Appointment and Assessment of Partner Teaching Staff Procedure

Policy code: CG1541
Policy owner: Director, People and Culture
Approval authority: Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Global, Engagement and Quality
Approval date: 22 October 2024
Next review date: 02 June 2025

Purpose
Scope
Legislative Context
Definitions
Actions
1. Assessing suitability of teaching staff
2. Appointing teaching staff
3. Evaluating teaching staff
4. Review and Revocation of Teaching Approvals
Supporting Documents
Responsibility
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 Federation University’s courses must be qualified and experienced academics with relevant discipline experience to deliver the relevant unit/s. Academic staff must be appointed in consultation with the University. Partner Providers are required to have academic staff that meet the university’s teaching criteria for each semester and undertake an evaluation of teaching each semester. This procedure also ensures that partner teaching staff are consistent with the Higher Education Academic Teaching Requirements Procedure.

Specifically, the Appointment and Assessment of Partner Teaching Staff Procedure provides:

  • information on the process for appointment and assessment of teaching staff at partner provider locations
  • describes the steps to be undertaken
  • the minimum requirements for teaching approvals at partner provider locations, and
  • the process for reviewing and removal of a teaching approval.

Scope

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

Legislative Context

  • Federation University Australia Act 2010
  • Australian Qualifications Framework AQF Second Edition January 2013
  • Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021

Definitions

A complete list of definitions relevant to this procedure is contained within the Higher Education Partner Provider Delivery Policy.

A further list of definitions specifically relevant to this procedure is included below:

Term Definition
Partner Provider A third party provider who has entered into an agreement with Federation University to deliver all or part of a unit or course to students.
Partner Liaison Team Team of staff in GPS, responsible for managing operational requirements for Partner Providers.
Unit A subsidiary element of a course
GPS Global Professional School
Course Study/research leading to the granting of an official award or qualification - refer Schedule 5.6. A course contains subsidiary elements referred to as units
Teaching Staff Partner Lecturers and Tutors delivering Federation University unit materials.

Actions

1. Assessing suitability of teaching staff

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Setting minimum qualifications and experience for prospective applicants Partner Provider
  1. Determine the suitability of the applicant to teach considering experience in theoretical teaching and training based on university criteria.
  2. Ensure prospective applicants can achieve the minimum requirements to teach, e.g.:
    • Federation University lecturers are expected to have as a minimum a Bachelor level degree and desirably, a Masters degree with preferably five years’ experience of teaching, training or industry experience in the proposed study area.
    • Partner teaching staff must hold an AQF level qualification in a relevant discipline that is at least one AQF level above the AQF level being taught. If not, refer Higher Education Academic Teaching Requirements Procedure, Action 4  - “Ensure academic teaching staff employed by Partner Providers who do not hold a qualification one level higher than the course they are teaching demonstrate equivalency” by using the Higher Education Academic Teaching Requirements Equivalency Form.
    • To demonstrate equivalency to AQF +1, the partner provider must complete the Higher Education Academic Teaching Requirements Equivalency Form in consultation with the individual proposed to be employed and provide to the SchoolDean or nominee:
      • evidence of equivalency (from more than one option across more than one category) in addition to relevant AQF qualifications for partners’ academic teaching staff on the basis that such staff are engaged to deliver curricular which is overseen by Federation University and are deemed to be appropriately supervised by a course coordinator in accordance with the Standards.
B. Considering appropriate understanding of discipline Partner Provider
  1. Determine if the applicant has relevant discipline experience and can teach the topic  (essential for unit-by-unit approvals)
  2. Partner to seek guidance from the School of the specific/ required needs.
  3. 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 unit of student and unit intending to be taught
C. Matching prospective applicants against Federation's Staff Recruitment Checklist Partner Provider
  1. Compile a checklist for each prospective applicant, prior to interview.
  2. Curriculum Vitae.
  3. Translated (where required) and certified copies of testamurs and transcripts.
  4. Qualifications:
    • Undergraduate degree or equivalent
    • Honours
    • Masters
    • PhD
    • Other
  5. Minimum Qualifications required are verified.

  6. References are checked (see Referee Check Documentation in Supporting Documents).

  7. Identity verified.
  8. Discipline and/or industry experience.

2. Appointing teaching staff

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Arranging and conducting interview/s  Partner Provider

  1. Formulate the interview questions, considering the Sample Interview Questions for Partner Provider Teaching Staff in the supporting Documents.

