Office of Human Resources
PART 1 PROMOTION TO LECTURER (LEVEL B)
Portfolio Holder: Moya Liland Executive Officer, Academic Staff Promotions and Probation (Ext. 2279)
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Approved on |
30 September 2003 |
by |
Vice Chancellor |
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Last Amended |
15 March 2007 |
by |
Vice Chancellor |
INTRODUCTION
Every year the University will invite all eligible academics to apply for promotion to Lecturer on the basis of personal merit. Applications are typically initiated by you, the staff member. However the Faculty Dean or Head of Division may invite you to apply for promotion, or may submit an application on your behalf and with your permission.
While there is no specific application for incremental advancement the Lecturer Promotions Committee may, in its consideration of the merit of your application, recommend accelerated incremental advancement rather than promotion.
The Academic Staff Promotions Policy and Procedures are subject to continuous amendment and only the most recent policy and procedures approved by the Vice-Chancellor are current.
It is strongly recommended that you attend an information session or workshop before preparing your application.
1.1 PROMOTIONS TIMETABLE
The application date for Lecturer level promotions is in the table below and the process is normally completed in order for promotions to take effect from the 1st January the year following the promotion round (eg if you apply for promotion in 2004 your promotion will be effective from the 1st January 2005). The Lecturer Promotions Committee will endeavour to keep to the following timetable. Specific dates will be determined each year and published at the time of initial notification.
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Steps in the promotion round
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Dates for Round |
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Reminder by the Office of Human Resources of the specific date for application and of the availability of the current version of this document. |
Last Friday in June |
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Applications for promotion to be submitted electronically via the Academic Promotions Web-Site. Late applications will not be accepted. |
First Friday in August |
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Applications for promotion and School Advisory Committee Reports forwarded to Lecturer Promotions Committee through the Faculty Dean/Head of Division (with any additional comments); copy of the School Report and Faculty Dean/Head of Division comments sent to applicant. Within two weeks of receipt of a copy of the School Advisory Committee Report and any comments from the Faculty Dean/Head of Division, you may either withdraw the application, or forward a response to the Secretary, Lecturer Promotions Committee, Office of Human Resources, if you so choose. |
First Friday in September
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Last date for updating of Lecturer Application via the web-site. |
First Friday in October |
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Date by which Lecturer Applicants will be informed of the result |
First Friday in December |
1.2 ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY
You are eligible to apply for promotion if, at the time of application, you are a full-time or part-time member of staff on:
· a continuing employment contract, or
· a fixed-term contract that allows for possible continuity of service for a period of at least three years’ duration, or
· fixed term contracts that have, or will provide for, an overall period of at least three years’ continuous service.
Normally, consideration for promotion will be for applicants with at least three years’ continual service in their current level of appointment, but those with only twelve months continual service with the University may also be considered. However, in cases where an applicant has not completed at least three years’ continual service in their current level of appointment, the application will proceed to the Lecturer Promotions Committee for consideration only if the Head of School/Unit and the Faculty Dean/Head of Division support the early application in writing. Therefore, it is recommended that you seek advice from your Head of School/Unit and the Faculty Dean/Head of Division before preparing an application.
You are reminded that your application for promotion will be considered on the academic merit of your case and on the basis of meeting the minimum requirements for promotion to the next level.
If you are unsuccessful in an application for promotion to Level B in this round you may re-apply for promotion in the next round. The Lecturer Promotions Committee however would not normally recommend an application in the round following an unsuccessful application unless there is evidence of significant new achievement.
If you are unsuccessful in two consecutive rounds, you will not be eligible to reapply for promotion until the next round but one (eg if unsuccessful in both 2002 and 2003, you will be first eligible to apply again in 2005).
If the University has initiated formal disciplinary action against you under the terms of the Academic Collective Workplace Agreement, or if you are unable to discharge your duties for a significant period of time, then the Vice-Chancellor may determine that no further action be taken on your application.
The correction of allegedly wrongful placement on salary scales at appointment is not part of the promotion procedures. Representation on such matters will always be received by the Vice-Chancellor, and if correction is shown to be necessary it can be done by administrative action. Further, salary loadings or other allowances received by staff cannot be taken into consideration by the Committee.
AWAs record Academic standing, for example Lecturer.
Employees on AWAs are eligible to apply for promotion under the Promotions Policy.
Where an employee is successful in the promotion process, the relevant Administrative Head should meet with the employee to review remuneration in light of the new Academic standing.
Human Resources advice must be sought before determining any remuneration change. As a general principle the University will reward the achievement of an increase in Academic standing
1.3 PERFORMANCE LEVELS FOR PROMOTION TO LECTURER
1.3.1 Overview
The nature of academic work is such that the various levels of academic appointment share many common tasks. Nevertheless, there are differences in the degrees of independence, responsibility and leadership expected and which are important in distinguishing between the duties of academics at various levels.
The requirements for promotion to Lecturer (Level B) are that:
In the assessment of merit, the University will take into account your contribution in each of three broad categories: Teaching and Teaching Development, Research and Professional Scholarship, and Service to the University and Community.
Each Division will prepare a Discipline Profile for each discipline it covers. A Discipline Profile is a statement of the types of activities which count as valid academic activities within the disciplines in a Division. It is a discursive statement on the typical activities that staff undertake in their particular disciplines such as, for example, methods of non standard teaching, non typical research and professional activities, creative works, case notes, services to the community, or any new and unusual activities. The purpose is to validate the types of activities that count within a discipline towards consideration of an applicant for promotion. The Lecturer Promotions Committee will use the relevant Discipline Profile as a guide to assessing your academic performance within your discipline or field.
1.3.2 Performance levels and weightings for promotion to Lecturer (Level B)
The University expects that all academic staff will strive to achieve a high level of performance in their duties across each of the three broad categories of Teaching and Teaching Development, Research and Professional Scholarship and Service to the University and Community.
