Internal review panel composition

For those institutions which have a person or panel/committee that internally assesses the readiness and competitiveness of OLT grant applications, the online questionnaire sought details of the positions they held and/or their characteristics (e.g. Academic Developers/Educators, ICO, Grants Officers, Deans: Teaching and Learning, Lecturers, previously-successful grant recipients). Responses are categorised by size of institution below. Note that some titles of office bearers have been made less specific than they originally appeared in the data. For example, DVC-A is used instead of a very specific title which may lead to an institution being easily identified. The information below demonstrates the variability in approaches.

A-size institutions (FTE academic staff <500)

• 'The person is in charge of all academic activities (and they) may seek advice from others such as the Director of Teaching and Learning.'
• 'Lecturers, Educators.'
• 'PVCA, Director L&T, previous recipients, PVC of faculties.'
• 'DVC, PVC, Associate Deans (Learning and Teaching), Director: Learning and Teaching, previously successful grant recipients, Grants Officers.'
• 'Director of Learning and Teaching, Educational Developer, Project Coordinator.'
• 'This panel will be set up in 2015 to assess projects at the concept stage. At this stage we expect the panel to consist of the DVC-A, Director: Teaching and Learning, Head of School, Associate Dean (T&L), previously successful grant recipients, and the ICO (observer).'

B-size institutions (FTE academic staff 500 to 1,000)

• 'ICO, with volunteer support from previously successful grant recipients, with regard to feedback received on previous unsuccessful applications, as well as reference to the OLT Assessor reports and other sources.'
• 'Panel: DVC-A, DVC (Research & Innovation), Academic Developer (Research), HoS, Director (L&T), former OLT grant winners, second Academic Developer or HoS.'
• 'Academic Developers/Educators, ICO, Grants Officers, Deans: Teaching and Learning, Lecturers, previously-successful grant recipients.'
• 'Our committee is chaired by the DVC-A, with six faculty academics (some of whom may have had an OLT teaching grant or award), plus the ICO and one representative from the professional L&T area.'
• 'ICO and Grants & Awards Officer.'
• 'Not a panel, although several input points exist. Where there is a longer lead time, development may include input from one or two experienced academics. The Research Office provides significant feedback either directly or with additional discipline specific input, building on experience with successful grant structures. PVC Student Learning may have input, as may several of the Directors in that (area); Associate Deans L&T have variable levels of interest/input.'
• 'This has varied over the last two years, but typically comprises five to six members: two academics from the centralised learning and teaching unit, and three to four representatives from faculties who either have applied for OLT grants, or have been successful with OLT grants.'

C-size institutions (FTE academic staff >1,000 but <1,500)

• 'Academic Developers/Educators, ICO, Grants Officers, Deans: Teaching and Learning, Lecturers, previously-successful grant recipients. Also, we have recently included a process for all employees of the (Learning and Teaching Centre) where the awards and grants team are located, to review OLT applications and EOIs as a way of building numbers of reviewers, and also as a professional learning experience for them.'
• 'Typically the Grants and Awards Officer and an Academic Developer with expertise in writing and supporting grant applications are the ones that will assess the readiness and competitiveness of an application.'
• 'The DVC-A, PVC L&T, Faculty Associate Deans (L&T), Office Directors, Staff from the Learning and Teaching Centre, the ICO and previously-successful grant recipients provide a mix of support to applicants both administratively and in terms of content / application development against the guidelines.'
• 'A combination of Academic Developers/Educators, ICO, Grants Officers, Deans: Teaching and Learning, Lecturers, previously-successful grant recipients, depending on availability. Predominantly academic and professional staff within the Centre.'
• '(The panel) is drawn from a pool of people who are very experienced in learning and teaching in higher education. They are myself (ICO, [Panel] chair, Academic Developers, Deans: T&L, Associate Heads (T&L) of School, previously successful OLT grant leaders, and staff who assess applications for OLT.'
• 'An Institutional Panel is convened to assess (our University's) applications. The same panel appraises OLT teaching awards and internal awards. As it can potentially meet more than six times a year when all the awards and grants are taken into account, we attempt to minimise the meetings. It comprises Deans T&L, the director of the Centre, past recipients of awards or grants and an Educational Developer. The committee is chaired by the DVC-A, but this is usually delegated to the Executive Director of the Centre because of DVC-A workload.'

D-size institutions (FTE academic staff ≥1,500)

• '(The panel is) appropriately knowledgeable on all things OLT.'
• 'Academic Development (ICO) in the knowledge that Head of School/Dean of Faculty has signed off on the application.'
• 'Grant applications are endorsed by the Dean, Learning and Teaching.'
• 'Academic Director of our office and previously successful grant recipient.'
• 'Head of the (centralised OLT grants team) team. Past national and (our University) award recipients. Also works with the internal educational fellowship scheme. Chairs of Ethics committees.'
• 'Associate Deans (Learning and Teaching) and previously-successful grant recipients are typical members of our selection panel.'
• 'Director: Learning and Teaching, academic developers, previously successful grant recipients.'
• 'The Vice-Provost (Learning and Teaching) chairs, with Associate Deans of Education and a previous grant recipient. ICO and members of the (Central Grants team) are observers at assessment meetings.'
• '(Learning and Teaching Centre) staff and previously successful applicants.'
• 'The Academic ICO (who) is a senior lecturer in the (Centre for Teaching and Learning).'
• 'Teaching and Learning Lecturers, Previously-successful grant recipients.'

A subsequent question asked if the person (typically the DVC-A or equivalent) who usually endorses OLT grant applications for submission to OLT is a regular participant on the panel/committee. The data are presented in the table below and show that while DVC-As or equivalent do attend panel/committee assessment meetings regularly or occasionally, this only happens in about one third of the 35 respondent institutions.