Research Assistant

Job Description

Research Assistance for Assessment Innovation Project.

The post holder will undertake a literature review to support research on exciting new assessment innovations currently being trialled in 3rd year UG and MA politics modules in SSPP.  

The post holder will be fully briefed once selected, and there will be regular check ins with the PI over the course of the work, but in broad terms, the literature review will be designed to fulfil three tasks: 

Identify good examples of methodologically similar projects to understand best practice ahead of undertaking empirical research 

Identify and categorise relevant conceptual debates in pedagogy journals to quickly relate the assessment innovations being trialled to current research 

Provide an exhaustive list of research outputs which cover similar assessment innovations to those in this project.  

The literature review will produce a final report encompassing all of the above tasks, which will be used use to assist in fine tuning the project methodology and for drafting the published academic work arising from the project in 2025.  

Work must be conducted in semester 1, i.e. before Christmas, and ideally by end of November, but there is flexibility in terms of when the work hours are completed. Work can mostly be conducted remotely.

Total hours for the project = 103 hours



Qualifications

Bachelors or Masters degree in any subject. Ideally a degree in education, pedagogy or closely related fields. 



Skills

Essential: 

Fluency in English 

Ability to quickly review and summarise academic sources in written form 

Experience in performing literature reviews in academic contexts 

Effective time management and inter-personal skills 

Desirable 

Experience researching in fields of education, pedagogy or closely related fields, including familiarity with key journals, concepts and debates. 

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STACK is a quiz question type in KEATS which allows module leaders to ask mathematically sophisticated questions where students provide sophisticated answers. The questions are built using a computer algebra system (Maxima) which means that they can be randomised, students answers can be automatically marked, and dynamic and high-quality feedback provided. 

Successful applicants will be trained in creating questions using STACK and then work with the leader(s) of a first or second year undergraduate mathematics module to develop a bank of questions for the module using STACK, supported by Dr. David Sheard. The possible modules involved are

  • 4CCM141A    Probability and statistics I
  • 4CCM131A    Introduction to dynamical systems
  • 4CCM114A    Linear algebra and geometry II
  • 5CCM221A    Real analysis
  • 5CCM211A    Applied differential equations
  • 5CCM212A    Complex analysis
  • 4CCM112A    Calculus II
  • 4CCM111A    Calculus I
  • 4CCM113A    Linear algebra and geometry I

 

Responsibilities:

Successful applicants will be required to:

  • Attend training on how to author questions in STACK (included in pay).
  • Meet and work with the module leader(s) of a course to develop educational resources in STACK.
  • Ensure the STACK resources they create meet minimum quality standards as agreed at the start of the role.
  • Work to weekly/fortnightly deadlines throughout the teaching semester.
  • Seek help/guidance when needed and use online reference material as appropriate (including programming documentation and educational literature).
  • Submit timesheets regularly and adhere to administrative requirements of the position.

 

Benefits:

Successful applicants will:

  • Have the opportunity to collaborate closely with academics in the design of teaching resources. 
  • develop skills including programming, unit testing, and teamwork. 
  • develop understanding of pedagogy, especially related to assessment for learning and feedback. 

These may be particularly relevant to people thinking of a future career in academia or education generally.

These positions are advertised as one-off, fixed-term positions. In total, successful applicants will be expected to work 50 hours

Please provide a short personal statement summarising which of the desirable and advantageous and skills/experience you have, how you satisfy the qualifications requirement, and which of the modules listed in the job description you would like to write STACK questions for. You may wish to upload a 1 page CV as well.

If you have any questions about the role or application process, please email David Sheard at david.1.sheard@kcl.ac.uk.



Qualifications

Applicants should be one of the following:

  • Level 6 or 7 undergraduate student with a mark of 70+ in the module(s) from the list they would like to work on
  • Postgraduate taught student with a mark of 70+ in a similar module to the one(s) from the list they would like to work on
  • PhD student with sufficient subject knowledge to effectively GTA the module(s) from the list they would like to work on


Skills

Desirable:

  • Programming experience, especially in Maxima or Mathematica
  • Good organisational and teamworking skills
  • Excellent academic written English

 

Advantageous:

  • Some familiarity with editing KEATS pages
  • Interest in teaching, pedagogy, or assessment design

Attendance at 2-day Flex:Change Workshop at Macadam Building, STRAND. 



Applicants to claim 14 hours via timesheet.



Qualifications

N/A



Skills

N/A

King?s Climate & Sustainability (KCS) is a University-wide initiative to step up our response to the challenge of climate emergency and global sustainability, and to accelerate and connect research, education and action across King?s. 

As Communications Assistant, you will work closely with the Communications Manager and Communications Officer to support the delivery of a range of communications for KCS. You will help the team prepare for and deliver Climate & Sustainability Month, which will take place in February 2025. Tasks to include: listing events online; creating social media content; liaising with event organisers; adding to databases; helping set up and attending in-person or virtual events where possible; and gathering and reporting on data from comms and events.

We expect that most of the work will be done remotely, and you will need to use your own laptop. However, the role also includes some attendance at in-person events in February, and there will be opportunities to work in the KCS office. We will discuss this during the interview.



Qualifications

No specific requirements.



Skills
  • Excellent standard of English.
  • Good working knowledge of a range of communications activities (e.g. websites, social media, events, marketing). 
  • Excellent IT skills (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, databases and social media). 
  • Basic design skills (e.g. Canva). 
  • Excellent communication skills, both written and oral with a proven ability to adapt style for different channels and audiences. 
  • Accurate and methodical approach to work, with a keen eye for detail. Proven ability in producing high quality accurate work with tight time scales.
  • Enthusiastic and positive approach.  
  • Ability to manage time effectively, work flexibly and prioritise workload. 
  • An interest in and enthusiasm for climate and sustainability.

Please demonstrate that you meet these criteria in your application, with examples.

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