(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 in conjunction with these Guidelines. (7) 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. (8) Applications will be assessed on an all-of-career basis, looking for a career trajectory but with a strong emphasis on the achievements at the level currently held. (9) In completing the Academic Staff Promotion Application, applicants are to provide commentary and context for evidence provided. This evidence together with the supervisor statement and teaching, research and 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. (10) Applicants to Levels D or E, where appropriate, must show that their contributions demonstrate national or international significance, beyond the University context. (11) Applicants should identify other people to read their application for clarity, impact and repetition. These selected colleagues may know the applicant's work. Consideration may also be given to choosing a colleague from another discipline area to ensure that the application is suitable to be read by a wide audience. It should be borne in mind that committee members may be drawn from a wide range of different disciplines, and some members may be external to the University. (12) The case for promotion must be easy to follow and use clear sign-posting, including headings. (13) Chances of success are limited if applications are poorly constructed, punctuated and/or written or content is repetitious. (14) Applicants are expected to adhere to the page and word limits established within the form. Where page and/or word limits are exceeded the application may be returned to you for further editing/refinement. (15) There is no provision for attachments in the application form except for the University research report and teaching related data which must be attached as a pdf document. (16) The applicant must complete all sections of Part 1: Details of Applicant. Specifically, the applicant must: (17) An applicant has the opportunity to provide information 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. (18) Assigned domain percentages need not duplicate but should align with the percentages used in any relevant workload allocation model. They should conform to the limits set by the relevant classification standard for the type of appointment held by the applicant. (19) In assigning percentages, applicants should take care to realistically consider their areas of strength. (20) 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 scope of activity that might be undertaken by participants in each of the three domains (Refer to The CSU Academic: A Guide to Evidence in Promotion). 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. 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. (21) In the promotion process applicants must address academic performance, academic reputation, and academic leadership relevant to the level sought (refer to clauses 18 to 25 in the Academic Staff Promotion Procedure) and supported by appropriate evidence both quantitative and qualitative. Applicants must demonstrate a balance between numbers and narrative. (22) In Part 2 the applicant is required to document tertiary qualifications or demonstrate equivalent accreditation and/or standing. (23) Examples of evidence that are appropriate to demonstrate equivalent standing may include (but are not limited to) the following: (24) Evidence provided to support a case for promotion must be of a different nature and impact from the evidence used to substantiate equivalent standing. (25) Applicants are required to provide details of Special Studies Program (SSP) or any other relevant activities. (26) Part 3 provides the committee with a high level overview of the applicant's case for promotion. (27) The applicant is required to provide up to five high level headline points per domain to summarise how the evidence supporting the case for promotion (articulated in Part 4 of the application form) demonstrates the applicant has already met the standards of academic performance, academic reputation, and academic leadership at the level to which promotion is sought.It is suggested applicants consider the weightings they have assigned to each domain when considering the number of headline points to be included. Notwithstanding, an applicant may use the maximum five headline points available across all domains should they wish to do so. (28) It is important to be succinct; each headline point is limited to one sentence only. (29) In Part 4 the applicant is required to articulate a case for promotion. It is important to note that while the overall case for promotion should demonstrate a clear trajectory, applicants should take care to focus on achievements since their past promotion, which demonstrate how they have met the required academic performance at the level promotion is sought. These achievements must be linked to the evidence (Part 5) that supports their significance. (30) Part 5 requires the applicant to provide a statement evidencing the applicant's impact and contribution across the three domains. (31) The applicant should report on their whole career, taking care to distinguish/highlight achievements since their last promotion. The Academic Staff Promotion Committee, whilst taking into account an applicant's whole career, will prioritise applicant's achievements since their last promotion. (32) A range of evidence can be used to support applications for promotion. Applicants should consult The CSU Academic: A Guide to Evidence in Promotion. Provided as a tool to assist applicants, it 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. (33) The CSU Academic: A Guide to Evidence in Promotion is not a prescriptive checklist of what must be done to be promoted but rather an indicative guide to activities that an academic could usefully reflect upon. The examples provided illustrate the type of evidence that may be included. The examples are not definitive or exhaustive of all tasks in academic employment, which are both diverse and multi-skilled, involving an overlap of duties between levels. There is no expectation that an individual staff member will make contributions in all of the areas listed within the Guide. (34) 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. (35) Clear evidence/documentation must be provided to support every claim that is presented in the application. (36) The applicant has the option to briefly comment on any relevant issues in relation to the data provided in Part 5 of the application, such as concerns about comparisons to norms (i.e. contextualisation). (37) This option for comment is not an opportunity to correct erroneous information.Where there are any inaccuracies or omissions in supplied information, the applicant should inform the relevant section of the University (with provision of suitable evidence, where appropriate) at least two weeks prior to the advertised date for receipt of the application by the supervisor(s) so the information can be corrected. (38) 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 promotion is sought. (39) 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 Procedure. (40) Applicants must include a current curriculum vitae in the application form. (41) Unlike previous sections of the application, the curriculum vitae addresses the applicant's whole career. In the case of professional experience outside the academic environment, applicants should refer particularly to experience that is relevant to promotion. (42) 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. (43) Applicants should establish their approach and philosophy of learning at undergraduate and post graduate levels (as appropriate), provide examples of how this philosophy is enacted and evidence the impact of their approach. (44) 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). (45) Applicants should not focus on internal University grants as this is not an indication of standing external to the institution, nationally or internationally. (46) Applicants should include a clear outline of contributions and their impact rather than a list of activities. (47) A full publication list covering the applicant's entire career should be included in Part 8. 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). (48) 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. (49) 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. (50) The applicant must nominate the number of supervisors and their names. (51) Should there be more than one supervisor, an additional supervisor statement will need to be copied and pasted into the application form. (52) Part 9b must be completed by the applicant's supervisor, in accordance with Part D of the Academic Staff Promotion Procedure. (53) The supervisor is required to verify all claims made within the application. Therefore, applicants should ensure documentary evidence to support such claims is available for presentation and verification. (54) Part 10 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: Details of Applicant
Application Part 2: Qualifications and Equivalency
Application Part 3: Domains
Application Part 4: Statement of Case for Promotion
Application Part 5: Evidence Portfolio
Application Part 6: Standards
Application Part 7: Curriculum Vitae
Domain: Promoting Learning
Domain: Creating Knowledge
Domain: Influencing University, Profession and Community
Application Part 8: Publication List
Application Part 9a: Nomination of Supervisor
Application Part 9b: Supervisor Statement
Application Part 10: Applicant Comments
View Current
This is not a current document. It has been repealed and is no longer in force.