Assessment Criteria: Honorary Senior Lecturer

Applications for appointment to or renewal of Honorary Senior Lecturer positions within the School of Medicine will be assessed based on the following performance criteria:

  • Educational criteria including teaching, educational scholarship, educational leadership and contribution.
  • Research and Innovation criteria including research productivity, impact, innovation and research leadership and contribution.

The criteria are mapped to the university promotion guidance for senior lecturer positions and are aligned to the University and College values. The criteria presented below represent an indicative rather than an exhaustive list of evidence to support nomination under the programme.

Teaching Criteria 

Candidates for appointment as Honorary Senior Lecturer will be expected to contribute strongly to the teaching, learning and assessment of undergraduate and postgraduate students locally and/or in prior appointments elsewhere. Evidence of teaching should include:

Teaching Criteria

  • Significant and sustained contribution to teaching, supervision and mentoring of undergraduate and postgraduate students in the School of Medicine and clinical training, including:

a. Teaching and assessing learners within University/School undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes including lectures, seminars, tutorials, demonstration and small group coaching.

b. Regular and ongoing provision of clinical training in a clinical field of expertise.

c. A regular rating of teaching performance as satisfactory or excellent. This evidence may include, but need not be limited to, feedback from peer observation of teaching, external examiners’ reports, student evaluations and teaching awards.

  • Other relevant evidence could include:

a. Publications in peer reviewed journals, presentation of educational research or developments at national or international conferences, or Successful application for external funding for educational research or for innovation and development of teaching and learning as principal applicant.

b. Successful dissemination and uptake by others of new teaching approaches or content developed by the applicant. This could include new graduate training programmes, CPD programmes, undergraduate programmes/courses, curriculum development/ workshops, publications or web sites.

c. Excellent achievement by graduates of the applicant’s teaching/supervision as demonstrated by student awards, external examiners’ reports, prize adjudication, etc.

d. Regular participation in educational continuing professional development designed to improve the applicant’s teaching/learning skills, raise awareness of educational issues, etc.

e. The production and publication of high quality materials (which may include materials developed for e-learning courses) and/or textbooks to support and develop students’ learning.

f. Evidence of providing high quality academic guidance and mentoring for more junior academic, clinical colleagues or undergraduate medical students.

g. Acting as an external examiner in another institution, or as a member of an examining or accrediting panel for a professional institute, or membership of a Quality Assurance Agency assessment/audit panel.

h. Contributions to substantial improvements in the quality of education conducted within the University of Galway and the School of Medicine through engagement in undergraduate or postgraduate curriculum committees, academic year committees, student affairs committees etc.

i. Substantial contribution to intellectual, cultural, social and economic life at institutional, regional, national and international levels.

j. Beneficial influence on the development or application of public or professional policy or practice including the development of educational materials that contribute to the development or implementation of public healthcare policy and practice in area of clinical specialty.

Teaching Criteria  (Renewals)

For applicants seeking to renew appointment as Honorary Senior Lecturer for another 5 years, the following level of engagement must be demonstrated:

a. A minimum of 20 hours per year of student-facing teaching including lectures, or small group teaching

b. Participation in student assessments every year, such as end of year examinations

Research & Innovation Criteria

Candidates for appointment as Honorary Senior Lecturer will be assessed on the extent of national and international recognition as a researcher and scholar in their chosen field. Evidence of research contribution and innovation should include:

Research and Innovation Criteria

  • National and/or international standing and recognition in a discipline or field of study, as demonstrated through a substantial record of high quality outputs:

a. Evidence of a significant volume of past and ongoing publication of sole or jointly authored articles or papers in peer reviewed journals of high international reputation / impact.

b. Substantial record of published peer reviewed conference proceedings.

c. Completion of major research reports as the outcomes of research projects or funded consultancies;

d. Publication of sole or jointly authored chapters in prestigious and/or well-received books.

  • Other relevant evidence could include:

a. Successful applications for research funding for research projects and other innovation work.

b. Significant standing at national or international level in the candidate’s discipline through one or more of the following:

c. Election to national or international societies;

d. Service on Government advisory bodies;

e. Involvement at a senior level in one or more professional bodies;

f. Receipt of academic honours such as prizes for research and/or innovation.

Research and Innovation Criteria (Renewals) 

For applicants seeking to renew appointment as Honorary Senior Lecturer for another 5 years, evidence of continued research and innovation productivity should be demonstrated, including but not limited to:

a. Continued publication of sole or jointly authored articles or papers in peer reviewed journals.

b. Continued record of published peer reviewed conference proceedings.

c. Completion of major research reports as the outcomes of research projects or funded consultancies;

d. Publication of sole or jointly authored chapters in prestigious and/or well-received books.