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Appointments Procedure - Academic Work Functions

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Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This procedure supports the Appointments Policy and the Enterprise Agreement by providing:

  1. information regarding academic work functions
  2. high-level guidance on activities in the ‘other’ work function, and
  3. guidelines to help academic staff with a ‘teaching and professional’ work function and their Heads of School/supervisors negotiate agreed work activities and target outcomes pertaining to the professional activity component of academic workloads.

Scope

(2) This procedure applies to academic staff on a continuing or fixed-term appointment and Heads of School/supervisors.

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Section 2 - Policy

(3) This procedure supports the Appointments Policy.

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Section 3 - Procedure

Academic work functions

(4) Academic appointments will normally be categorised as one of the following work functions:

  1. teaching and research/creative
  2. teaching and professional
  3. teaching focused
  4. research focused
  5. Academic Institutional Leadership.

(5) Work functions describe the major focus of the work of an academic, they do not limit the range of academic activities that may be undertaken. The academic will be consulted about the activities they will undertake during probation and Performance Planning, Development and Review (PPDR) meetings, which may vary based on employment conditions or the strategic needs of a discipline, school or centre, guided by the University's strategic direction. In accordance with the Enterprise Agreement, the supervisor is responsible for approving work.

(6) Work functions are treated with equal status within the University and are:

  1. normally identified on appointment. Workload distribution will be determined in accordance with the Enterprise Agreement, which sets out the ratio of teaching, research/creative, professional and service activities to be undertaken
  2. negotiated between the staff member and Head of School/supervisor, for approval by the Executive Dean or equivalent. The Executive Dean or equivalent will report decisions to the Division of People and Culture.

(7) Changes to an academic staff member’s work function may be requested in accordance with the provisions of the Enterprise Agreement. The University has final authority to approve (or otherwise) a change to work function.

Requirements for planning teaching and professional work function activities

(8) The ‘teaching and professional’ work function concentrates on teaching and professional practice and provides a way for academics to maintain currency and contribute to the development of a field. The professional practice element focuses on academic work and outcomes that support the University's objectives.

(9) When planning professional activity workloads, the following apply:

  1. Staff and their Head of School/supervisor will discuss proposed activities, timing, outcomes and workload allocation for these activities during the staff member's probation workload discussions or, after probation, during the PPDR meeting.
  2. The broader University policy environment needs to be considered when planning workloads and setting standards of performance.
  3. Activities that can be counted towards a professional activity workload, either singly or in combination, are set out in the ‘Guidelines’ section of this procedure.
  4. The time allocated will be dependent on scope, scale, quality, contribution, outcome and impact of the activity.
  5. The activity must:
    1. have direct benefit to the strategic work of the University, in terms of its teaching, work-integrated learning, course profile and/or areas of research strength
    2. have tangible outcomes that are deemed to be of importance or benefit to the school/discipline, and
    3. preferably be linked directly to the work of a centre, discipline, school or faculty, undertaken individually or in groups.
  6. Consultancy and clinical/professional practice, whether for an external party or for the staff member’s own business or undertaking, must be registered as outside professional activities (see the Employment Conditions Procedure - Additional Employment and University Consultancies). As this work is by definition within workload, any income generated is school income. It can only be counted in the staff member's University workload if it is unpaid or if the income received is paid to the University.
  7. Professional activities should demonstrate advanced (not routine) practice in a field relevant to the staff member's discipline. These activities can be seen as a form of ‘return to industry’ to enhance currency, develop advanced skills, share professional expertise and foster institutional linkages.
  8. Activities already counted for the teaching workload allocation cannot be counted again in the professional workload.
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Section 4 - Guidelines

Leadership of workplace learning or continuing professional development

(10) Although all academic staff may engage in a range of professional activities, to be considered ‘teaching and professional’, the professional activity must be substantial and may include activities such as:

