17. SCHOLARLY TEACHING FELLOWS

17.1 The parties to this Agreement recognise the need for innovative approaches to maximise the range of employment options that the University can utilise to not only meet a dynamic and changing environment but also to provide current and prospective staff with suitable and sustainable employment opportunities.

17.2 The purpose of Scholarly Teaching Fellow positions is:

     (a) to advance the University’s goal of excellence in learning and teaching;

     (b) to offer sustainable alternatives to longer term sessional academic engagements;

     (c) to provide a transitional pathway for staff from sessional engagement to teaching and research appointments;

     (d) to facilitate reducing the proportion of sessional staff employed in the University; and

     (e) that the majority of work performed by Scholarly Teaching Fellows will replace work previously performed by sessional staff.

The University will not reduce the proportion of continuing appointments in the University as a consequence of this clause.

17.3 The University is committed to employing a number of Scholarly Teaching Fellows equivalent to 5% of the reported sessional staff FTE on the census date of 31 March 2014 by no later than the nominal expiry date of this Agreement, and then maintaining that number thereafter during the operation of this Agreement.

17.4 For the purposes of achieving this 5% target the University may continue to count any former Scholarly Teaching Fellow who is still employed in a teaching focused (Education Focused) role and notwithstanding that the staff member may have moved to a higher classification.

17.5 Scholarly Teaching Fellow positions will be full-time or part-time and filled on a three-year fixed-term basis in accordance with clause 16.4.11 of this Agreement or where appropriate on a continuing basis.     

A fixed-term Scholarly Teaching Fellow appointment will be on the basis that the University will, at the expiration of the fixed term, convert the Scholarly Teaching Fellow’s employment from fixed-term to continuing employment unless:

     (a) the staff member has not met, to the University’s satisfaction, the performance expectations set by the University and communicated to the staff member in advance and/or from time to time during the fixed term consistent with the requirements of the position; or

     (b) there is insufficient productive work that the staff member could perform having regard to the nature of the staff member’s classification, academic discipline and skills.

Provided that the University may extend the period of the Scholarly Teaching Fellow’s fixed term commensurate with any period of parental leave or other extended leave of absence during the fixed-term appointment.

Where the Head of School (or equivalent) intends not to offer conversion to continuing employment at the expiry of the fixed-term appointment, he/she will refer the recommendation to the Dean (or equivalent) who will make a final determination on the recommendation, and in the case of the grounds specified in subparagraph (a) above will consider whether the performance expectations were:

     (a) communicated to the staff member in advance and/or from time to time during the employment; and

     (b) reasonable; and

     (c) met by the staff member.

The staff member will receive a copy of any recommendation by the Head of School at least 8 weeks prior to the expiry of his/her fixed term and will have an opportunity to comment on the recommendation before a final determination is made by the Dean (or equivalent).

17.6 A Scholarly Teaching Fellow will be employed primarily to teach and may be required to have teaching and related duties constituting up to 80% of his/her work allocation with the remaining 20% of his/her work allocation, over a year, available for scholarship and research and/or administrative responsibilities.  A Scholarly Teaching Fellow may also be required to teach in no more than five (5) of six (6) teaching periods in any 24-month cycle.

17.7 The University will advertise Scholarly Teaching Fellow positions and will require appropriate evidence from an applicant to verify their eligibility to apply.  The persons who will be eligible to apply for a Scholarly Teaching Fellow position will be existing or former academic fixed-term or sessional staff of any Australian university, who have had at least 12 months’ academic employment in total in an Australian university or Australian universities (inclusive of periods of systematic and regular sessional academic employment) over the preceding five-year period.  Provided that any person who has previously held a continuing academic appointment at an Australian or overseas university will be ineligible to apply.  Scholarly Teaching Fellow positions will be filled through competitive merit-based selection processes.

17.8 A Scholarly Teaching Fellow will only be appointed at and hold a Level A position and will be employed to teach on a trimester basis or otherwise throughout the year.  The qualification requirements that apply to other academic staff at this level will apply to Scholarly Teaching Fellows as will the probation, incremental advancement, and performance development processes, except that probation will not apply to Scholarly Teaching Fellows whose employment is converted from fixed-term appointment to continuing employment under clause 17.5.

A Scholarly Teaching Fellow appointed as such on a fixed-term basis where

     (a) the Dean (or equivalent) has determined not to offer the Scholarly Teaching Fellow conversion to a continuing appointment after expiry of the fixed-term;

     (b) the Scholarly Teaching Fellow seeks to continue his/her employment; and

     (c) the Scholarly Teaching Fellow’s employment with the University ceases after five years of continuous service as a Scholarly Teaching Fellow

will be entitled to severance pay of 8 weeks’ pay.  Provided that:

     (a) where the University advises the Scholarly Teaching Fellow in writing that further employment may be offered within six weeks of the expiry of his/her fixed term, the University may defer payment of severance benefits for a maximum period of four weeks from the expiry of the period of fixed-term employment; and

     (b) the Scholarly Teaching Fellow shall not be eligible for severance pay if offered Suitable Alternative Employment, whether such offer is accepted or not.