Key Contacts

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The Economics Network has established a network of Key Contacts throughout UK Higher Education Institutions. Every economics department or business school that teaches courses with an element of economics has been invited to nominate a Key Contact. Contacts are people within departments with a keen interest in learning and teaching and often have a responsibility in this area.

Contacts have a vital role in helping share good and innovative practice in learning and teaching across departments. They provide a voice for their department and the subject as a whole, and inform the national strategy for supporting economics education.

Economics Network Key Contacts are listed alphabetically by institution.

There is an annual Key Contacts conference, the most recent of which took place in Bristol on Wednesday 8 September 2010. Notes from this year's meeting are available here. Resources from the meeting include:

If you wish to apply for a Student Focus Group in your department, to explore student survey results, please see the 2010/11 scheme details.

Notes from last year's meeting in Cardiff (including Lecturer 2009 survey results; Regional Network Coordinator initiative discussion; "How to improve your NSS scores" and "Using web 2.0 technologies in your teaching") are available.

The network is holding a series of regional meetings for Key Contacts at six different locations from November 2010 to March 2011.

The Economics Network Key Contacts' main responsibilities are to:

  • Be advocates for the Network within their department. This includes:
    • Disseminating Economics Network Communications e.g. our email newsletter, paper newsletter, posters etc.
    • Encouraging colleagues to contribute reports, articles and papers to Economics Network publications - for example, the peer-reviewed International Review of Economics Education (IREE) and Computers in Higher Education Economics Review (CHEER).
    • Making one presentation each year to the department about the Economics Network. This could be during a departmental meeting, and simply be an update to colleagues about resources and services (e.g. the Economics Network website and departmental workshops the Network can run free of charge). This could also include discussions about the Network's biennial student and biennial staff surveys. Key Contacts, along with Heads of Department, receive confidential reports from the student survey, which could, for example, form the basis for a department-wide discussion as part of an annual review. Information will be provided each year by the Network for such presentations.
    • Ensuring that as many of the staff in the department as possible engage in some form of Network activity or resource over the course of the year. This can range from using the resources from our website, to attending a workshop or hosting a whole school workshop (on any area and in any format that suits the department).
  • Engage with the Economics Network by providing information, ideas and feedback:
    • What were the key issues for the department over the last year?
    • What engagement has the department had with the Network and/or the Network resources throughout the year?
    • What is your feedback on the contact with the Network and how could the Network improve the support that they provide in the coming year?
  • Attend annual Economics Network Contacts meetings free of charge where contacts can network with other colleagues, share ideas and practice, and learn more about the Economics Network.

Contacts are added to our email discussion list, which is used to keep contacts up-to-date with Economics Network news, and for discussion and networking between contacts and other interested colleagues.

If your institution is not represented and you would like to volunteer please contact us at econ-network@bristol.ac.uk.


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