Academic staff promotion criteria
Criteria
1. Introduction
Academic promotion is based upon commendable performance in the areas of Teaching, Leadership and Research and Scholarship. Promotion panels assess an applicant’s contribution to these three areas, by reviewing the standard of performance and the quality and impact of the applicant’s work.
Applicants are to determine how best to express their contribution across the areas of Teaching, Leadership and Research and Scholarship within their application. Applicants are to provide a brief narrative on their major contribution/s since their appointment or last promotion at RMIT, whichever is applicable. In addition, applicants are to nominate the standard of performance across the three criteria..
The assessment matrix for assessing applicants is:
|
Teaching |
Leadership |
Research and Scholarship |
Overall Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Outstanding (O) |
Outstanding (O) |
Outstanding (O) |
Promotable (P) |
|
Excellent (E) |
Excellent (E) |
Excellent (E) |
Not promotable (N) |
|
Good (G) |
Good (G) |
Good (G) | |
|
Satisfactory (S) |
Satisfactory (S) |
Satisfactory (S) | |
|
Not Satisfactory (NS) |
Not Satisfactory (NS) |
Not Satisfactory (NS) |
- Outstanding performance is defined as exceeding and achieving all objectives at current level and performing satisfactorily at the higher level. Applicants will need to show evidence of performance and outcomes at the higher level.
- Excellent performance is defined as exceeding and achieving most of the objectives at current level and performing satisfactorily at the higher level. Applicants will need to show evidence of performance and outcomes at the higher level.
- Good performance is defined as achieving all objectives at the current level.
- Satisfactory performance is defined as achieving most objectives at the current level.
- Not satisfactory performance is defined as achieving no or only a few objectives at the current level.
Applicants should have a case for promotion and a record of achievement that demonstrates they are consistently performing highly in duties appropriate to their current level AND satisfactorily achieving beyond their current level, for a least two of the three criteria.
Applicants would normally be considered to be promotable if their performance across the three criteria was assessed by the panel to be either:
- Outstanding, Outstanding, Satisfactory, or
- Excellent, Excellent, Excellent, or
- Outstanding, Excellent, Good.
Applicants assessed ‘Satisfactory’ at their current level in any area, will not meet the standard of performance required for promotion, unless they are assessed ‘Outstanding’ in two areas.
Research-only applicants may apply for promotion against the Research and Scholarship, and Leadership criteria, and should be assessed as at least ‘Outstanding’ in one criterion and ‘Excellent’ in the other.
Research-only academics are not required to provide evidence against the Teaching criteria; however they will need to demonstrate supervision of research degree students and leadership in research, including research training and supervision.
An applicant must provide sufficient evidence for the promotion panel to assess whether the applicant meets the standard of performance.
Where teaching is an emphasis within an application for promotion, an applicant must evidence a recent and sustained teaching load, a breadth of experience across awards, and a high level of skill in a range of settings.
2. Criteria
2.1 Teaching
Those making an application which relies significantly on this criterion would normally be engaged in the practice of teaching at the time of making their application. This criterion requires evidence of sustained and excellent performance in student outcomes, student feedback and extensive teaching experience in a range of settings.
Evidence under this criterion may include, but is not limited to:
- Performance on graduate outcomes, student satisfaction, retention, progression and graduation rate measures
- Industry feedback on graduate skills and course content linked to teaching
- Innovations that meet the learning needs of students with diverse backgrounds
- Contributions to strategically aligned areas (including work-integrated learning, global passport, dual sector qualifications, eLearning, industry relevance)
- Cross RMIT or sector collaboration on learning and teaching innovations and evidence of implementation and impact
- Peer reviewed courseware, curriculum, assessment and teaching practice innovations and developments (including associated artefacts such as exams, websites, videos, course guides, teaching notes, student feedback, etc)
- Professional practice to ensure that skills currency and relevance inform teaching and learning
- Appointments to State or national review panels and advisory bodies that accredit education programs and/or education providers
- Receipt of a Teaching Award
- Coordination of a significant aspect of a program or a significant contribution to the development or coordination of teaching in a school
- Completion rates of higher degree students (under applicant’s supervision)
2.2 Leadership
Leadership refers to motivating, influencing and inspiring others to achieve the goals of the University. Leadership is distinct from routine administration. It can be demonstrated at any level, or in any context, related to RMIT strategic goals. RMIT recognises that different levels confer different leadership opportunities.
Against this criterion applicants should provide evidence which aligns with the emphasis they place within their application – upon their contribution to Teaching and the Scholarship of Teaching, the Scholarship of Research, or both.
Evidence of leadership where Teaching is emphasised may include, but is not limited to:
- Mentoring or supervising teaching staff
- Innovations in teaching, course or program innovation, design and/or co-ordination which have influenced others.
Evidence of leadership where Research and Scholarship (and/or Research and/or Scholarship of Teaching) is emphasised may include, but is not limited to:
- Mentoring or supervising research staff
- Leading research teams
- Undertaking work with research centres
Leadership may also be demonstrated by:
- Organising conferences, symposiums or exhibitions
- Undertaking a key role in review committees
- Community and industry engagement activities that contribute to core activities of teaching and scholarship
- Sustained contributions to the governance and collegial life of RMIT
- Contributions to the Higher Education sector
2.3 Research and scholarship
Against this criterion applicants may focus on:
a) Research
At RMIT Research refers to the generation of knowledge and its application to the solution of real world problems.
The creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies and understandings. This could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it is new and creative. 1
Applicants should provide evidence of the quality and impact of their research with reference to the Excellence in Research Australia’s indicator categories (PDF). Evidence may include, but is not limited to:
- Ranked outlets (journals, refereed conference publications, books, book chapters, original creative works, live performance of creative works, curated or produced substantial public exhibitions and events)
- Citation analysis (relative citation impact, distribution of publications, distribution of papers),
- Volume and activity analysis (research publication output),
- Research income (number of grants, research income),
- Esteem (editorial roles, contribution to prestigious work, curatorial role, elected fellowship of learned academies, nationally competitive research fellowships, prestigious awards and prizes)
- Applied (standard patents sealed, plant breeders’ rights, registered designs, research commercialisation income).
And/Or
b) The Scholarship of Teaching
At RMIT the Scholarship of Teaching refers to the generation of knowledge and its application to the solution of real world problems related to teaching and learning.
Applicants should provide evidence of the quality and impact of their teaching focussed scholarship. Evidence may include, but is not limited to:
- Teaching citations
- Grants awarded for teaching innovations
- Published reviews, or measurable uptake, of new courseware, software, and/or websites (with citation/usage rates, where applicable)
- Outputs (e.g.: publication of journal articles, including journals specialising in teaching and learning or academic disciplines, citations of publications, publications of academic books and monographs), ranked for quality and impact where applicable.
- Success in obtaining competitive external grants / funds / income, including Australian competitive research funds, other research funds, Australia Research Council grants; and successful project outcomes and fund management
- Success in obtaining competitive internal grants / funds / income e.g.: Learning Teaching Investment Funds (LTIF)
- Uptake of innovations by third parties (within RMIT, nationally or internationally), that has a demonstrable outcome and measurable impact (such as courseware)
- Esteem factors (e.g.: awards recognising excellence, teaching awards, media citations, membership of L&T editorial boards)
- Keynote addresses at national and international conferences, including conferences with a teaching and learning focus. Conference papers provided as evidence for Research and Scholarship must have undergone a review or refereeing process.
3. Strategic focus
The case for promotion should also be informed by the following documents:
- RMIT Strategic Plan - 'RMIT2015: Transforming the future'
- RMIT Academic Plan
- RMIT Learning and Teaching Strategy
- RMIT Research and Innovation Strategy
- RMIT policies on access and equity
4. Standards of performance
Applicants must, as a minimum, meet the skill base requirements applicable and described in the relevant Classification Standards for Academic Staff Positions. In addition, applicants for promotion will normally have advanced qualifications, in which case a doctoral qualification or equivalent accreditation appropriate to the field is usually required.
Applicants should have a case for promotion and a record of achievement that demonstrates they are consistently performing highly in duties appropriate to their current level AND satisfactorily achieving beyond their current level, for a least two of the three criteria.
Applicants would normally be considered to be promotable if their performance across the three criteria was assessed by the panel to be either:
- Outstanding, Outstanding, Satisfactory*, or
- Excellent, Excellent, Excellent, or
- Outstanding, Excellent, Good.
* Applicants assessed ‘Satisfactory’ at their current level in any area, will not meet the standard of performance required for promotion, unless they are assessed ‘Outstanding’ in two areas.
Research-only applicants may apply for promotion against the Research and Scholarship, and Leadership criteria, and should be at least outstanding in one criterion and excellent in the other.
In addition:
An applicant to Senior Lecturer / Senior Research Fellow should be able to demonstrate an emerging National impact, and provide evidence of original contributions which expand knowledge or practice in a discipline.
An applicant to Associate Professor / Principal Research Fellow should be able to demonstrate impact and achievement at a national level in teaching and/or R&S; and provide evidence of independent and innovative contributions to the advancement of research and scholarship and/or teaching in their discipline.
An applicant to Professor should be able to demonstrate distinction at a national level and would typically have an international reputation for their contribution to Research and Scholarship.
Example:
An applicant may claim to have made an outstanding performance in teaching and an outstanding performance in R&S and satisfactory performance in leadership (Outstanding, Outstanding, Satisfactory).
Their performance claim should indicate quality outcomes and outputs achieved in duties at their current level, and show evidence of performance and outcomes at the higher level.
or
An applicant may claim to have made an excellent performance across all three criteria (Excellent, Excellent, Excellent).
Their performance claim should indicate quality outcomes and outputs achieved in duties at their current level, and show evidence of performance and outcomes at the higher level.
or
An applicant may claim to have made an outstanding performance in R&S, and an excellent performance in teaching, and good performance in leadership (Outstanding, Excellent, Good).
Their performance claim should indicate quality outcomes and outputs achieved in duties at their current level, and show evidence of performance and outcomes at the higher level.
Based on the Frascati definition of research as per the Frascati Manual: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Researchand Experimental Development, OECD: Paris. (2002), (ERA Descriptors, Commonwealth of Australia, 2008, p 1).
Academic staff promotion criteria
Supporting documents and information
Related policy
Academic promotion criteria
Accountability
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Version |
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Accountability |
Vice-President Resources |
|
Document ref |
POL/2008/00017 |
Operational responsibility |
Executive Director Human Resources |
|
Date approved |
|
Last reviewed |
2010 |
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Approval authority |
Vice-Chancellor |
Next review |
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