Partner Provider

Document Currently Under Review

Current Status: For Uni-wide Comment 12 February 2021

Appointment and Assessment of Teaching at Partner Provider Locations Procedure

Policy Code: CG1541

Purpose
Scope
Legislative Context
Definitions
Supporting Documents
Responsibility
Actions
1. Assessing suitability of teaching staff
2. Appointing teaching staff
3. Evaluating teaching staff
Promulgation
Implementation
Records Management

Purpose

This procedure mandates operational activities and assigns responsibilities to support the implementation of Federation University Australia’s Higher Education Partner Provider Delivery Policy.

Academic or teaching staff employed by Partner Providers to teach the University’s programs must be qualified and experienced teachers with relevant discipline experience to deliver the relevant course/s. Academic or teaching staff must be appointed in consultation with the University. Partner Providers are required to have lecturing staff approved prior to each semester and undertake an evaluation of teaching each semester.

Specifically, the Appointment and Assessment of Teaching at Partner Provider Locations Procedure provides:

  • information on the process for appointment and assessment of teaching staff at partner provider locations
  • describes the steps to be taken; and
  • the minimum requirements for teaching approvals at partner provider locations.

Scope

This procedure applies to teaching staff at all Federation University Australia partner provider locations.

Legislative Context

  • Federation University Australia Act 2010
  • Statutes and Regulations
    • Statute 5.3 – Assessment
    • Regulation 5.3 – Assessment
  • Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Second Edition January 2013
  • Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2011

Definitions

Term Definition
Partner Provider A third party provider who has entered into an agreement with the University to deliver all or part of a course or program to students.
CUP Centre for University Partnerships
Course A subsidiary element of a program

School:

 

 School delivering programs
Program Study/research leading to the granting of an official award or qualification - refer Schedule 5.1. A program contains subsidiary elements referred to as courses

Supporting Documents

Responsibility

  • Pro Vice-Chancellor, International is responsible for monitoring the implementation, outcomes and scheduled review of this procedure
  • Academic Director, International Education is responsible for maintaining the content of this procedure as delegated by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, International
  • Manager, Partner Relationships is responsible for the administration support for the maintenance of this procedure as directed by the Academic Director, International Education
  • The Partner Provider is responsible for ensuring that Partner lecturers and tutors are approved by the School prior to appointment
  • Schools are responsible for ensuring that approved partner lecturers have an advanced qualification from an accredited university and/or significant experience in the relevant discipline area. A position at this level will normally require a Master Degree or equivalent
  • CUP are responsible for ensuring Applications to Teach are forwarded to relevant School contacts and that these are approved prior to being into the University approved student management system

Actions

1. Assessing suitability of teaching staff

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Setting minimum qualifications and experience for prospective applicants Partner Provider/School
  1. Determine if the applicant can teach and what experience they have in teaching or training
  2. Ensure prospective applicants can achieve the minimum requirements to teach, eg:
    • FedUni lecturers are expected to have as a minimum a Bachelor level degree and desirably, a Master degree with preferably five years’ experience of teaching, training or industry experience in the proposed study area.
    • Approved lecturers are preferred to have a higher degree than that of the course in which they are teaching;
    • Staff teaching at Bachelor level are expected to have a Master degree
    • Staff teaching at Masters level are preferred to have a Doctorate
B. Considering minimum understanding of discipline Partner Provider/School
  1. Determine if the applicant has relevant discipline experience and can teach this topic  (essential for course by course approvals)
  2. Ensure prospective lecturers have an AQF level qualification higher than the level they are intending to teach or an equivalent qualification with relevant industry/professional experience.
  3. Seek guidance from the relevant School of the specific/required needs
  4. Determine that prospective lecturers have:
    • a sound understanding of current scholarships and/or professional practice in the discipline that they intend to teach
    • understanding of pedagogical and/or adult learning principles relevant to the student cohort
    • able to engage students in intellectual inquiry appropriate to the level of the course of student and course intending to be taught
C. Matching prospective applicants against FedUni’s Staff Recruitment Checklist Partner Provider/School
  1. Compile a checklist for each prospective applicant, prior to interview:
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Certified copies of testamurs and transcripts
  • Qualifications:
  • Undergraduate degree or equivalent
  • Honours
  • Masters
  • PhD
  • Other
  • Qualifications verified
  • References are checked
  • Discipline and/or industry experience
D. Considering requirements for prospective tutors Partner Provider/School
  1. Ensure that prospective tutors have completed a degree higher than that of the course in which they are teaching and/or industry experience
  2. Prospective tutors must undergo the same approval process as teaching staff