The Lecturer Promotions Committee will make an assessment for each category separately in terms of whether your performance relative to the expectations of a position at Level A is excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, weak, very weak or extremely weak. There is no particular weighting applied by the Committee to the elements within each of the categories. The Committee will consider these elements in the context of the relevant Discipline Profile and the responsibilities specified within your contract to arrive at an assessment. These category assessments will then be weighted within the percentage ranges shown in the table below and combined. The Lecturer Promotions Committee will identify the combination of weightings that produces the best outcome for you.
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Standard Teaching and Research |
Teaching Support |
Research Support |
Teaching Mainly |
Research Mainly |
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Teaching and Teaching Development |
50-70% |
30-60% |
10-40% |
60-80% |
10-20% |
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Research and Professional Scholarship |
30-50% |
10-40% |
30-60% |
10-20% |
60-80% |
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Service to University and Community |
0-20% |
30-60% |
30-60% |
0-20% |
0-20% |
The great majority of academic appointments at Murdoch University are to Standard Teaching and Research positions, and the Lecturer Promotions Committee will assume this normally to be the case. If you feel that you should be considered in one of the other categories, you are advised to obtain written endorsement from the Faculty Dean/ Head of Division, prior to preparing your application, to confirm that you were appointed, or have been formally transferred, to such a position. If you do not have their support beforehand, you may expend effort in preparing an application that will not provide you with the best case. Evidence of such endorsement will need to be included in your application.
Standard Teaching and Research
The majority of applicants for promotion will have Standard Teaching and Research positions. Associate Lecturers (Level A) in such positions are expected to make a substantial contribution to Teaching and Teaching Development, particularly at the undergraduate level, a smaller but still significant contribution to developing their Research and Professional Scholarship and a modest contribution to Service to the University and Community.
In order to be considered for promotion to Level B under Standard Teaching and Research, you must:
· relative to the expectations of a Level A Standard Teaching and Research position, demonstrate at least:
o a good performance in Teaching and Teaching Development and Research and Professional Scholarship and a satisfactory level overall as shown by the combined weighted score, OR
o a very good performance in either Teaching and Teaching Development or Research and Professional Scholarship with a satisfactory performance in the other two categories, AND
Teaching Mainly
Some academic staff are employed in positions that are Teaching Mainly. Associate Lecturers (Level A) in such positions are expected to make a more substantial contribution to Teaching and Teaching Development than those on standard appointments, a similar modest contribution to Service to the University and Community as those on standard appointments and a minor contribution to Research and Professional Scholarship where the latter may be more practically oriented and/or relate largely to scholarship associated with teaching.
In order to be considered for promotion to Level B under Teaching Mainly, you must:
Teaching Support
Some academic staff (e.g. staff in the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC), in clinical work in some professional schools, information technology (IT) support staff in Divisions) hold positions that require mainly Teaching Support. This generally involves a combination of Teaching and Teaching Development and Service to the University and Community where the latter refers to supporting the teaching of other staff through consultative, administrative or technological services, or supports the educational experiences of students, for example, through student practica, placements or projects. Associate Lecturers (Level A) in such positions are expected to make a substantial contribution to both Teaching and Teaching Development, and Service to the University and Community and a minor contribution to Research and Professional Scholarship where the latter may be more practically oriented and/or relate largely to scholarship associated with teaching.
In order to be considered for promotion to Level B under Teaching Support, you must :
· relative to the expectations of a Level A Teaching Support position, demonstrate at least:
· present an overall case, as represented by your combined weighted score, that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as a Lecturer (Level B) at Murdoch University.
Research Mainly
Some academic staff hold positions that require Mainly Research duties related to their discipline or field. Associate Lecturers (Level A) in such positions are expected to make a more substantial contribution to Research and Professional Scholarship than those on standard appointments, a similar modest contribution to Service to the University and Community as those on standard appointments, and a minor contribution to Teaching and Teaching Development, perhaps through the supervision of small student projects or honours theses or assisting students develop their research design or data analysis skills.
In order to be considered for promotion to Level B under Research Mainly, you must:
· relative to the expectations of a Level A Research Mainly position, demonstrate at least a very good performance in Research and Professional Scholarship with a satisfactory performance in the other two categories, AND
· present an overall case, as represented by your combined weighted score, that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as a Lecturer (Level B) at Murdoch University.
Research Support
Some academic staff (e.g. staff in Research Centres or the TLC) hold positions that require Mainly Research Support involving a combination of Research and Professional Scholarship and Service to the University and Community, the latter relating to administrative or technological services. Associate Lecturers (Level A) in such positions are expected to make a substantial contribution to both Research and Professional Scholarship and Service to the University and Community, and a minor contribution to Teaching and Teaching Development, perhaps through assisting students to develop their research design or data analysis skills.
In order to be considered for promotion to Level B under Research Support, you must:
· relative to the expectations of a Level A Research Support position, demonstrate at least:
o a good performance in both Research and Professional Scholarship and Service to the University and Community and a satisfactory level overall as shown by the combined weighted score, OR
o a very good performance in either Research and Professional Scholarship or Service to the University and Community with a satisfactory performance in the other two categories, AND
· present an overall case, as represented by your combined weighted score, that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as a Lecturer (Level B) at Murdoch University.
Teaching and Teaching Development only or Research and Professional Scholarship only or University Service only
Indicative percentage ranges do not apply to staff appointed to positions which specify 100% Research and Professional Scholarship or Teaching and Teaching Development or Service to the University and Community. If you wish to apply under these conditions you are expected to demonstrate a very good performance relative to the expectations of a Level A position dedicated solely to the nominated area, and demonstrate that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as a Lecturer (Level B) at Murdoch University.
1.3.3 Mixed work arrangements
You may have been assigned, seconded or contracted by approval of your Faculty Dean or Head of Division to work for a period in a manner that differs from your normal work arrangement (e.g. you may be seconded to a Research Centre with no teaching responsibilities for two years). Assignments of a year or more may be identified in your application for promotion. You must have evidence of any such arrangement and include this in your application.
