• Section 1 - Purpose and Context
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Part A - Principles
• Part B - Eligibility
• Part C - Requirements for Promotion
• Part D - Criteria for Promotion
• Fields of Attainment
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Section 5 - Guidelines

Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) Nil.

Section 2 - Definitions

(2) Nil.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(3) The University seeks to attract, retain and develop very high quality staff to put into effect its educational and research plans and achieve its goals. As part of this commitment it seeks to encourage by way of promotion those members of academic staff who show outstanding qualities in the performance of their functions.

(4) This policy applies to promotion to Lecturer, Level B, and Senior Lecturer, Level C.

Part A - Principles

(5) The University regards its policy and procedures governing the appointment and promotion of its academic staff as an instrument for achieving its mission.

(6) In particular, the University values excellence and innovation in teaching, educational development, research and development, scholarship and the advancement of knowledge. It also acknowledges, in promotion, the contribution made by staff within the University and the wider community. A high level of commitment from the staff will be critical in achieving the University mission.

(7) The University accordingly has adopted the following principles, which will govern actions taken to promote academic staff:

1. the University is committed to equal employment opportunity , diversity and inclusion. Consistent with state and federal legislation, staff should not be treated less favourable due to their sex, relationship status, pregnancy, parental status, breastfeeding, age, race, impairment, religious belief or religious activity, political belief or activity, trade union activity, lawful sexual activity, gender identity, sexuality, family responsibilities, or association with, or relation to, a person identified on the basis of any of the above attributes. Some of these attributes may impact on a staff member's capacity to work uninterrupted and/or on a full-time basis;
2. the University will promote staff on merit relative to opportunity, based on the promotion criteria and the descriptors attached to those criteria. The quality of the staff member's performance will be assessed against these criteria. In terms of expectations for activity and output, consideration will be given to the fraction at which they are employed and/or personal circumstances;
3. the University will establish cluster-based Promotions Committees to consider applications lodged by staff for promotion to Levels B and C.

Part B - Eligibility

(8) Any full-time or part-time member of the academic staff of UWS with a continuing appointment may apply for promotion, provided that the staff member has served at least two academic years as an academic staff member at UWS prior to the date on which applications for promotion are invited. Any period of leave without pay* or secondment to another institution cannot be included in the two- year period. Exemptions from the two-year rule will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and will be at the discretion of the Chair of the relevant Promotions Committee, to whom a case must be put, via the Promotions Coordinator, prior to the close of applications.

(9) Academic staff employed on the basis of a fixed-term contract are also eligible to apply, but promotion of a person who is employed on a non-renewable contract does not vary the length of the contract.

(10) Academic staff who take a period of more than six months leave without pay are not normally eligible to apply for promotion in the calendar year (January - December) that the leave commences. Applicants wishing to do so will be required to make a case to the Chair, Promotions Committee via the Promotions Coordinator.

(11) Academic staff whose employment is externally funded are not eligible to apply for promotion unless the funds include provision for an increase to support the promotion.

(12) Academic staff employed on a casual basis are not eligible to apply for promotion.

(13) An academic staff member may not normally apply for promotion in consecutive years. This provision may only be varied if the Chair, Promotions Committee considers a case to be exceptional. This case must be submitted in writing to the Promotions Coordinator.

(14) An applicant may make only one application in a promotion round at any level and applications will only be considered for the level applied for.

(15) Before a promotion can be confirmed, the applicant must have a current, signed workload agreement and have participated constructively and in good faith in the Academic Performance Planning and Review process.

Part C - Requirements for Promotion

(16) The minimum requirement for promotion is that applicants meet the general standard for the level sought for promotion as specified in Appendix 1 of this policy, and that they demonstrate superior achievement at their current level of appointment. In particular applicants must:

1. Demonstrate satisfactory performance in all of the fields of attainment listed below; and
2. For Level B: demonstrate an outstanding level of achievement in at least one of the fields of attainment, or a meritorious level of achievement in at least two of those fields; or
3. For Level C: demonstrate an outstanding level of achievement in at least one of the fields of attainment, or a meritorious level of achievement in all three fields.

(17) The exception to the above is when the applicant is a research or teaching focused academic. In this case the benchmark for the requirement to demonstrate an outstanding level of achievement in research for example will be higher than the benchmark required for an academic holding a teaching and research position. If attainment in the field of teaching is part of the application then this might be demonstrated exclusively by reference to successful Higher Degree by Research or honours supervision.

Part D - Criteria for Promotion

Fields of Attainment

(18) When assessing candidates for promotion, the Promotions Committee will give regard to the specific fields of attainment that follow. Appendix 1 and the Expanded Descriptors (see the Associated Information page) outline each of the attainment fields.

1. Achievement in Research and Development, including engaged research and/or research-based professional consultancy activities.
2. Experience and Achievement in Teaching, including engaged teaching, and/or curriculum development and/or educational leadership and/or student learning development.
3. Contribution to Institutional Leadership and/or Governance at UWS and/or the university sector and/or service to the relevant profession or academic discipline and/or service to the community.

(19) Each of the Fields of Attainment will be assessed by the Promotions Committee at Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory, Meritorious or Outstanding.

(20) To support their case for Experience and Achievement in Teaching, all applicants are required to submit supporting evidence of their teaching excellence, including Student Feedback on Teaching (SFT) and Student Feedback on Unit (SFU) results and commentary, as applicable for all units taught at UWS in the past five (5) years, or since their appointment at UWS, and a summary of action taken in response to the student feedback.

(21) Evidence of the initiation, or undertaking, of successful entrepreneurial activities on behalf of the University is admissible to support a case for promotion. While such activities may not fall clearly into any one of the fields of attainment listed above, candidates should include any relevant evidence under the field to which it seems, in the light of the activity involved, most appropriate.

(22) The Office of Research Services' Researchers Portal Data should be utilised by all UWS researchers for registration of their outcomes and in cases where other sources are utilised in applications for promotion applicants should explain why alternative sources have been selected. The Promotions Committee may, at its discretion, seek validation of claims relating to research achievements from the Office of Research Services.

(23) Only engagement projects that have been approved conducted and recorded in Tracking and Improving Community Engagement (TICE) and within UWS policies are eligible to be considered in support of an application for promotion.

(24) Only consulting projects that have been approved, conducted and recorded in accordance with UWS policies are eligible to be considered in support of an application for promotion.

Section 4 - Procedures

(25) Refer to the Promotion - Academic Promotion Procedures.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(26) Nil.