member of staff having a discussion with a student

Partnerships staff help and support

Information for partner staff who teach on University of Portsmouth courses delivered by a partner organisation.

Partner associate lecturers

All staff delivering our collaborative courses at partner institutions are approved as partner associate lecturers (PALs). PALs are appropriately qualified and experienced academic staff at the partner institution who deliver modules on specific collaborative courses. It's the expectation that PALs will be employed by the partner institution and will not start delivering the modules until they have been approved.

As a partner associate lecturer you can:

  • access our online library services
  • attend our staff development activities

If your institution uses our virtual learning platform, Moodle you can access resources including course materials, discussion forums and blogs available to students.

How to become a partner associate lecturer

To apply to be considered as a partner associate lecturer, please email your CV to the University Academic Contact responsible for the collaborative course/s. Please include the following in your email:

  • Your title
  • Your full name
  • Your work email address
  • The full name of your institution
  • The full name of the course/s you wish to be considered for

If you do not know the name or email address of the University Academic Contact please liaise with your institution contact.

Your application will be considered by the University Academic Contact and the Associate Dean (Academic).

If you have been approved, you'll be provided with an online library account, and the University library will email you with your account details.

If the course has a virtual learning platform presence (Moodle) the University Academic Contact will arrange for you to have access to this, and will send you an email with your account details.

If circumstances change and you stop supporting the course/s please email your Academic Contact to inform them of the change.

Partner associate lecturer status

Your PAL status will last for as long as you deliver the course/s, however your library access is only for 1 year, which you will need to re-apply for.

Please note that being a University of Portsmouth PAL does not create in anyway the relationship of employer and employee between the PAL and the University of Portsmouth.

Your data

Please be assured that your CV will only be used to assess your suitability to become a PAL and will not be used for any other purpose. Your CV will be deleted as soon as the application process has been completed.

University contacts

Your key contacts within the University are:

  • University Academic Contact - point of contact for the day to day management of your provision and all academic issues
  • Administrative contact - responsible for day to day course management administration activities
  • Faculty Associate Dean (Academic) - provides advice and support on quality assurance and enhancement,

Your University Academic Contact and Faculty Associate Dean (Academic) work with you to maintain high standards across the course and student experience.

Staff development and training

We encourage you to develop your professional and personal skills and offer a teaching and learning consultancy service to help.

Learning and teaching consultancy

We organise staff development events designed for partner staff and we'll support you in delivering our collaborative courses. Events include workshops, seminars and conferences covering topics such as teaching and learning, online support arrangements, and assessment arrangements.

We also offer bespoke events and consultancy on topics relevant to you and your students' learning. We'll work with you to tailor these events to your needs.

Our consultancy service can help you to:

  • Develop accreditation of prior learning
  • Develop good practice in assessment processes
  • Promote continuing professional development
  • Write applications for fellowship of the HE Academy
  • Make student feedback more effective
  • Enhance assessment practices
  • Improve course design, curriculum planning, unit design / redesign and re-write courses and units of study by acting as an adviser of member of the course team
  • Evaluate courses, units and student focus groups
  • Respond to NSS data and forward planning
  • Use effective learning and teaching using technology
  • Work with external partners
  • Work with international students
  • Engage with peer development and review

If you're interested in attending any events or workshops that are on our events calendar or receiving learning and teaching support from our consultancy services, please contact us at:

Email: acdev@port.ac.uk
Call: (023) 9284 3328

Professional development and formal HEA recognition for partner associate lecturers

We pro-actively support all staff who are involved with learning and teaching, and wish to gain either formal recognition or a formal learning and teaching qualification.

Formal Recognition via HEA Fellowship

You can obtain HEA recognition through the APEX Programme or make an individual application directly to Advance HE. Partner staff can register for APEX and work towards Associate Fellowship, Fellowship or Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Partner staff can access workshops in our academic events programme and have the opportunity to receive guidance and individual feedback on their application from the APEX team. For more specific details and to discuss your specific requirements please email apex@port.ac.uk.

Professional qualification: Academic Professional Apprenticeship APA 

The Academic Professional Apprenticeship (APA) is a new 2-year programme of study which provides a taught framework for new starters and early career teaching staff, aiming to support them in the development of their academic knowledge, skills and behaviours, facilitating the delivery of contemporary academic practice and further enhancing their skills and confidence. Successful completion enables attainment of the following qualifications and recognition:

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education
  • Higher Education Academy Fellowship
  • Academic Professional Apprenticeship (Level 7) Certificate

This pathway can be funded via your Employers Apprenticeship Levy. For further information please contact apa@port.ac.uk