FAQs

 

The questions below have been generated with the help of colleagues in departments and professional service units. They will be reviewed regularly, but please don’t hesitate to let us know at tlc@lse.ac.uk if you have suggestions for additions or a one-off question you’d like answering.

Policies, processess and regulations

Where can I find LSE’s policies and regulations relating to education?

All of LSE’s core policies – relating to, for instance, data protection, grievance procedures and health and safety - are gathered together on a policies and procedures page, which is maintained by the School’s Governance, Legal and Policy Division.

Regulations relating to students’ academic study - including codes of good practice, the rules by which degrees are classified, and regulations covering plagiarism and other academic offences - can be found in the LSE Calendar, maintained by LSE’s Teaching Quality Assurance and Review Office.

What are the processes for getting new or redesigned courses and programmes approved?

LSE’s Teaching Quality and Review Office administers the processes and committees through which new courses and programmes are approved and all key information can be found on its course and programme proposals page.

For advice and support on effective pedagogical approaches to to course and programme design and redesign, including teaching and learning methods, approaches to assessment and marking criteria, LSE Teaching and Learning Centre's Departmental Advisers  can be contacted.

LSE Learning Technology and Innovation staff can advise and support on building and embedding new technologies into course and programme design.

 

Surveys and data

Who runs LSE’s teaching and education-related surveys and where can I find my department’s results?

The School’s internal teaching surveys, run in Michaelmas and Lent terms, are run by LSE’s Teaching Quality and Assurance Review Office (TQARO) whose Teaching surveys web pages include information about their purpose and use.

The National Student Survey, which gathers information from third year undergraduates, is run by Ipsos MORI and commissioned by HEFCE on behalf the UK’s higher education funding councils. Internally, LSE’s results are gathered and disseminated by TQARO in August each year. More information can be found on TQARO’s National Student Survey Results and Guide page. Externally, the results are made publicly available through the Key Information Sets (KIS) and the Unistats website.

 

 

Resources for teaching and student learning

Are there resources or guidance for the recruitment, induction and support of GTAs and guest teachers?

Yes. LSE’s HR Division has information about recruitment and contracts on its Emeritus teachers, graduate teaching assistants and guest teachers page (password protected) and LSE Teaching and Learning Centre departmental advisers can advise on both pedagogic aspects of recruitment and ongoing support and development opportunities. Among these are the annual GTA induction programme which is compulsory for all GTAs new to teaching at the School, the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education for GTAs and an annually updated Handbook for Graduate Teaching Assistants available on the Teaching and Learning Centre’s Resources for GTAs page

Who can I ask for advice about making more of Moodle for my course?

LSE Learning Technology and Innovation can advise on any aspect of using and developing Moodle for teaching and learning.

We’d like to host more developmental events for students but don’t have the space. Is there anywhere on campus we can use?

Yes. LSE LIFE (on the ground floor of the Library) has space that can be booked for a wide range of learning events for undergraduate and master’s students, delivered either by departments independently, or collaboratively between departments and LSE LIFE and/or other professional services.

The PhD Academy (on the 4th floor of the Library) has space for events for research students and welcomes requests from departments for its use.

Does LSE have guidance on aspects of teaching like assessment and feedback?

LSE Teaching and Learning Centre publishes a range of resources for teaching staff, including the LSE Assessment Toolkit, and its Atlas programme includes year-round events relating to many different aspects of teaching. In addition, its departmental advisers are available for bespoke advice on a one to one or small group basis.

 

Does LSE have any guidance for Academic Mentors?

The new Academic Mentoring Portal brings together a wide range of materials and guidance about all aspects of academic mentoring at LSE.

Are there guides for students on things like communicating ideas and presenting in classes?

LSE LIFE hosts an LSE Study Toolkit  with information and guidance on various skills.

The PhD Academy hosts events, courses and surgeries to help PhD students wishing to develop their skills in areas such as methodology, careers planning and ethical issues. http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/PhDAcademy/events-and-courses.aspx

Who should I contact for educational advice and support?

Details for the core professional service units supporting the delivery of education at LSE can be found on our departmental advice and consultation page.

  

Communications

How do we get more exposure for activities happening in our department?

We’re always happy to hear about and share news of what’s going on educationally in departments. If you’d like to suggest an idea for a post on the LSE Higher Education Blog or for a Case Study please contact the Teaching and Learning Centre on TLC@LSE.ac.uk. News and achievements can also be featured in Staff News and/or Student News which are run by the School’s Communications Division.

Is there any guidance on best practice for communicating with students?

The School is in the process of developing a range of communications-related guidance which will be shared in due course. Meantime, if you are interested in joining a Student Communications Group please contact communications.internal@lse.ac.uk