1. Purpose
Scholarship is the primary means of ensuring engagement with advanced knowledge. It constitutes core business for the Institution, affecting the experience and success of both academic staff and students. The purpose of the Scholarship and Scholarly Practice Policy (“policy”) is to ensure that the Institution supports and manages scholarship and scholarly practice in a comprehensive, strategic, sustainable and effective manner and is compliant with legislative and regulatory requirements. This policy is informed by the Institution’s Scholarship and Scholarly Practice Framework.
2. Scope
All current and prospective academic staff at the Institution, including sessional, casuals and contractors.
3. Definitions
See Glossary of Terms.
4. Policy statements
4.1 As a higher education provider, the Institution is committed to ensuring that the academic staff are active in scholarship that informs their teaching and creates a positive impact on our stakeholders. It is also committed to meeting all the standards and requirements in the Higher Education Standards Framework that are relevant to the Institution.
4.2 The Institution provides an environment for its academic staff to produce rigorous scholarly outputs that bring a positive impact to disciplinary knowledge, learning and teaching, industry and the community.
4.3 The Institution supports diversity, equity and inclusion in the scholarship and research agenda, where staff are encouraged to consider a wide range of topics, impacts and populations.
4.4 The Institution takes a strategic approach to scholarship through the allocation of appropriate resources for supporting, enabling and rewarding scholarship.
4.5 Creating a culture of scholarship at the Institution is core business, relevant to all academic staff and students and embedded in academic governance processes, performance appraisals and functions across the Institution.
4.6 The Academic Titles and Promotions Policy recognises and rewards scholarship achievements.
4.7 Academic staff are required to stay up-to-date on relevant and contemporary evidence-based approaches to learning and teaching in a disciplinary context as their commitment to scholarship directly impacts student learning.
4.8 All academic staff play a role in contributing to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge. This involves sustained processes of scientific enquiries and effectively communicating their work to their peers both inside and outside of the Institution.
4.9 The Institution provides equitable access to scholarship opportunities for all academic staff, regardless of their contract type.
4.10 Evidence on scholarship is appropriately stored, collated and analysed for effective strategic and operational decision making.
5. Roles and responsibilities
5.1 The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) is responsible for implementing this policy and for ensuring appropriate support and resources are provided for academic staff.
5.2 The Scholarly Practice Committee is responsible for the management and review of scholarship activities at the Institution.
5.3 Academic Board monitors the effectiveness of the policy and its implementation and monitors opportunities for scholarly development, based on advice and evidence submitted by the Scholarly Practice Committee.
5.4 The Associate Dean (Scholarship and Civic Leadership) is Chair of the Scholarly Practice Committee and is responsible for advising the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) and the Academic Board on strategies to continuously improve the quantum and quality of scholarly output from academic staff. The Associate Dean is also responsible for operationalising and reporting on scholarship activities across the Institution.
5.4 The Chief Quality Officer provides advice to the DVC (Learning and Teaching) and Associate Dean (Scholarship and Civic Leadership) on issues pertaining to compliance with the Higher Education Standards Framework and TEQSA expectations.
5.6 Academic staff are responsible for ensuring that they continuously engage with the latest development in disciplinary knowledge, industry trends and learning and teaching practice. They are expected to improve and innovate their course design and teaching practices accordingly and share such innovation in a scholarly manner.
6. Related documents
Scholarship and Scholarly Practice Framework
Scholarship and Scholarly Practice Procedures
Human Research Ethics Policy
Academic Titles and Promotions Policy
Academic Titles and Promotions Procedures
Approved by Academic Board on 17 November 2023