Academic Staff Promotion: Application Instructions
1.
PURPOSE
The purpose of these instructions is to advise applicants on how to:
2.
(a)
prepare a case for promotion, supported by evidence and documentation;
and
(b)
prepare an application in the prescribed manner, format and page limits.
PREPARATION OF THE CASE
2.1. Applicants are required to provide the relevant Academic Staff Promotion
Committee with a clear written case for promotion to the academic level
sought. Academic Staff Promotion Committee members may not know the
applicants they are evaluating; the written case is, therefore, essential to
succeed. The case should enable committee members to form a view of
the applicant’s qualifications and capacity to meet the standards and
expectations of the academic level sought, as specified in the “Policy on
Standards, Expectations and Qualifications of Academic Staff” and the
“Professional Activity Work Function Policy”.
2.2. Preparation activity
Prior to commencing an application for promotion, applicants should
ensure that they have:
(a)
read and understood the Academic Staff Promotion Policy and
Procedure and confirmed their eligibility to apply.
(b)
read the “Policy on Standards, Expectations and Qualifications of
Academic Staff” and the “Professional Activity Work Function Policy”
to determine the basis for their application for academic promotion;
(c)
discussed their intention to apply with their Head of School or
supervisor at their annual performance management meeting;
(d)
attended the annual staff information session to understand the
process of Academic Staff Promotion;
(e)
formally notified their Head of School by 30 April that they will be
applying for promotion that year
(f)
gathered evidence to support their application;
(g)
considered ways in which to demonstrate continual growth as an
academic, especially their future capacity to contribute at the
academic level to which promotion is sought;
(h)
selected referees who can comment effectively on their work and
can attest to their national and or international standing. Applicants
should limit internal referees to one only.
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(i)
3.
Identified 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 CSU
EVIDENCE
3.1. In preparing an application, the following should be considered.
(a)
The principal basis for assessing applications for promotion will be
the applicant’s achievements and performance in the position
currently held, although other career achievements will be taken into
account.
(b)
In preparing their case, applicants should provide their personal
understanding of the significance and impact of their work, and
evidence to demonstrate significant, outstanding or distinguished
contributions at a national or international level.
(c)
The case must be easy to follow and use clear sign-posting,
including headings, to provide the committee with a sense of current
academic achievements and future capacity to contribute at the
academic level to which promotion is sought.
3.2. The applicant’s case should include evidence of the following, for the
academic level sought:
(a)
qualifications;
(b)
ability to carry out the relevant duties, and
(c)
capacity to contribute to:

the scholarship of teaching;

the development of a discipline or field through
research/creative works and/or professional activity; and