  1. transferring/applying new professional knowledge to members of the profession and the broader community through publications, seminars, conferences or websites
  2. engagement with or in clinical environments
  3. establishing and maintaining relationships with placement sites and providers
  4. coordination and oversight of student placements/clinical activity, requiring professional knowledge and skills
  5. developing, leading and/or evaluating continuing professional education
  6. external professional reviews
  7. delivering professional practice training and education to students to prepare them to meet eligibility requirements for completion of a degree leading to professional registration
  8. maintaining professional accreditation, where the academic is required to hold current registration for the purposes of course accreditation or where students are working under the academic’s registration whilst treating patients
  9. research with, for and about the profession and about professional practice, or
  10. contributing to the development and improvement of policy and practice through involvement in professional/industry associations, accreditation and/or regulatory authorities, conference organisations, advisory bodies, and national or international delegations.

Professional consultancies and professional practice inside or outside the University

(11) Such activities include but are not limited to:

  1. completion of an approved consultancy, partnership, or leadership of continuing professional development, as defined by and agreed with the Head of School/supervisor
  2. engaging in clinical/professional practice in a discipline or field (registered under the Employment Conditions Procedure - Additional Employment and University Consultancies if outside the University):
    1. for the purposes of improving/transforming professional practice and feeding back into teaching and/or practice across the profession
    2. in a University-operated clinic, or
    3. which demonstrates the maintenance or development of significant advanced practice skills or improves/transforms practices within the profession and informs teaching. Professional practice may also be a requirement for professional registration or standing where there are currency of practice standards.

Projects that enhance curricula 

(12) Normally projects that enhance curricula would be counted in the teaching workload. However, with the agreement of, or invitation from, the Head of School/supervisor, larger projects of particular benefit to the school or discipline could be counted in the professional activity workload of a staff member. These could include but are not limited to:

  1. projects and activities that advance knowledge/skills/practice in practice-based learning and/or work-integrated learning
  2. projects that advance knowledge/skills/practice of work-integrated learning educators who work with the University's students
  3. conducting course reviews or activities to support course accreditation
  4. conducting subject re-engineering to make subjects more relevant to contemporary professional practice
  5. working with industry partners to ensure the relevance of curricula to practice and industry developments
  6. reviewing work-integrated learning subjects and experiences to ensure these learning experiences are relevant to contemporary professional practice and workplaces
  7. investigating and expanding innovations in work-integrated learning to address issues (e.g. limited placement availability) and opportunities (e.g. new workplaces, web technologies) that can impact on the quality of work-integrated learning
  8. developing work-integrated learning simulations and alternatives
  9. developing strategies that utilise e-learning strategies (particularly online and mobile learning) to complement and enhance work-integrated and practice-based learning, or
  10. conducting professional development activities (e.g. workshops) for workplace learning educators.

(13) Where larger and/or more complex projects are date contingent, Heads of Schools/supervisors and staff members may need to negotiate the timing of teaching and non-teaching periods.

Projects that investigate practice and university teaching/curricula 

(14) Projects that investigate practice and university teaching/curricula may be included in the professional activity workload of a staff member, with the agreement of, or invitation from, the Head of School/supervisor, such as but not limited to:

  1. investigating the nature of professional practice as the basis for framing curricula
  2. investigating advances and changing patterns of professional practice, work and workplaces to provide input to curricula and learning experiences, and
  3. investigating and improving university teaching.

Activities not normally counted in the professional activity workload

(15) The following group of activities may be counted as workload with the agreement of the Head of School/supervisor but would not normally be approved as a major focus of a professional work function’s workload, either singly or in combination:

  1. Contribution to and outputs from membership of professional boards or committees of regional, national or international significance, or an organising committee for a local, regional, national or international professional conference.
  2. A contributing member of an editorial board of an international or national journal, or a publication series relevant to the individual's profession.
  3. Refereeing articles, abstracts and/or conference proceedings for professional conferences.
  4. Reviewing material for publication in professional publications or of grant proposals for academic and/or professional reviewing bodies (e.g. professional associations).
  5. Additional Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education subjects (beyond the 16 credit points required to satisfy probation requirements that are counted in the service workload), or other study to improve professional practice skills.
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Section 5 - Glossary

(16) See the Appointments Policy.