The Need for a Professional Body for Practitioners of Further (and college-based Higher) Education in Scotland

Questionnaire: The Need for a Professional Body for Staff in Scotland's Colleges

Introduction

We believe that all those with an interest in this Consultation will support the objective of maintaining and enhancing quality in Scotland’s colleges. At the same time, we accept that not everyone will agree on the best method of achieving that objective. One concept which featured strongly in the responses to last year’s consultation was the possible creation of a professional body. While this questionnaire specifically seeks to explore that concept further, we naturally remain open to any other ideas around the themes of quality and professionalism.

Your Details

Please complete the details below as this will help to ensure that we handle your response appropriately.

Name:	* Required
Organisation: (if applicable)
Address:	* Required
Post Code:	* Required
E-mail:
Telephone Number:

1. Are you reponding as:	An individual (go to 2) On behalf of a group or organisation (go to 3)

2a. INDIVIDUALS
Do you agree to your response being made available to the public (in SE library and/or on SE website)?	Yes (go to 2b below) No (go to 4)
2b. Where confidentiality is not requested, we will make your response available to the public on the following basis *please mark one* of the following boxes	Yes, make my response, name and address all available Yes, make my response and name available, but not my address Yes, make my response available, but not my name or address Now go to question 4

3. ON BEHALF OF GROUPS OR ORGANISATIONS
Your name and address as respondees will be made available to the public (in the SE library and/or on SE website). Are you content for your response to be made available also?	Yes No

4. ALL RESPONDENTS
We will share your response internally with other SE policy teams who may be addressing the issues you discuss. They may wish to contact you again in the future, but we require your permission to allow them to do so. Are you content for the Scottish Executive to contact you again in the future for consultation or research purposes?	Yes No

QUESTIONNAIRE

The Support for a Professional Body

5. Do you think that the idea of a professional body - however constituted - would be worth exploring as a means of maintaining and enhancing professional standards amongst staff in Scotland’s colleges (and, potentially, other providers of post-compulsory education and training)? (Note: You may wish to refer to the current consultation document for ideas on the variety of forms and functions that a professional body might assume).	Yes No (go to 6b)
6.a. If Yes, what do you expect would be the main advantages of setting up a professional body? Please comment, then proceed to question 7.
6.b. If No, why not? Please comment, then proceed to question 18.

Breadth of Membership

7. Referring specifically to college staff, should membership of the professional body be extended beyond lecturers?	Yes No (go to 8b)
8.a. If Yes, which roles or categories of staff should be included? Please comment, giving reasons for any suggestions that you make. Then proceed to question 9a.
8.b. If No, why not? Please comment.
9.a. Should the professional body be open to allied professionals (such as community learning and development practitioners) in other areas of post-compulsory education?	Yes No
9.b. Please comment on your answer to 9.a.

Levels of Membership

10. With reference to the foregoing section, you may wish to comment on the idea that different levels of membership (e.g. Full Member, Associate Member) be provided for different roles or categories of staff.

Licence to Practise (mandatory or voluntary membership)

11. Should granting/removing a “licence to practise” be part of the role of the professional body? (NB: this would infer that membership should be mandatory for at least some categories of staff).	Yes No (go to 12b)
12.a. If Yes, for which categories of staff should membership be mandatory. Please mark the appropriate boxes and clarify as necessary. Then proceed to question 13.	All full-time lecturers All permanent full-time lecturers All part-time lecturers All permanent part-time lecturers All part-time lecturers with 10+ teaching hours per week Other (please specify)
12.b. If No, why not? Please comment.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

13. Should all registered members of the professional body be required to undertake a certain amount of Continuing Professional Development each year and keep a record of this activity?	Yes (go to 15) No
14. If No, why not? Please comment.

Code of Ethics

15. Should all registered members of the professional body be required to adhere to a Code of Ethics?	Yes No (go to 16b)
16.a. If Yes, we would welcome suggestions for what should be covered by this code. Please comment if desired, then proceed to question 17.
16.b. If No, why not? Please comment.

The Wider Public Interest

17. Respondents are invited to comment on how the professional body might take account of wider public interests, e.g. learners and other relevant organisations.

Qualifications

18. Regardless of whether a professional body is established, do you think that all newly appointed full-time lecturers and part-time lecturers who work a substantial amount of class contact/teaching hours (e.g. 10+) each week should be required to gain an Initial Teacher Training Professional Development Award (ITT PDA) or a full teaching qualification in further education [TQ(FE)], or an equivalent TQ, within a set period of time? Please select your preferred reply.
19.a. If Yes, what would be a reasonable time scale within which new lecturers might be expected to gain such a qualification? Please comment, then proceed to question 20.
19.b. If No, why not? Please comment.

Other Ideas and Suggestions

20. Respondents are invited to offer any other ideas and suggestions that are relevant to the themes of this consultation.

Additional Personal Details (only to be completed by staff of Further Education Colleges in Scotland who are replying as individuals)

21. Please select the description that fits you best in your current role:
22. How long have you been in post? Please select as appropriate.
23. Are you full-time or part-time? Please select as appropriate.	full-time part-time
24.a. If you are a lecturer, do you hold a teaching qualification?	Yes No
24.b. If Yes, please give details (i.e. type and when achieved).

Thank you for completing this questionnaire. If you are happy with the answers you have given, please click on the 'Submit' button below.


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