staff are promoted to Grade 10 after the project has been awarded, LITE will commit to fund the project as it was awarded.

All projects must include a contribution from the student body in an advisory or partnership role.

Support will be provided by the LITE team, including access to a resident research assistant with experience of pedagogical research techniques and student project assistants.

The start date for the fellowships is September 2027.

If you are interested in applying for a LITE Fellowship and would like to discuss a research idea further, please contact:

Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence - LITE@leeds.ac.uk