2. Appointing teaching staff

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A.  Arranging and conducting interview/s  Partner Provider
  1. Partner contacts School to arrange a FedUni representative on the interview panel (Note: Interview panel representatives are not necessarily the same academic who makes the approval recommendation in Action 2 step D.) 
    • Interview steps are not applicable for off-shore partners
  2. Formulate the interview questions, considering the following suggestions:
    1. Can you give us an example of your experience teaching or working in a moderation model?
    2. Can you describe for us methods you have utilised to avoid plagiarism? Can you tell us about an experience you have had where you have detected plagiarism and what you did to report the incident?
    3. Have you had previous experience in coordinating lecturers and/or tutors? If so, can you tell us how you have dealt with issues with lecturers/tutors?
    4. Can you tell us about previous experiences you have had teaching or training international students or cohorts?
    5. Can you give us an example of when you have identified and dealt with struggling student/s? How did you identify them and what intervention did you put in place to assist them.
    6. Can you give some examples of discipline experience?
    7. What industry experience do you have that you can bring into your teaching?
  3. Hold interview/s
  4. Complete an interview report for each applicant
B. Checking referees Partner
  1. Ensure thorough checking with referees occurs, in particular:
    • Prior teaching experience:
      • Undergraduate level
      • Graduate level
    • Industry experience
  2. Document referee statements
C. Completing Application to Teach Form/s Applicant/Partner
  1. Complete Application to Teach Form/s, ensuring:
    • courses for the Application to Teach are outlined
    • previous approved courses are outlined
    • other locations having approval to teach are outlined
    • certified copies of applicant’s qualifications and CV materials are attached
  2. Completed Application/s to Teach are forwarded to CUP
D.  Reviewing Application/s to Teach  School/CUP
  1. CUP forwards the Applications to Teach to the relevant School
  2. Ensure the application/s are reviewed by appropriate academic for the course/s for which the Application to Teach specifies
  3. Compile a recommendation
E.  Approving the Application/s to Teach  School
  1. Make a determination
  2. Head of School signs off on appointment
  3. Scan and email approved copy of the Application to Teach form/s to CUP
F. Applying for systems’ access Partner
  1. Partner staff apply for FedUni Associate and access to the University’s approved student management system
G. Finalising approval process CUP
  1. Approve and process FedUni Associate and systems’ access applications for approved Partner a staff
  2. Enter member of staff details as an approved local lecturer for the specific course/s into the University’s approved student management system
H. Inducting staff Partner
  1. Ensure attendance at staff induction and training on student management system

3. Evaluating teaching staff

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Conducting student evaluation of teaching Surveys Office
  1. Ensure that all students undertakes an evaluation of teaching for each appointed teaching staff member each semester using the University’s approved survey tool
  2. Provide CUP and relevant School/s with results of survey feedback on the quality of teaching for each teaching staff member each semester
  3. Circulate report to Partner Provider/s
B. Reviewing survey/feedback results School/Partner
  1. If the relevant authority is not satisfied with the relevant survey tool’s results for a particular teaching staff member or other feedback received from University academic staff responsible for moderation in the relevant course, approval for the teacher to continue delivery may be withdrawn
  2. A teaching staff member’s appointment must not be renewed without prior written approval from the School.
  3. Non-approved teaching staff will not be permitted to teach in the course where approval has been rejected

Promulgation

The Appointment and Assessment of Teaching at Partner Provider Locations Procedure will be communicated throughout the University community in the form of:

  • An Announcement Notice via FedNews website and on the ‘Recently Approved Documents’ page on the 'Policies, Procedures and Forms @ the University' website to alert the University-wide community of the approved Procedure;
  • School meetings
  • Inclusion in the University’s Partner Operations Manual

Implementation

The Appointment and Assessment of Teaching at Partner Provider Locations Procedure will be implemented throughout the University via:

  • Inclusion on the University’s Policy Administration Management Portal;
  • Inclusion in the University’s Partner Operations Manual

Records Management

Title Location Responsible Officer Minimum Retention Period
Application to Teach form CUP/School Liaison Officer/Manager Program Support and Technical Services

Retain for 7 years after life of relevant program

Lodge records into the University’s approved records management system using established procedures
Teaching Evaluation Report CUP/School Liaison Officer/Manager Program Support and Technical Services

Retain for 5 years after life of relevant program

Lodge records into the University’s approved records management system using established procedures
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Approval Authority: Vice-Chancellor Original Issue 26/11/2008
Policy Sponsor: Chair, International Education Committee Current Version: 05/07/2019
CRICOS Provider Number 00103D Review Date: 09/02/2021
Policy Code CG1541