1.3.4 Part-time appointments
If you have a part-time appointment you should ensure that this is very clear in your application. The Lecturer Promotions Committee will then take this into account in determining the level of your performance.
1.3.5 Special circumstances (including interruptions to your career)
If you have had a significant period away from work since your appointment or last promotion due, for example, to family responsibilities or long term illness, and wish these circumstances to be taken into account in the consideration of your application, you should provide the Lecturer Promotions Committee with the relevant information. You need to explain how these circumstances affected your progress in any or all of the broad work categories namely Teaching and Teaching Development; Research and Professional Scholarship; and Service to the University and Community.
Where an applicant for promotion, who has had a significant period away from work, seeks to have that absence taken into account, the committee may recommend promotion provided that the information before it is sufficient for it to conclude that, but for the absence, the applicant would have met the performance requirements for promotion.
1.3.6 Indigenous Applicants
If an application is received from an indigenous academic staff member the applicant can choose for an indigenous academic staff member from another University to be appointed by the Vice Chancellor to the Lecturer/Professorial Promotions Committee for review of that applicant's case for promotion. The co-opted indigenous academic staff member will be appointed by the Vice Chancellor at the beginning of each year's academic staff promotions round for one year and the name of the co-opted member will be available on the Academic Staff Promotions website. The co-opted member will have full voting rights.
1.4 DOCUMENTATION TO BE SUBMITTED
1.4.1 Promotion Application Form
You are required to submit your application on the standard Promotion Application Form (hotlink) for the year of application via the web-site.
Your application should be in 12 point font and the sections in which you describe your achievements must be limited to a maximum of 10,000 words. In fairness to others applying for promotion in submitting an application you declare that the relevant sections of the application do not exceed the word limit. Your application must be submitted electronically in the format specified on the Application Form.
The word limitation does not apply to the three Appendices for the work category you nominate under Section 1.5 (subsection (iii) in each area), but the Appendices should include only the requested information. Peer reviews are also separate and are to be submitted by peers directly to the Secretary of the Lecturer Promotions Committee, not to you, using the Peer Review Cover Sheet (hotlink). Up to three (3) peer reviews can be provided for each of the three major categories with a maximum of six (6) overall (see Section 1.4.4).
You must submit an electronic version of your application only via the Human Resources On-Line Service (See Human Resources Home Page). Your application will be submitted to the Faculty Dean / Head of Division by the date advised in Section 1.1 (Promotions Timetable) of the Promotion Policy. It will then be circulated to the School Advisory Committee for their deliberations before being sent to the Secretary of the Lecturer Promotion Committee.
Late applications cannot be accepted. Once submitted, the application constitutes a formal application for promotion but may be updated electronically with amended versions replacing the original application until the official closing date. After the closing date the application may only be updated by sending electronic documents via the web-site to the Secretary of the Lecturer Promotions Committee (by the date advised in the Promotions Timetable) but it cannot be edited or rewritten.
1.4.2 Period for consideration
The Lecturer Promotions Committee's principal interest is in matters that relate to the period since taking up your employment at Murdoch University. Achievements you used to gain your position at Murdoch cannot be used again for a promotion application. For example, a publication which was ‘in press’ and used to make a case for appointment should not be used again to make a case for promotion even if its publication date is technically after you were appointed. Your application should clearly distinguish those achievements that are in the relevant period for consideration from those which are not. For this purpose, if you held a Level A position at Murdoch (perhaps on a fixed term contract) and gained another position at Murdoch at Level A (perhaps a continuing position or a different fixed term position), then your period of consideration will begin from the commencement date of the earlier appointment.
Aspects of your work at a previous university or professional work prior to appointment at Murdoch University will not normally be considered as part of a case for promotion. However, when considered appropriate by your Faculty Dean or Head of Division, aspects of your prior work may be included. Written confirmation of the reason(s) for the Faculty Dean or Head of Division forming their view must accompany your application. The Lecturer Promotions Committee will then take account of the submitted information about previous work.
1.4.3 Referees
You should provide names and addresses of three (3) referees from whom the Committee will seek confidential references. Persons not eligible to act as a referee are Members of the School Advisory Committee or Lecturer Promotions Committee or Faculty Dean/Head of Division, nor anyone related to the applicant (i.e. be of the immediate family or have a de facto relationship with the applicant). An exception to this is the role of the Head of School who is permitted to act as a referee for applicants, even though a Head of School is likely to have served on a School Advisory Committee. The referees will be expected to address your qualifications, performance and standing with respect to each of the three categories. You should choose referees appropriate to your areas of strength. In general, it is recommended that at least one referee be external to the University and one be internal.
Each of your nominated referees will be approached by the Office of Human Resources and asked to provide a written report in strictest confidence directly to the Secretary of the Lecturer Promotions Committee. Prior to including referees names in your application, you should approach them in order to ensure that they are willing to provide references. You should also provide them with a copy of your application.
Where a nominated referee does not provide the requested reference, the Committee must notify you, and take account of any submissions made by you in deciding whether it is appropriate to use a substitute referee.
1.4.4 Peer reviews
In addition to nominating referees you may seek up to three (3) peer reviews for one or more of the three categories with a maximum of six (6) overall. It is your responsibility to approach the chosen peers with a specific request and to provide them with the standard Peer Review Cover Sheet (hotlink). They provide their comments in confidence directly to the Secretary of the Lecturer Promotions Committee within three weeks of the closing date for applications. Under no circumstances should you ask for such a peer report to be returned to you; the Lecturer Promotions Committee will only consider peer reports forwarded directly to the Secretary with a standard Peer Review Cover Sheet.
Peer reviews concern very specific aspects of your work. They may be provided by academic colleagues, or people with whom you are associated in a professional capacity or through community service, or by students. Peer reviewers should have sufficient knowledge of a particular aspect of your work to make informed comment on it. However, they should not cover the broader scope of your achievements; the latter is the task of your referees. Peer reports may, for example, include: a confidential report on your teaching in a particular unit by a coordinator or tutor of that unit; an evaluation of a unit guide or laboratory manual which you have prepared for a Murdoch unit; an appraisal of your service to a government department or agency by its Head; an informed comment on your contribution to a major University committee by the Chair of that committee.
