Job Description. Grade: Grade 4 22,860-26,115 per annum (pro rata) including outer London weighting Three year Fixed Term Contract

Transcription

1 Job Description Job Title: Graduate Academic Assistant.6 FTE School: School of Science and Technology Job Ref: SCT170 Campus: Hendon Grade: Grade 4 Salary: 22,860-26,115 per annum (pro rata) including outer London weighting Period: Three year Fixed Term Contract Reporting To: Reporting to Job Holder: Prof Antonia Bifulco Head of Department (Supervisor Dr Linda Duffy) Role Summary We are looking for an applicant to work on a 3 year research project aimed at assessing the effectiveness of an intervention programme named Get Onside initiated by Saracens RFC. The successful applicant will also be expected to enrol for a PhD directly related to the project commencing January The role will typically be held by a recent graduate and/or postgraduate in Psychology or Criminology. Job Purpose To be active as a research assistant and PhD student in undertaking the Get Onside project (see appendix for summary). To be available for some support to academic colleagues and students and assist in promoting effective learning, teaching and assessment practices. Main responsibilities The responsibilities may include part or a range of the duties listed below, and will depend on the specific requirement of the department or service. Activities may vary during the course of the appointment. Research and knowledge transfer Support departmental/service research and/knowledge transfer activity under the supervision of academic staff. Assist with the development and running of the Get Onside project To liaise with Saracens RFC who fund the project as appropriate Assisting in the preparation of project plans for knowledge transfer Contributing to review of the literature or discipline based practices Assisting with data collection using a variety of methods Learning, teaching and assessment Support discipline specific student learning, teaching and assessment under supervision of academics. This may include:-

2 Assist academic staff with the development of written and on-line learning resources through gathering and collating information, updating course materials in hard copy or online, photocopying and disseminating materials. Provide guidance based on published assessment criteria, on the preparation of assignments. Advise students, face to face and online, about study skills, statistical analysis, writing and presentation. supervise class activities including practical work Refer any welfare needs or concerns to a relevant member of academic or support staff. Administration Support administrative processes within the department/service. Undertake other activities, as required and commensurate to the grade. Appropriate training will be provided to support the role and offer career development. The Graduate Assistant will not be expected to be directly responsible for teaching, assessment, research or technical projects. Person Specification Post Title: Graduate Academic Assistant for Get Onside Project Knowledge, Skills and Experience Person specification: Essential A BSc degree or higher in Psychology with Criminology, Psychology, or Criminology. Good skills in quantitative and qualitative research Competent in the use of specific software such as; Word and SPSS Be able to travel at different times between Hendon and Feltham. Engagement with current practice base or knowledge base of Psychology or related discipline Proven communication and presentation skills appropriate to the discipline. Effective organisational skills and attention to detail with the ability to work independently and prioritise tasks Ability to work as part of a team. Desirable: Have experience working with young offenders

3 Be able to engage in teaching at university level Hours: Leave: 21.3 hours per week for 52 weeks per annum; actual daily hours by arrangement. Some flexible working involving weekend or evening work will be required. 25 days per annum plus eight Bank Holidays and seven University days taken at Christmas (pro rata) Flexibility: Please note that given the need for flexibility in order to meet the changing requirements of the University, the duties and location of this post and the role of the post-holder may be changed after consultation. The balance of duties may vary over time and will be reviewed as part of the appraisal process. No Parking at Hendon campus: There are no parking facilities for new staff joining our Hendon campus, except for Blue Badge holders. If you are applying for a post at our Hendon Campus please ensure you can commute without using a car. Information on public transport to Hendon can be found here: We offer an interest-free season ticket loan, interest-free motorbike loan, and bicycle and motorbike parking and changing facilities. Flexible working applications (including part-time working) will be considered. The postholder should actively follow Middlesex University policies and procedures and maintain an awareness and observation of Fire and Health & Safety Regulations. If you wish to apply for this post please complete an application form found here: Closing date for receipt of applications: 16 December 2016 Please return the completed application form to: recruit1@mdx.ac.uk or to The Recruitment Office, Middlesex University, Hendon Campus, The Burroughs, London, NW4 4BT. Please note that all incoming post to Middlesex University is opened and scanned by our document handler, CDS, and then ed to the recipient. If you do not want your application form to Middlesex University processed in this way please it to recruit1@mdx.ac.uk What Happens Next? If you wish to discuss the job in further detail please contact Antonia Bifulco a.bifulco@mdx.ac.uk or Linda Duffy l.duffy@mdx.ac.uk. If selected for interview, you will hear directly from someone in the School/Service/Campus, usually within 3 weeks of the closing date. If you do not hear from us you may assume that your application was unsuccessful.

4 Synopsis of the Get Onside Saracens RFC project Dr Linda Duffy & Dr Bahman Baluch Title: How to reduce re offending at a Young Offenders Institution (YOI). An investigation of the effectiveness of the Get Onside Saracens RFC sporting intervention programme. Aims To record and examine factors argued to play an important role in youth reoffending and to, a) find out if those offenders that took part in the Get Onside programme exhibited significantly lower rates of re offending than those that did not take part; b) if there are differences in their pro criminality attitudes using a modified version of the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA) questionnaire, and c) to engage in semistructured interviews with participants that either engaged, or did not engage, in the Get Onside programme, the point of which is to highlight factors that either encourage or discourage criminal activity thus the likelihood to re offend. Brief aims: a) to examine if there are differences between the control group and experimental (intervention) group in instances of re offending. b) to investigate if there are differences in attitudes towards criminal activity between the two groups, as measured by the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA measure). c) to conduct qualitative research (one to one semi structured interviews) at points to be established during the research project to gain insight as to the opinions of the inmates on what they think makes one a criminal, reasons to reoffend and the most likely factors in successful rehabilitation. Method A pre post intervention design with a non randomized control group and semi structure interviews Taking into account the following in selection of participants for control group History Pre offending history is reported to be the most important factor in predicting reoffending. Offenders who had a more complex offending history were more likely to be reconvicted upon release. In contrast, offenders serving their first prison sentence were less likely to be reconvicted. Crime type is argued to be an important predictor, in particular offenders who were serving a sentence for an acquisitive crime (theft, robbery, prostitution, handling stolen goods, burglary) were more likely to go on to re offend than offenders serving sentences for other crime types (for example, violence, sexual offences, drug offences, fraud and forgery, vehicle related offences, and other offences).

5 Length of sentence those serving longer sentences (greater than one year) were less likely to re offend than those on shorter sentences (less than one year). This may be due to differences in the characteristics and rehabilitative opportunities of longer sentenced prisoners which were not controlled for in the models. Basic demographics Age, Ethnicity and Home Postcode Participants (both control and intervention) to be given the modified version of MCAA measuring the following pro criminal attitudes: Violence, Entitlement, Anti Social Intent, and Antisocial Associates before intervention and after the period of intervention. Participants both in the control and intervention to engage in semi structured interviews on issues related to what makes a person likely to offend in the first place and to re offend when released. Mills JF, Kroner DG, Forth AE (2002). Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA): Development, factor structure, reliability, and validity. Assessment 9: Mills JF, Kroner DG, Hemmati T (2004). The Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA): The prediction of general and violent recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior 31: