(1) The purpose of these Guidelines is to provide assistance to academic staff who are preparing an application for promotion. (2) These Guidelines apply to academic staff of Charles Sturt University (the University) who hold a fixed-term or continuing appointment in a full-time or fractional capacity at level A, B, C, or D. (3) Refer to the Academic Staff Promotion Policy for the glossary. (4) Refer to the Academic Staff Promotion Policy. (5) Refer to the Academic Staff Promotion Procedure. (6) Applicants are to read the Academic Staff Promotion Policy and Academic Staff Promotion Procedure. (7) In completing the Academic Staff Promotion Application Form, applicants are to provide commentary and context for evidence provided, which, together with referee reports, should assist the committee with understanding and assessing the relative importance of the achievements and capacity of the applicant in their work function and in their disciplinary context. Applicants to Levels C, D or E must show that their contributions demonstrate national or international significance beyond the University context. (8) The case must be easy to follow and use clear sign-posting, including headings, to provide the committee with a sense of current academic achievements and future capacity to contribute at the academic level to which promotion is sought. (9) There is no provision for attachments in the application form except for University research data, which must be attached as a pdf document. (10) Chances of success are limited if applications are poorly constructed, punctuated and/or written. (11) The applicant must complete basic information on the application form, identifying the applicant and assigning percentages to the different domains of academic work. (12) The assigned percentages need not duplicate but should align with the percentages used in any relevant workload allocation model (e.g. as part of a career development process such as the Employee Development and Review Scheme) and should conform to the limits set by the relevant classification standard for the type of appointment held by the applicant. In assigning percentages, applicants should take care to realistically consider their areas of strength. (13) Rather than defining in precise terms the meaning of each domain, the alternative approach of providing dimensionality and context to the domains has been adopted. These dimensions refer to the areas of activity that might be undertaken by participants in each of the three domains. With the exception of leadership and professional development, which must be addressed by all applicants as appropriate to the level of promotion sought, an applicant is not required to address each and every dimension. (14) The CSU Academic: A Guide to Evidence in Promotion provides a framework for bringing together scope of activity, sphere of influence and source of evidence in each domain but is not intended as a checklist. Keywords in the process are academic performance, academic reputation, and academic leadership relevant to the level sought and supported by appropriate evidence both quantitative and qualitative. Applicants must demonstrate a balance between numbers and narrative. There is no set formula for success in promotion. Committees judge each application on its merits, weighing up the mix of achievements and evidence each applicant puts forward and the coherent case each applicant makes based on this evidence. (15) Staff can provide information in this section on any issues or concerns that they may have relating to equity or Equal Employment Opportunity. For example, this may be information on leave due to family circumstances, impact of ethnicity or cultural background on leadership roles, etc. (16) Examples of evidence that are appropriate to demonstrate equivalent standing may include (but are not limited to) the following: (17) Evidence provided to support a case for promotion must be of a different nature and impact from the evidence used to substantiate equivalent standing. (18) The statement of case for promotion is to be completed by the applicant. The case should demonstrate a clear career trajectory: where did I begin, where have I been and where am I going, and how will this promotion get me there faster? What are my major achievements? These achievements must be linked to the evidence that supports their significance. (19) In completing Part 3 of the application, The CSU Academic: A Guide to Evidence in Promotion should be consulted. This Evidence Guide is based on The CSU Academic, which is the framework for describing academic work at the University. A range of evidence can be used to support applications for recruitment, probation or promotion. (20) Clear evidence/documentation must be provided to support every claim that is presented in the application. The CSU Academic: A Guide to Evidence in Promotion maps evidence and standards against the three domains and the levels of appointment, Levels A to E, giving examples of the types of evidence that can be used to demonstrate that the appropriate standard has been met. It is provided as a tool to assist applicants. (21) The examples in the The CSU Academic: A Guide to Evidence in Promotion are illustrative of the type of evidence that may be included, but these are certainly not definitive or exhaustive of all tasks in academic employment, which is by its nature both diverse and multi-skilled, involving an overlap of duties between levels. There will be a wide variety in the mix of activities undertaken and contributions made, and there is no expectation that an individual staff member will make contributions in all of the areas listed. (22) The CSU Academic: A Guide to Evidence in Promotion is not a checklist of what must be done to be promoted but rather an indicative guide to activities that an academic could usefully reflect upon. The guide provides a firm basis for assessing performance and for stating and assessing claims for promotion. In assessing performance, what matters is what contribution has been made and what outcomes have been achieved. In all instances, performance must be contextualised by the applicant. The fact that an applicant appears to satisfy several performance standards does not necessarily mean that a case for promotion has been established; the assessment process is holistic. (23) Some activities could be considered under different domains; the applicant needs to make a decision in terms of the best presentation of their case but evidence can only be used once. (24) Part 4 provides the applicant with the opportunity to comment on any relevant issues in the information supplied under Part 3, such as concerns about comparisons to norms (i.e. contextualisation). This should be done briefly. (25) Part 4 is not an opportunity to correct erroneous information. Where there are any inaccuracies or omissions in supplied information, the relevant section of the University must be informed (with provision of suitable evidence, where appropriate) at least two weeks prior to the advertised date for receipt of the applicant's application by the supervisor(s) so that the information can be corrected. (26) Applicants must demonstrate how they currently meet the standards for academic promotion, as specified by the University through (a) their commitment to the University's core values and strategies and (b) their contributions to the domains of influencing university, profession and/or community; promoting learning; and creating knowledge in relation to the minimum standards for academic performance and academic reputation of the level to which they seek promotion. (27) One approach to setting standards is to define quantitative measures for grant income, publications, student assessments, higher degree supervision, etc., with due allowance for differences in disciplinary expectations. The alternative approach has been adopted by the University in which staff can use an evidence guide to assist in demonstrating that they meet the expected standard for a given level based on the Minimum Standards for Academic Performance and Academic Reputation, as defined in the Academic Staff Promotion Policy. These standards are derived from the Minimum Standards for Academic Levels used by many institutions in Australia. (28) Applicants must include a current curriculum vitae in the application form. (29) Other sections of the application have emphasised activities and achievements in the current position. This section, the curriculum vitae, addresses the applicant's whole career. Applications will be assessed on an all-of-career basis, looking for a career trajectory but with a strong emphasis on the achievements in the position currently held. (30) In the case of professional experience outside the academic environment, applicants should refer particularly to experience that is relevant to promotion. (31) A full publication list covering the applicant's entire career should be included in the curriculum vitae. In the case of work not yet published, it should be included under the relevant heading with its current status (the latter must be verified by the supervisor). (32) Research outputs (such as publications and creative works) over the last 10 years or since appointment (whichever is more recent) included in this list will only be recognised where they are included in the material registered with the Research Office. (33) For non-research outputs (publications, creative works, commissioned reports, etc.) not included in the material registered with the Research Office, the applicant should contextualise the work (what establishes its importance and its acceptance by the academy or profession, etc.). For example, a work of art commissioned by the National Gallery probably says more about the artist than an artwork commissioned by the applicant's mother. (34) Whilst the curriculum vitae is free-form, applicants are advised to relate their activities and achievements to the three domains. The curriculum vitae should demonstrate any and all links between these domains. (35) In the Promoting Learning domain, applicants should establish their approach and philosophy of learning at all levels (undergraduate and postgraduate). (36) In the Creating Knowledge domain, a clear focus should be identified and how this has developed during the applicant's career, including a research strategy for the future. Applicants must create a clear line of sight between the grants they receive and the outcomes of these grants (publications and further grants). Applicants should not focus on internal University grants as this is not an indication of national or international standing. (37) In the Influencing University, Profession and Community domain, a list of activities is not particularly useful but rather a clear outline of contributions and their impact should be included. (38) The applicant must nominate how many supervisors they have and the names of each supervisor. (39) Part 7b must be completed by the applicant's supervisor, in accordance with Part D of the Academic Staff Promotion Procedure. (40) Part 8 provides the applicant with the option to make comments in response to the supervisor's statement.Academic Staff Promotion Guidelines - Applicants
Section 1 - Purpose
Section 2 - Glossary
Section 3 - Policy
Section 4 - Procedures
Section 5 - Guidelines
Background
The Application Form
Application Part 1: Personal Information
Application Part 2: Statement of Case for Promotion
Application Part 3: Evidence Portfolio
Application Part 4: Applicant Comments on Supplied Data (optional)
Application Part 5: Standards
Application Part 6: Curriculum Vitae
Application Part 7a: Nomination of Supervisor
Application Part 7b: Supervisor Statement
Application Part 8: Applicant Comments
View Current
This is not a current document. It has been repealed and is no longer in force.