What is the study about?
We invite you to participate in a research project which aims to understand the current UK career pathway for an education focused academic in a research intensive University (Russell Group & University of St Andrews). Alongside this, we hope to elucidate factors which facilitate or are a barrier to career progression for education focused academics in research intensive universities. We have used the HESA definition of education focused staff as follows:
The academic employment function of a member of staff relates to the academic contract of employment and not the actual work undertaken. Teaching only staff are those whose contracts of employment state that they are employed only to undertake teaching.
Or in other words:
Academic staff whose focus is education, who work in research intense Universities (Russell Group or University of St Andrews), that have either permanent or fixed-term contracts, and are from STEM or Non-STEM disciplines.
Why have I been invited to take part?
You have been invited to take part in this study because you are an academic member of staff at a research intensive university (Russell Group or University of St Andrews) who is on an education focused contract. Education focused academics have education as the predominant activity defined within their contract.
Do I have to take part?
This information sheet has been written to help you decide if you would like to take part. It is up to you and you alone whether you wish to take part. If you do decide to take part you will be free to withdraw without providing a reason, and with no negative consequences. You will be able to withdraw your data from the study up until October 2021, after which point the key which links your identity to the unique project code assigned to you to pseudonymise your data will be destroyed and data retained will be anonymous. This would mean we could not identify your data to withdraw it after that point.
What would I be required to do?
You will be asked to take part in an audio recorded interview, which we anticipate will last up to 1 hour. The interview will take place over the telephone or online (e.g. via Skype or Teams).
Are there any risks associated with taking part?
We do not perceive there are any risks to taking part in this study. However, some people may find discussing aspects of their career distressing and we will provide a debrief sheet following your interview which signposts support providers. You can skip any questions you do not wish to answer.
Informed consent
It is important that you are able to give your informed consent before taking part in this study and you will have the opportunity to ask any questions in relation to the research before you provide your consent. If you have questions, please contact the Edufocused Team’s RA India Pinker ([email protected]). If you would like to take part in this study, please complete and return a consent form to the team which will be sent to you if you ask to take part.
Who is funding the research?
Our research is being funded by the Staff and Educational Development Association and the University of St Andrews.
What information about me or recordings of me (‘my data’) will you be collecting?
We will audio record the interview then transcribe the audio recording into an anonymised transcript by removing all identifying information. This transcription will be done by a University of St Andrews approved transcription service ‘Dictate 2 Us’. During the interview we will ask you about your experiences as an education focused academic in a research intensive University, including what promotion and networking opportunities you have access to. We will also cover topics such as whether your role is valued by students or your institution, including experiences within the Covid-19 situation.
How will my data be securely stored, who will have access to it?
Your data will be stored in a pseudonymised form, which means that your data will be edited (transcribed) so that you are referred to by a unique reference such as a code number or different name, and the original audio data will be deleted as soon as it is transcribed. Your data will be stored in a University OneDrive, and only those within the research team will be able to access it. There will be a ‘key’ document, which will link your unique reference to your real identity. The key will be kept in a University OneDrive, separately from the transcript data, and only India Pinker will have access to it and be able to reconnect your data to you at a later date.
How will my data be used, and in what form will it be shared further?
Your research data will be analysed as part of the research study. It will then be published in research publication(s) and will be presented at appropriate academic conferences. It will also be shared i.e. by placing it in a database accessible by others, if requested by academic journals during publication.
If shared (published and/or placed in a database accessible by others), your data will be in an anonymised form, which means that no-one could use any reasonably available means to identify you from the data.
It is expected that the project to which this research relates will be finalised by July 2021.
When will my data be destroyed?
Your audio data will be destroyed as soon as it has been transcribed. Your pseudonymised data will be stored on University OneDrive accessible by the research team indefinitely. The key to unlocking your identity from your project code will be stored in a separate University OneDrive, accessible to India Pinker until October 2021, after which point it will be deleted. After this time your data will be anonymous.
Will my participation be confidential?
Yes, your participation will only be known to India Pinker and the member of the research team conducting the interview. The person conducting the interview will not be a member of staff at the institution which employs you.
Use of your personal data and data protection rights
The University of St Andrews (the ‘Data Controller’) is bound by the UK 2018 Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which require a lawful basis for all processing of personal data (in this case it is the ‘performance of a task carried out in the public interest’ – namely, for research purposes) and an additional lawful basis for processing personal data containing special characteristics (in this case it is ‘public interest research’). You have a range of rights under data protection legislation. For more information on data protection legislation and your rights visit https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/terms/data-protection/rights/. For any queries, email [email protected].
You will be able to withdraw your data before 01/10/21. After this date, your data will be anonymised and we will not be able to withdraw it, because we will not know which data is yours.
Ethical Approval
This research proposal has been scrutinised and subsequently granted ethical approval by the University of St Andrews Teaching and Research Ethics Committee and subsequently approved by ethics committees at University of Birmingham, Exeter and Southampton.
What should I do if I have concerns about this study?
In the first instance, you are encouraged to raise your concerns with the Research Assistant (India Pinker, [email protected]). However, if you do not feel comfortable doing so, then you should contact my Supervisor or School Ethics Contact (contact details below). A full outline of the procedures governed by the University Teaching and Research Ethics Committee is available at https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/research/integrity-ethics/humans/ethical-guidance/complaints/.
Please see the Team page for more information on the researchers.