You should not feel as though you ought to provide peer reviews in each category. Indeed, the majority of applicants for promotion would not need to. For example, if you have just been awarded your doctorate and published from it you might submit no peer reviews in the Research and Professional Scholarship category since this would be regarded as evidence of positive peer review. If, however, you wish to demonstrate the quality of your Professional Scholarship or creative works a peer review may be used for this purpose. If you have unit and teaching surveys you may well not need peer reviews but if your most significant contributions to teaching are in a support capacity peer reviews may be needed. Bear in mind that your case may actually be weakened by asking people with limited knowledge to comment upon your work.
In selecting peer reviewers, you should take into consideration that people who are placed in a subordinate position to you may feel constrained in making an independent assessment of your work Persons not eligible to act as a peer reviewer are Members of the School Advisory Committee or Lecturer Promotions Committee or Faculty Dean/Head of Division, nor anyone related to the applicant (i.e. be of the immediate family or have a de facto relationship with the applicant).
1.4.5 Updating an application
It is your responsibility to update your application if you so wish. Such an update should only concern significant changes which have occurred after the submission date, such as papers accepted for publication, appointments to significant committees, significant awards received or the results of TLC Teaching Surveys. You should endeavour to provide only one such update, in the form of a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Lecturer Promotions Committee that should be submitted electronically. Whilst applications can be updated, they cannot be changed once submitted to the School Advisory Committee. The closing date for any updates is stated in the Promotions Timetable in Section 1.1 of the Policy.
1.5 Preparing your case
It is strongly recommended that you read all of this Part of the Academic Staff Promotions Policy and Procedures and attend any relevant information sessions before preparing your application.
1.5.1 Overview
You should describe your important achievements, the major outcomes of your activities, and provide a clear, concise argument, well supported with evidence and clearly presented. Listing every activity you have undertaken is unlikely to strengthen your case for promotion. Rather, you should highlight those activities and outcomes of most significance in each of the three categories:
The onus is on you to make the case convincingly. You must provide all information and evidence that you see as relevant to your case, within the word limit allowed and the Appendices. The Lecturer Promotions Committee does not seek out information on your behalf (except for referees’ reports), and does not refer back to information that may have been part of a previous application (including referee reports, peer evaluations or Teaching and Learning Centre student survey results).
It is important that you present evidence supporting your strongest possible case for each of the three categories. Consult the Discipline Profile relevant to you to ensure either that your application reflects the discipline specific ways of meeting the standard expectations or that you have explained unusual aspects of your work that make parts of the Discipline Profile less applicable to you.
Clear boundaries cannot always separate the three categories of contribution, and some activities could legitimately be counted under different headings depending upon the nature of your academic work. For example, academics may undertake some research on their University teaching. For a physicist this may not constitute an active advance in knowledge in her or his discipline and would normally be expected to form part of the case for Teaching and Teaching Development rather than part of the case for Research and Professional Scholarship. However, the research focus of some staff, particularly in the School of Education or the TLC, may be the improvement of teaching and such work may be appropriately included in Research and Professional Scholarship. Similarly, committee work relating to teaching might reasonably be offered as an indirect contribution to Teaching and Teaching Development or as a contribution to University Service. The important point is that activities cannot be double counted. Where there is some ambiguity about the categories, you should explain clearly where you consider particular achievements should be included.
You may include the supervision of research students either in the Teaching and Teaching Development category or in the Research and Professional Scholarship category, but not both. There is a place on the application form for you to indicate to the Lecturer Promotions Committee in which category this is to be considered.
1.5.2 Skill base
To be eligible for consideration of a case for promotion to Lecturer (Level B) you need to show that you meet the skill base required for appointment as an academic at Level B, that is:
A Level B Academic shall have qualifications and/or experience recognized by the institution as appropriate for the relevant discipline area. In many cases a position at this level will require a doctoral or masters qualification or equivalent accreditation and standing. In determining experience relative to qualifications, regard is had to teaching experience, experience in research, experience outside tertiary education, creative achievement, professional contributions and/or to technical achievement.
The Lecturer Promotions Committee will thus consider your levels and types of formal qualification, and/or progress towards such qualifications, including relevant professional experience in place of such qualifications where appropriate. It will also recognize non-traditional patterns of achievement, for example in clinical and professional practice.
1.5.3 Establishing Merit in Teaching and Teaching Development
Description
For the purposes of promotion, Teaching and Teaching Development refers to all activities under your control that create and sustain an effective environment for university learning. This includes your direct contribution to student learning through your own teaching, unit development, resource development, assessment and reporting, availability for student consultations and other out-of-class student matters, and your attention to the improvement of your own teaching.
It also includes your indirect contribution to the enhancement of the teaching of others within the University such as through the professional development of colleagues, or assisting other academic staff in unit development, the production of teaching materials that others use, the provision of consultative, administrative or technological services, undertaking research on University teaching and speaking and publishing on University teaching.
A Level A academic is expected initially to work with support and direction from academic staff at Level B and above, but with an increasing degree of autonomy as the academic gains in skill and experience. For the purposes of promotion to Lecturer (Level B), you must demonstrate that you have done more than carry out your teaching duties satisfactorily over a number of years at a level appropriate to an Associate Lecturer (Level A), since this is expected and does not in itself warrant promotion.
If you have a Standard Teaching and Research contract you should demonstrate good student evaluations of your teaching, how you have attended to the improvement of your teaching and the gains in your teaching skills over time. You should also demonstrate that you have developed the expertise and autonomy to initiate and develop unit materials and coordinate units as required of a Lecturer (Level B).
If you are in the Teaching Mainly category you should show very good student evaluations and some additional contributions to teaching for example through providing mentoring support to more junior colleagues or sessional tutors. If you are in the Teaching Support category you should demonstrate substantial achievement in your own teaching and/or in the promotion and support of good teaching in others.