academic administration, management and/or institutional
leadership.
3.3. All claims and assertions must be supported by suitable evidence, and
achievements should not be cited more than once. If publications are
confidential due to commercial constraints, then the applicant should ask
the University for a Confidential Assessment.
3.4. Applicants are to provide commentary and context for evidence provided
which, together with referee reports, should assist the committee with
understanding and assessing the relative weighting of the achievements
and capacity of the applicants to their work function and in their
disciplinary context. Applicants to Levels C, D or E must show their
contributions demonstrate national or international significance beyond
the CSU context.
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4.
EVIDENCE IN QUALIFICATIONS
4.1. Applicants for Level B are expected to have a doctoral or master’s
qualification or equivalent accreditation and standing.
4.2. Applicants for Level C and above are expected to have a doctoral
qualification or equivalent accreditation and standing.
4.3. It is essential that applicants who do not hold the relevant doctoral or
masters qualifications explicitly make the case for equivalent accreditation
and standing. Failure to do so will mean that their application will be
unsuccessful.
4.4. In making a case for equivalence, applicants should pay regard to CSU’s
criteria for the award of masters and doctoral, including professional
doctorate, qualifications.
4.5. In determining equivalence, experience in research/creative works and/or
professional activity, experience outside tertiary education, creative
achievement, professional contributions and technical achievement will be
considered.
4.6. Awards from, or the level of membership in, a professional body or similar
organisation may be used as evidence of equivalent accreditation and
standing. Such awards or level of membership must be based on merit. It
is important that applicants provide details of the basis on which awards
and membership have been determined, and the standing they confer
within the relevant field.
5.
EVIDENCE IN SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING
5.1. In order to make a case with regard to the scholarship of teaching, it is
necessary but not sufficient to demonstrate effectiveness as a teacher.
The case must also be made on the basis of national and international
standing, and of capacity for leadership in the scholarship of teaching
appropriate to the level sought.
5.2. Applicants should aim to:
(a)
demonstrate progress in teaching through reflection, continual
professional development and consideration of feedback;
(b)
show how their teaching practice is linked to their philosophy of
teaching.
(c)
provide the context for their teaching, which should include a
summary of their teaching load (including diversity, mode, design,
delivery and evaluation results);
(d)
ensure that examples taken from their Teaching Portfolio clearly
indicate and give prominence to improvements in subjects made in
response to formal (i.e. University Student or Teaching Surveys)
and informal evaluation and feedback, and/or their own reflections
on teaching;
(e)
indicate their capacity to contribute to the scholarship of teaching in
their discipline or field, e.g. publications, grants, conference
presentations, contributions external to the University;
(f)
indicate their capacity to contribute to leadership in the scholarship
of teaching at the academic level sought, including roles held and
impact; and
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(g)
demonstrate their capacity to contribute to postgraduate teaching
and Higher Degree supervision with reference to the academic level
sought. Information about supervision should include the names of
students and the topics supervised. It should also include clear
details of their role, e.g. Principal Supervisor, Associate Supervisor.
5.3. Applicants who are involved in subject delivery must request
Comprehensive Reports regarding their teaching evaluations. (See Part
7 of these Instructions). Applicants do not need to provide copies of these
reports but should refer to these reports with their application in order to
support claims made regarding their teaching and other activities.
6.
EVIDENCE IN CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DISCIPLINE
AND/OR FIELD
6.1. Contributions to the development of a discipline and/or field may be
through research, creative work or professional activity.
6.2. As a guide, applicants should rely on evidence of national and
international recognition; impact on and leadership in the discipline and/or
field; and peer review and recognition. Applicants to Level B may include
internal CSU research grants as evidence, applicants to level C- D must
provide evidence beyond internal research grants to demonstrate
national or international standing.
6.3. When documenting this area, applicants need to provide evidence to
match claims. This would include:
(a)
Showing the relationship between the grants received and the
outcomes as a result of obtaining the grant;
(b)
Making the links clear between teaching and research;
(c)
Clearly describing your research strategy for the future.
6.4. Research and creative work
(a)
Ensure that all claims concerning grant monies earned, publications
achieved, creative works completed and postgraduate supervision
involvement are registered with the Centre for Research & Graduate
Training – Promotion Committees will compare claims with the
official University records.
(b)
Provide a clear indication of their percentage contributions toward
academic output (e.g. contributions to publications or creative
works).
(c)
In the curriculum vitae provide a list of publications and/or creative
works that distinguishes between the various categories of
publication, including ERA classifications of journal rankings. Make
sure that claims are verifiable and the work completed in the current
academic classification is clearly delineated.
(d)
Denote the creative works, publications or other achievements that
best indicate their standing and impact on their discipline and/or
field.
(e)
Indicate the quality of creative works and publications. In the case
of refereed journal articles, for example, indicate:

acceptance rates for the publication;

the peer review process;
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
whether it is a national or international journal; and

the status of the journal in relation to the discipline area.
A similar indication of quality and status should be provided for
creative works.
(f)
Use citation indices where relevant.
(g)
Detail the status of publications clearly, e.g. “in press”.
(h)
Indicate their capacity to provide leadership in the development of
their discipline and/or field.
(i)
Provide a list in appropriate categories for professional
contributions, consultancies or creative work. Provide evidence of
their impacts and outcomes as well as guidance for the committee
on their standing or significance.
6.5. Professional Activity
7.
(a)
Demonstrate the capacity to show leadership in professional
practice areas relevant to his or her discipline.
(b)
Provide evidence of peer recognition of leadership in professional
practice.
(c)
Provide evidence to support recognition for the solution of practice
based problems.
(d)
Demonstrate the value of consultancy work through evidence of its
contribution to the advancement of knowledge and/or its
applications.
(e)
Provide a list of publications (not eligible for DEEWR points)
published in the individual’s professional field.
(f)
Provide evidence of contributions to and outputs from membership
of a Board or Committee of regional, national or international
significance.
(g)
Provide evidence of valued contributions
organisations or learned societies.
(h)
Provide evidence of the impact of professional contributions to nonprofessional members of communities and to key stakeholders
relevant to his or her discipline area.
(i)
Provide evidence of the status of awards, fellowships and
professional bodies.
EVIDENCE IN
LEADERSHIP
ACADEMIC
ADMINISTRATION,
to
professional
MANAGEMENT
&
7.1. When documenting this area, applicants should give consideration to:
(a)
presenting evidence of leadership and mentoring – it is not sufficient
simply to occupy a position; it is necessary to demonstrate
influence, outcomes and achievements in that position; and
(b)
indicating the significance of their contribution to University
governance or administration – a list of committee memberships is
not sufficient.
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7.2. Staff applying for Senior Lecturer (Level C) must be able to show their
capacity to coordinate or lead a course, lead a significant professional
activity (such as field work or professional accreditation), lead a discipline
area and/or lead a research team.
7.3. Staff applying for promotion to Level D or E must demonstrate evidence of
institutional or significant external leadership in teaching, research,
creative work and/or professional activity.
7.4. Staff may apply for promotion to Level D or E on the basis of capacity for
institutional leadership appropriate to these levels.
7.5. Normally demonstration of capacity for institutional leadership would
involve evidence of a sustained contribution in a formal academic
institutional leadership role [such as Head of School; Research Centre
Director; Associate or Sub-Dean].
7.6. Applicants for promotion on this basis of institutional leadership must
demonstrate the capacity to lead the initiation and planning and
successful implementation and achievement of significant strategic
outcomes for the University which are realised over a long period of time
such as a three to five year planning cycle. Such outcomes would
normally have achieved national or international recognition and standing.
8.
NOMINATION OF REFEREES
8.1. Applicants seeking promotion are responsible for providing the names of
three (3) referees who would be willing to provide a written report to
support the claims made in the application.
8.2. The University may obtain referees’ reports for applicants seeking
promotion to Level B where, in the view of a Promotion Committee, such
reports may assist in determining the merits of an applicant.
8.3. The University will require written referee reports for all applicants
seeking promotion to Levels C, D and E, and applicants are responsible
for contacting their nominated referees to request the submission of
signed referee reports. (See Template 6) Reports are to be emailed
directly to the Secretary, Academic Staff Promotion Committees
academicpromotions@csu.edu.au by the end of August.
8.4. When nominating referees for promotion to Level B, at least one (1) of the
referees must be external to the University and preferably be
acknowledged as a national or international authority in his/her discipline
area.
8.5. Applicants applying for promotion to Levels C and D must nominate
referees of at least national standing in a relevant discipline.
8.6. Applicants applying for promotion to Level E must nominate referees of
international standing in a relevant discipline.
9
FORMATTING THE APPLICATION
9.1
Applications must observe the page lengths and formatting indicated in
the templates.
(a)
Applications are to be formatted on A4-sized paper.
(b)
Spacing is to be one and a half lines.
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(c)
Font must be Arial 10 point, and characters, line size and paragraph
length are to be similar to those used in the templates provided.
(d)
The top and bottom margins are to be at least 2.5 cm, and the left
and right margins at least 3 cm.
(e)
Page numbers are to be identified in the bottom right-hand corner,
including the Head of School statement.
(f)
One complete electronic copy of the application, including the Head
of School statement is to be e-mailed to the Secretary, Academic
Staff Promotion Committees academicpromotions@csu.edu.au by
the end of August.
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