Technical Teaching Fellow in Digital Media and Communications (Dubai) - School of English, Dram[...]

Position Details

School of English, Drama and Creative Studies

Discipline: Department of Linguistics and Communication

University of Birmingham, Dubai campus

Salary: Competitive

Grade: 7

No. of positions: 1

Full time

Location: Dubai, UAE

Closing date: 27th April 2025

UK and International travel will be required for this role

University of Birmingham Dubai

Having established ourselves in Dubai International Academic City in 2018 we have now moved to our new state-of-the-art campus which opened in Sept 2021. These posts represent an excellent opportunity to join an ambitious World Top 100 University as we continue to grow our long-term strategic mission in Dubai, the UAE and the wider region. Our campus reflects the very best of Birmingham through our presence in Dubai.

Background

The Department of Linguistics and Communication

The Department of Linguistics and Communication is a world-leading centre of excellence for both teaching and research with students based in Birmingham as well as in over thirty different countries. It forms a central part of the School of English, Drama, Creative Studies, within the College of Arts and Law. The Department has an excellent track record in teaching and an active research culture with productive collaboration within and beyond the University, and wide-ranging public engagement. Staff in the department research and teach across the full range of English Language and Applied Linguistics, including Corpus Linguistics, Cognitive Linguistics, Stylistics, Discourse Analysis, New Media and English Language Teaching. The Department is home to the Centre for Corpus Research (CCR) which highlights the strong cross-disciplinary reach of corpus linguistics at Birmingham with particular focus on the links between cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics and stylistics. CCR provides access to a range of corpora and has a dedicated computer suite with specialist resources as well as an eye-tracking laboratory.

The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies (EDACS)

The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies is a vibrant and thriving school situated within the College of Arts and Law. It hosts a community of academics and students researching and learning together in areas including Linguistics, Media and Communication, Film Studies, English Literature, Creative Writing and Drama and Theatre Arts. Many of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes combine academic scholarship with creative practice and offer students opportunities to learn from industry experts and partners in the Creative Industries. One of the School’s strengths includes the study of Shakespeare both on the Edgbaston Campus and at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. EDACS encourages inter-disciplinarity and intellectual collaboration both in teaching and research.

Equal Opportunities

The University of Birmingham is an equal opportunities employer. The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies recognises that strength and success comes from diversity and strives to maintain a flexible and supportive environment that enables all staff and students to flourish. The School holds a Silver Athena SWAN award.

Interview format/requirements

Shortlisted candidates will be required to attend for interview and deliver a presentation. Further information will be given to shortlisted candidates.

Role Summary

We seek to recruit a skilled post holder to contribute to the launch and successful delivery of our BA Digital Media and Communications (BA DMC) programme on the University of Birmingham’s Dubai campus from September 2025. The BA DMC launch in Dubai follows the programme’s successful launch on the University’s Edgbaston campus in 2023.

The Technical Teaching Fellow will have considerable professional experience in the field of digital media and demonstrate excellent communication skills which will enable them to share their knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise with students on the programme. The post holder will demonstrate a strong capacity to forge links with digital media industry partners, ideally in the UAE.

The post holder will plan and deliver student teaching and academic support for students, reporting to the programme lead based on the University’s Dubai campus. Activity will be delivered through close partnership working with a range of colleagues, both in Dubai and on the University’s Edgbaston campus.

You will receive a competitive package and play a key role in our ambitious University’s expansion as we enhance our international reputation and global footprint.

Main Duties

• Convene, teach and assess the modules so that the School’s teaching objectives are met. This will include planning and reviewing teaching and mentoring other staff who contribute to these modules.
• Plan, prepare and review own teaching in accordance with the established objectives of the teaching programme.
• Undertake full range of responsibilities in relation to supervision, marking and examining of students.
• Work in close partnership with colleagues to deliver digital media practical activities in accordance with other activity.
• Oversee all practical student activity which includes developing and sharing good working practices and procedures with staff and students.
• Purchase and maintain industry-equivalent equipment on the School’s behalf, researching and purchasing as required in accordance with the University’s financial procedures. This will include drafting and maintaining a cycle of equipment purchase, proposing annual budgets and working within the College-approved budgets.
• Maintain an inventory of digital media equipment and to operate an effective equipment loan system for students.
• Supervise students in the safe delivery of practical digital media activity.
• Ensure that practical activity is undertaken in a safe and controlled environment in accordance with national legislation and the University’s Health and Safety policy.
• Undertake regular horizon scans and competitor analysis so that practical digital media activity remains a USP for the programmes delivered in Dubai.
• Participate in student recruitment activity.
• Develop strong and effective working relationships with industry partners in the region.
• Working in close partnership with the Programme Lead, contribute to the wider strategic development of digital media.
• Promote equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

Person Specification

• A degree and/or a professional qualification and/or substantial experience across the field of digital media.
• Ability to design, deliver, assess and update the digital media-related modules, as required.
• Teaching experience in the area of digital media.
• High level of interpersonal skills and experience of effective partnership working.
• Experience of managing staff and delivering complex activities through delegation.
• Proven project management skills.
• Proven problem-solving skills and experience of making significant improvements to service area.
• Proven track record of delivering high quality practical digital media practical work and comprehensive knowledge of industry-equivalent equipment and software packages.
• Experience of budgetary setting and management.
• Working knowledge of Health and Safety and risk assessments to current industry standards.
• Whilst based in Dubai, the post holder will be expected to undertake travel, including travel to the University’s Edgbaston campus to participate in scholarly activities with colleagues.

For informal enquiries, please contact Professor Nikolay Mehandjiev, Vice Provost at University of Birmingham Dubai, email: n.d.mehandjiev@bham.ac.uk or Dr Joe Spencer-Bennett, Head of Department in Linguistics and Communication, email: j.a.bennett.1@bham.ac.uk.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.