If you are in the Research Mainly or Research Support categories you are expected to make some contribution to University teaching. This may, for example, be in the form of the supervision of small student projects or honours theses or assisting students develop their research design or data analysis skills.
Presenting your case
You should provide the Lecturer Promotions Committee with the following information.
e.g. good student appraisals as shown by Teaching Surveys; mastery of the subject material and presenting it clearly and well as judged by students; engendering in your students an enthusiasm for learning and scholarship, developing their critical thinking and supporting autonomous learning; effectively addressing the learning needs of a diverse student population.
e.g. effectively assisting students develop their research design or data analysis skills, supporting high quality student outcomes as shown by industry approval of the products of their practica and projects or the level of honours obtained; good completion rates
e.g. being available to students seeking academic assistance; membership of curriculum committees; helping with student associations or interest groups; the provision of career guidance, mentoring students
e.g. responding effectively to peer and student evaluations of your teaching as evidenced through improvements in evaluations; trying alternative teaching approaches; participating in professional development activities; successfully completing a tertiary teaching course or qualification; keeping abreast of current developments in your teaching area and with the relevant educational literature
e.g. effectively developing or revising units; introducing or implementing improved or innovative teaching strategies in class, feedback, assessment and reporting methods, teaching materials or facilities; integrating teaching with relevant professions.
e.g. academic awards or distinctions for teaching (Teaching Excellence awards); securing teaching grants; undertaking consultancies on teaching; contributing to the literature on teaching; demonstrating favourable reviews or significant adoptions of published or circulated material such as textbooks, software, curricula, demonstrations, films or devices.
e.g. acting as a mentor to new tutors; assisting external tutors give appropriate feedback.
· You should provide student appraisals of all of your teaching, in the form of TLC Teaching Surveys (rather than unit surveys), for at least three semesters during the period under consideration. These should be submitted in the standard format. Where this is not possible, please explain why and provide whatever student appraisals you can.
· You may provide up to three (3) additional pieces of supporting evidence (of no more than a page or so each) if needed to make your case (e.g. copy of any Teaching Excellence awards, unsolicited correspondence attesting to your out of class support for students; evidence of the adoption by colleagues of your teaching materials).
· In addition, you may invite up to three (3) people to provide Peer Reviews of aspects of your teaching if needed to make your case (e.g. an independent evaluation of some of your teaching materials for a unit).
1.5.4 Establishing Merit in Research and Professional Scholarship
Description
Research and Professional Scholarship refers to contributions to the active advancement of knowledge or its applications in your discipline or field. This may occur through basic research or research and development, professional practice, creative activity and performance in the arts. Since this category includes fostering the research of others, research supervision may be included in this category rather than in the Teaching and Teaching Development category.
A Level A academic is expected initially to work with support and direction from academic staff at Level B and above, but with an increasing degree of autonomy as the academic gains in skill and experience.
If you have a Standard Contract, for the purposes of promotion to Lecturer (Level B), you must at least demonstrate the level of scholarship necessary to maintain effectiveness as a teaching academic at the level of Associate Lecturer. In addition, you should demonstrate the ways in which your research and Professional Scholarship is developing and provide evidence of your personal commitment to, and some achievement in, scholarly research and communication of that achievement to others. You should demonstrate that you have had the results of a research, professional or creative activity accepted in the form of publication in your discipline or field.
If you are in the Teaching Mainly or Teaching Support categories you are only expected to make a minor contribution to Research and Professional Scholarship. For the purposes of promotion to Lecturer (Level B), you should indicate how you maintain awareness of current developments in your field, and embody these in your teaching in an authoritative way.
If you are in the Research Mainly category you should demonstrate more significant achievement in a relevant area of research. It is expected that you will have developed a program in research or creative work, contributed significantly to the outcomes of research and professional projects, spoken at conferences, as appropriate, and published. If you are in the Research Support category, you should demonstrate both your own research activity and outcomes and also how your work supports and enhances the research of others.
Presenting your case
Applicants for promotion should provide the Lecturer Promotions Committee with the following information.
e.g. progress towards or success in gaining a higher degree or advanced professional qualification; successful completion of research training workshops.
e.g. authorship of books, articles, papers, publications in electronic form, patents or inventions, authorship, direction or execution of performances, productions, exhibitions, or designs appropriate to the discipline or medium concerned.
e.g. a record in applying for research grants from within and outside the University; success in gaining research grants; joint or sole success in tendering for research and development contracts and consultancies; a record in gaining support for productions and exhibitions.
e.g. successful participation in research and development teams; involvement in collaborative research programs with external bodies such as industry; performance in professional practice
e.g. effectively assisting students develop their research design or data analysis skills, supporting high quality student outcomes as shown by industry approval of the products of their practica and projects or the level of honours obtained; good completion rates.
iii.A Research and Professional Scholarship Appendix containing documentation in support of the statements in (ii).
References to publications must be given in full with exact pagination and dating. Refereed publications should be presented separately from others. Papers that have been accepted for publication (i.e. are in press) may be included, with evidence of their acceptance, but papers that have been submitted only should not be included. Acceptances of publications may be forwarded to the secretary of the Lecturer Promotions Committee via the web-site and can be added as an update to the application.
1.5.5 Establishing Merit in Service to the University and Community
Description
Service to the University and Community includes the range of university management and administrative responsibilities, including student recruitment, advising and enrolment, program coordination, mentoring of staff and students, committee and working party membership, policy development, public relations, equity initiatives and staff association activities. Community service includes the use of professional and scholarly competence to develop useful interaction between the community and the University, and applies essentially to service provided in your capacity as a Murdoch University staff member.
While an Associate Lecturer is expected to focus her/his work mostly on Teaching and Teaching Development and/or Research and Professional Scholarship, s/he is also expected to contribute to the ‘maintenance work’ and the collegiate activities of the School or Unit. For the purposes of promotion to Lecturer (Level B), you should demonstrate your willingness to undertake such activities where possible, and your competent performance of them. This work may be undertaken at the request of senior staff or may be self-initiated. You should not feel obligated to try to make a case for Community Service since this is not a requirement at the Associate Lecturer/Lecturer levels. You may, however, undertake considerable Community Service and, if so, can use it to strengthen your case for promotion, indicating the manner in which this Service has enhanced the University in the context of its mission.