  2. Conduct interview/s.
  3. Complete an interview report for each applicant.
B. Checking referees Partner Provider
  1. Ensure thorough checking with referees occurs, in particular:
    • Prior teaching experience:
    • Undergraduate level
    • Graduate level
    • Industry experience
  2. Document referee statements
    (see Referee Check Documentation in Supporting Documents).
C. Ensure full approval documentation is recorded Applicant/Partner Provider
  1. Ensure full documentation demonstrating the applicant meets the University's teaching criteria is available for review:
    • Units the applicant is deemed qualified to teach are outlined
    • Translated (where required) and certified copies of applicant’s qualifications and CV materials must be attached
    • Person’s qualification to teach the unit is clearly mapped to the required AQF level
    • A form of identity is attached for verification
    • Referee checks are attached
  2. The Partner Lecturer approval checklist can be used to ensure all documentation has been captured.
D. Applying for systems' access Partner Provider
  1. Partner staff apply for Federation Associate and access to the University’s approvedstudent management system.
E. Finalising approval process Partner Liaison Staff/ITS
  1. Approve and process Federation Associate and systems' access applications for Partner teaching staff.
  2. Enter staff details as an approved local lecturer for the specific unit/s into the University’s approved student management system
F. Inducting staff Partner Provider
  1. Ensure attendance at staff induction and training (lecturers and tutors) on student management systems as well as Federation policies and procedures that impact teaching (e.g. academic misconduct, academic integrity and academic intervention).

3. Evaluating teaching staff

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Conducting student evaluation of teaching Surveys Office / Partner Liaison team/Partner
  1. Facilitate and encourage all students to undertake an evaluation of teaching for each appointed teaching staff member each semester using the University’s approved survey tool (see Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching Procedure (Higher Education)).
  2. Survey Team in SEAS to provide Partner Liaison team and School 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 Provider
  1. If the relevant authority is not satisfied with the relevant survey tool’s results for a particular teaching staff member, or other feedback has been received from Universityacademic staff responsible for moderation in the relevant unit, then approval for the teacher to continue delivery may be withdrawn.
    The authorising body may request that Peer Review is undertaken to provide further information regarding teaching performance. (See Review and Revocation of Teaching Approvals below).
  2. A new teaching staff member’s appointment must not be renewed without prior written approval from the School.
  3. Teaching staff with revoked approval will not be permitted to teach in the unit or units for which approval has been removed.

4. Review and Revocation of Teaching Approvals

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A Annual audit of partner teaching approvals International/Quality School
  1. As part of the International Quality Partner Provider annual audit cycle, a scheduled audit of partner teaching staff is undertaken to ensure that they meet the university’s criteria.
  2. Any partner teaching staff that potentially are not eligible can be further reviewed by Discipline Leaders / School staff for clarification.
B Review of Teaching Approval/s School
  1. If a unit coordinator or other staff member involved in the teaching team of delivery at a partner provider is concerned about the teaching standards of an approved partner academic, they must raise that this person should be up for review.
  2. Reasons for review include the following:
    1. High fail rates
    2. Poor responses in SELT reports
    3. Lack of communication with the Unit Coordinator
    4. Examiner Reports
    5. Not teaching to the Unit Description
    6. Consistent issues regarding moderated marking
    7. Lack of attention to academic misconduct
    8. Other issues of significant concern in regard to the quality of delivery and compliance of Federation units.
  3. Consider whether this is a unit-based review or overall teaching review.
  4. Once a partner teaching staff member has been raised for review, a third impartial party in the school should undertake a review of the teaching approval (for example, Course Coordinator or Discipline Leader). This could include a peer review, review of SELT results, of teacherqualifications and unit results etc.
  5. Outcome to be sent with a recommendation to the Manager, Global Professional Services.
C Revocation of Teaching Approval School/Partner Liaison Staff
  1. A teaching approval cannot be revoked without the review process previously mentioned.
  2. Once a partner academic has been reviewed and a recommendation made, this should be documented in fdlGrades and kept on file.
  3. Partner notified of the outcome of the review and whether this at a unit level or for all teaching.

Supporting Documents

Forms

Responsibility

  • Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global, Engagement and Quality) (as the Approval Authority) is responsible for monitoring the implementation, outcomes and scheduled review of this procedure.
  • Director, People and Culture (as the Document Owner) is responsible for maintaining the content of this procedure as delegated by the Approval Authority.

Promulgation

This procedure will be communicated throughout the University community via:

  • 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

This 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 International / School Liaison Officer/Manager Course Support and Technical Services

Retain for 7 years after life of relevant course

Lodge records into the University’s approved records management system and/or fdlGrades using established procedures
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Policy Glossary

Approval Authority: Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Global, Engagement and Quality Original Issue 26/11/2008
Policy Sponsor: Director, People and Culture Current Version: 22/10/2024
CRICOS Provider Number 00103D Review Date: 02/06/2025
TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12151 Provider Category: Australian University
RTO Code 4909 Policy Code CG1541