Presenting your case
You should provide the Lecturer Promotions Committee with the following information.
e.g. your development and maintenance of a highly effective School/Unit web page, your engagement in Careers, Information and Open Days; your involvement in Summer Schools for secondary students
e.g. your willingness to be involved in student advising and enrolments, and the reliable and effective performance of them
e.g. your participation in equity activities, student mentoring and support of student associations; your effective engagement in student orientation activities; your voluntary involvement in assisting students make University to employment transitions
e.g. your willingness to participate in collegiate activities; your active support for equity and diversity in the University community
e.g. examples of your contribution to the outcomes of School/Unit/Divisional committees and working parties; your contribution to the Academic Staff Association
e.g. your maintenance of close and continuing associations with industry, commerce, government or the community generally
e.g. evidence of well-regarded contributions to the administration or policy direction of a professional organization or learned society; dissemination of professional practice to other members in the field; contributing to the organization of conferences in your discipline or field
· contribution to community education, public policy and community issues
e.g. communication of scholarship to the non-specialized public; achievements in consultancy work in terms of its contribution to public policy or major community issues; services to secondary education through syllabus or examination committee membership; contributing to public debate on topics relating to your area of academic expertise through the mass media.
iii. A Service Appendix containing documentation in support of the statements in (ii).
· you may provide up to three (3) additional pieces of supporting evidence (of no more than a page or so each) if needed to make your case (e.g. evidence of an award for a community contribution).
· you may invite up to three (3) people to provide Peer Reviews of your Service to the University and Community if needed to make your case (e.g. an appraisal of your contribution to Orientation activities).
1.6 CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS FOR PROMOTION
1.6.1 Sequence for consideration of applications
Your application for promotion will be considered in the following stages:
· forwards it to the School Advisory Committee;
· the Chair of the School Advisory Committee completes the standard report based on the advice of the School Advisory Committee, and
· returns the application and completed report to the Faculty Dean/Head of Division, who
· forwards the application, report and any comments of her/his own to the Lecturer Promotions Committee, sending a copy of the report and any comments to you.
The Lecturer Promotions Committee, in turn, makes:
· recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor who decides on promotions to Level B having regard for the recommendations of the Lecturer Promotions Committee.
1.6.2 Notification of result and feedback to applicants
Within two weeks of decisions being made on promotions, you will be notified in writing by the Chair via the Promotions Committee Secretary in the Office of Human Resources of the outcome of your application. If you are absent from the campus at the time of notification (this being any absence on leave) it is your responsibility to inform the Division/Unit and the Office of Human Resources of a contact address to which this letter may be sent.
If promotion has not been approved, you will be advised in writing giving reasons. You may seek an interview with the Chair of the Lecturer Promotions Committee for further explanation of the reasons why your application was unsuccessful, and in any case you will need to do this if you are lodging an appeal.
You may also appeal against promotion decisions on specified grounds as described in Section 1.10.
1.6.3 Publication of results of promotion processes
Approvals only will be reported to Senate and Academic Council listing the statistics of each level and the names of successful applicants.
1.6.4 Date of effect of promotions
Promotions shall take effect on 1 January following the closing date for the round of applications.
1.7 SCHOOL ADVISORY PROCESSES
1.7.1 Membership of the School Advisory Committee
The membership of the School Advisory Committee consists of:
· One other academic from the rank of Lecturer Level B or Senior Lecturer Level C from the School
The Advisory Committee should include at least each Head of School, as far as possible be gender balanced and reflect the academic interests across the Division. It should, from round to round, be formed in a consistent and documented way and have the approval of the Faculty Dean/Head of Division.
A School Advisory Committee member cannot at the same time be a member of either central Promotions Committee, a referee (excluding the Head of School), a peer reviewer, an assessor, a candidate for Lecturer or Professorial promotion, nor be related to an applicant (i.e. be of the immediate family or have a de facto relationship with an applicant). The Faculty Dean/Head of Division is not a member of the School Advisory Committee but has a separate function in the process.
Where gender balance is not achieved, another person(s) of the gender not suitably represented may be co-opted to the Committee by the Faculty Dean/Head of Division to achieve this balance. If the Faculty Dean/Head of Division is an applicant in the current round of promotions, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor will nominate an Acting Faculty Dean for this purpose.
Small schools may not have staffing resources to form School Advisory Committees of adequate size. In such cases, at the discretion of the Faculty Dean/Head of Division, smaller schools will group together in order to form School Advisory Committee of adequate size.
Members of the School Advisory Committee are obliged to treat applications in the strictest confidence by not divulging comments about applications made by the Committee to parties external to the Committee unless stated in this Policy. Members will secure applications and related documentation in their possession when not in use, and will return these under confidential cover to the Faculty Dean/Head of Division upon completion of the deliberations of the School Advisory Committee.
1.7.2 Discipline Profiles
The Head of School, with advice from the School Advisory Committee, will compile standard reference material (called ‘Discipline Profiles’). Each Discipline Profile will be approved by the School Advisory Committee and the Faculty Dean/Head of Division before being sent to the Office of Human Resources by the second Friday in February.
Discipline Profiles are for use by members of the Lecturer Promotions Committee and all academics. The Profiles will describe any discipline-specific forms of teaching, scholarship, research and university/community service, and the significance/equivalence the promotions committee should attach to them. Promotion will be consistent across the University but the means through which achievements are demonstrated may vary to reflect different disciplines.
The discipline profiles will include information about:
Teaching and teaching development:
· the nature of the teaching and other related responsibilities including teaching styles, and the emphasis the discipline places on innovative curriculum development and course design
· the means for assessing non-standard teaching and clinical work, where relevant
· expectations of research degree supervisors.
Research and professional scholarship:
· what is meant by scholarship in the discipline, the forms in which scholarship and research are generally made available and to what audiences
· the nature of publications, conventions regarding authorship and review procedures
· the place of published reports, creative works, conference proceedings, case notes, films, productions etc. in the discipline as a means of advancing knowledge
· where relevant, the means for assessing non-standard research and professional work to ensure external and impartial validation of its quality and/or impact
· the time usually involved in such work.
Service to the University and community:
· the nature of the administrative work expected of, and available to, academic staff at various levels
· advice about the likely range and nature of community contributions that may assist the Lecturer Promotions Committee in interpreting applications.
1.7.3 School Report to the Lecturer Promotions Committee
The School Advisory Committee will read and meet to discuss your application for promotion. On the advice of the Committee, the Chair will then complete the School Advisory Report Form, commenting briefly on:
· your contribution to teaching with respect to the Level B promotion sought and the relevant Discipline Profile
· your research and professional contribution with respect to the Level B promotion sought and the relevant Discipline Profile
· your service to the University and community with respect to the Level B promotion sought and the relevant Discipline Profile
· any other contributions within the School/University which you have made
· the applicability of the Discipline Profile to your case including advice about any unusual aspects of your work and, where necessary for clarification, putting your teaching and administrative responsibilities into context with comparative information about the other members of the School/Unit/Division.
The School Advisory Committee Report will NOT include a recommendation for or against promotion.
The Report will be forwarded to the Lecturer Promotions Committee through the Faculty Dean/Head of Division. The Faculty Dean/Head of Division may make additional comments in relation to your most recent Performance Development Review.
1.7.4 Role of Faculty Dean/Head of Division
The Faculty Dean/Head of Division will:
· review your application and the School Advisory Committee Report and consider them in relation to your most recent Performance Development Review,
· provide the Lecturer Promotions Committee with additional comments on your achievements in teaching, research and service, if s/he considers it appropriate, and
· send you a copy of the School Advisory Committee Report and her/his comments (if any).
If you so wish, you may provide directly to the Lecturer Promotions Committee a written response on the School Report and the Faculty Dean’s/Head of Division’s comments within two weeks of receipt of a copy of these Reports.
You may also withdraw your application within two weeks of receipt of a copy of these Reports. The withdrawal must be made in writing to the Faculty Dean/Head of Division who will acknowledge the withdrawal in writing and forward a copy of both to the Lecturer Promotions Committee. If your application is withdrawn in this manner, it will not be considered to be unsuccessful for the purposes of future applications.
1.8 LECTURER PROMOTIONS COMMITTEE PROCESSES
1.8.1 Membership of the Lecturer Promotions Committee
The membership of the Lecturer Promotions Committee consists of:
· a Chair appointed by the Vice-Chancellor and selected from the academic staff
· three members of academic staff of the level of Senior Lecturer and above appointed by the Vice-Chancellor
· three members of academic staff of the level of Senior Lecturer and above appointed by the Academic Council
· the University Equal Opportunity Advisor who may attend meetings but shall not have voting powers.
· a process observer appointed by Academic Council who may attend meetings but shall not have voting powers. The process observer will provide any comments to the President of Academic Council.
Members appointed to the Lecturer Promotions Committee have terms of three years commencing on the 1st of March and are expected to be available in the fourth year to coach and provide guidance to prospective candidates for promotion. As far as possible appointments will reflect the broad balance in the academic interests across the University and result in gender balance.
Faculty Deans/Heads of Divisions cannot be members of the Lecturer Promotions Committee.
A member of the Lecturer Promotions Committee cannot be a member of a School Advisory Committee, a peer reviewer or referee for an applicant for Lecturer promotion, a candidate her/himself for Lecturer promotion in the same year, nor be related to an applicant (i.e. be of the immediate family or have a de facto relationship with an applicant).
Members are eligible for re-appointment. A casual vacancy on the Lecturer Promotions Committee may be filled for the term of the vacancy, as far as possible maintaining a balance of academic interests and gender. A quorum consists of four voting members.
If an application is received from an indigenous academic staff member the applicant can choose for an indigenous academic staff member from another University to be appointed by the Vice Chancellor to the Lecturer/Professorial Promotions Committee for review of that applicant's case for promotion. The co-opted indigenous academic staff member will be appointed by the Vice Chancellor at the beginning of each year's academic staff promotions round for one year and the name of the co-opted member will be available on the Academic Staff Promotions website. The co-opted member will have full voting rights.
1.8.2 Role of the Lecturer Promotions Committee
Within these Policies and Procedures, and on the basis of all information before it, the Lecturer Promotions Committee will decide which applicants for promotion to Lecturer (Level B)and Senior Lecturer (Level C) are to be recommended to the Vice-Chancellor for promotion (or accelerated incremental advancement), and establish the ranking orders of merit within each of the levels.
The Lecturer Promotions Committee will report to the Vice-Chancellor on all candidates recommended as having met the criteria for promotion to Level B or Level C (or accelerated incremental advancement within the Level A and l B ranges), listed in order of merit.
The minutes of the Lecturer Promotions Committee meetings will include a copy of the letters sent to applicants not recommended for promotion stating the reasons for the Lecturer Promotions Committee’s decision.
The Lecturer Promotions Committee may re-convene at any time if the Vice-Chancellor, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, is satisfied that there are sufficient grounds for so doing.
1.8.3 Training of the Lecturer Promotions Committee
Members of the Lecturer Promotions Committee are expected as part of their duties to undergo training, and to participate in training workshops for applicants when required by the Chair of the Lecturer Promotions Committee. The Equal Opportunity Advisor and Chair of the Appeals Committee should be involved in planning the training process.
All members of the Committee must undergo training which addresses:
1.8.4 Processes used by the Lecturer Promotions Committee
In evaluating your application for promotion the Lecturer Promotions Committee:
· is obliged to seek reports from each of the three referees nominated by you (subject to the conditions in clause 1.4.3). Where a referee does not provide the requested reference, the Committee must notify the applicant and consider, taking account of any submissions made by the applicant, whether it is appropriate to obtain a substitute referee.
· is obliged to review referees’ reports before deciding your case for promotion
· may (but need not) invite you for interview if you have been short listed
· may give you the opportunity to respond at interview to comments made by peers, referees or other persons
· may consult in confidence other persons thought to be able to contribute to its consideration of your application
· will seek out additional information on your behalf only if, in its view, there is a significant ambiguity that needs to be clarified.
An assessment is made of your sustained performance in each of the three categories of work activity: Teaching and Teaching Development, Research and Professional Scholarship, and Service to the University and Community relative to the expectations for a Level A position (that is, the level immediately prior to the Level B promotion sought) taking into account the Discipline Profile relevant to you.
Firstly, your application, including Peer Reports and Referee Reports, is assessed in terms of whether you have a sustained performance at more than a satisfactory level as a whole relative to the expectations for a Level A position and meet the skill base required for an academic at Level B (as described in Section 1.5.2).
Secondly, your sustained level of performance in the three categories is assessed separately against the minimum levels required of applicants for promotion to Level B as described in Section 1.3.2. This assessment is the basis on which the Lecturer Promotions Committee draws up a short list of applicants who may be recommended for promotion. Those on the short list may be interviewed but not all applicants who are interviewed will necessarily be recommended for promotion.
Thirdly, the applications are ranked based on the overall case represented by the combined weighted score using weightings within the indicative ranges that produce the best outcome for you. For promotion to Level B, you must meet the skill base required for an academic at Level B and your overall case must justify a continuing appointment as a Lecturer (Level B) at Murdoch University.
The Lecturer Promotions Committee finally makes a recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor on whether or not each application is supported.
1.8.5 Code of Practice for the Lecturer Promotions Committee
The Lecturer Promotions Committee will operate according to the following code of practice:
· a committee member with direct knowledge of an applicant shall speak last in the course of discussions
· comments of a personal nature should be avoided
· discussion should be restricted to matters relevant to the application
· potential conflicts of interest should be flagged
· the Discipline Profiles shall be used in determining the worthiness of an applicant’s case, and
· applications should be read in full and preliminary judgements of the worthiness of an applicant’s case made prior to discussing the applicant ‘s case with other members of the committee.
All proceedings of the Lecturer Promotions Committee are regarded as confidential, except that applications and supporting papers will be made available to the Vice-Chancellor or the Appeals Committee if required.
Committee members will secure applications and related documentation in their possession when not in use and return them under confidential cover to the Office of Human Resources upon completion of deliberations.
1.9 UNSUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS
If your application for promotion is unsuccessful, you are encouraged to seek feedback from the Chair of the Lecturer Promotions Committee. If you decide to lodge an appeal against the outcome of your application, you are required to meet with the Chair of the Lecturer Promotions Committee before lodging your appeal.
1.10 APPEALS PROCEDURES
If you are unsuccessful in your application for promotion you must lodge any appeal you wish to make with the Director of Human Resources within one month of the date of notification of the promotion decision, i.e. the date shown on the letter of notification (see 1.6.2). Before lodging an appeal, you must seek an interview with the Chair of the Lecturer Promotions Committee.
The Appeals Committee will examine the case for appeal and recommend to the Vice-Chancellor that the appeal be dismissed or upheld and, in the latter case, whether the matter should be reconsidered by the Lecturer Promotions Committee or dealt with by the Vice-Chancellor directly.
In the event of promotion being approved as the result of an appeal, the effective date of promotion will not be affected by any delay under these procedures.
1.10.1 Grounds of Appeal
Affected Employees may appeal against promotion decisions affecting them on the following grounds:
1.10.1.1 that a School Advisory Committee or the Promotions Committee has not substantially followed correct procedures; and/or
1.10.1.2 that a School Advisory Committee or the Promotions Committee has breached the principles of procedural fairness (natural justice);
and/or
1.10.1.3 that a School Advisory Committee or the Promotions Committee has made their decision on substantially incorrect information.
1.10.2 Procedure
An appeal shall be lodged with the Director, Human Resources within one (1) month of the date of notification of the promotion decision. Unsuccessful applicants for promotion must seek an interview with the Chair of the relevant Committee before lodging an appeal.
1.10.3 Date of Effect
In the event of a successful appeal, the date of effect of the promotion will not be affected by any delay under these procedures.
1.10.4 Appeals Committee
An Appeals Committee shall be appointed with proper regard to gender equity, and to reflect a broad balance of the academic interests across the University. The Appeals Committee shall be appointed for a term not exceeding three (3) years and shall not include persons who are currently members of the Academic Staff Promotions Committees or official observers at their meetings or Divisional Advisory Committees members or applicants for promotion in that round or Faculty Deans/Heads of Divisions or Members of the Senior Executive Group.
1.10.5 Constitution
The Appeals Committee shall be established in accordance with the Murdoch University Academic Staff Collective Workplace Agreement 2006 or any replacement agreement.
1.10.6 Functions
The functions of the Appeals Committee shall be:
i to investigate promptly any appeal by a staff member against a decision of the University not to promote her/him in the annual promotions exercise;
ii to consider each ground of appeal as in 1.10.1 above raised by the staff member;
iii to examine the official records of the relevant Committees as they relate to the appellant's claim;
iv to hear the staff member personally;
v to interview, as it might require, the Chair of the Committee as appropriate, the Process Observer on the Committee and such other persons or obtain such other information as it might require;
vi to recommend by the third Friday in February of the new academic year, giving reasons in writing, to the Vice-Chancellor that:
· the appeal be dismissed; or
· the grounds for appeal should be upheld and whether the matter should be reconsidered by the appropriate Committee or dealt with by the Vice-Chancellor directly; and
vii to consider appeals lodged against the Academic Staff Probationary Review and Appointment Extension Procedures.
1.10.7 Annual Report
The Appeals Committee shall provide the Vice-Chancellor with an annual report outlining its activities for transmission to Academic Council.
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