• Sydney Conservatorium of Music

Sydney Conservatorium of Music
INTERIM ACADEMIC WORKLOADS POLICY - 2010
Preamble
This workloads policy and its application are directed at supporting the mission and
strategic directions of the Conservatorium and the University. Whilst the policy has
been prepared in the context of the University of Sydney Enterprise Agreement 2009
– 2012 (EA), distinguishing features of the music discipline and the Conservatorium
are taken account of in the policy and its application.
The policy and the manner in which the Conservatorium allocates workloads to
individual staff under the policy acknowledge the significant contribution staff make
to the Conservatorium. In line with many professions, academic staff, to a large
extent, regulate their own hours. This flexibility is an important part of academic life
and enables work patterns to match teaching and research requirements. Academic
workload is a combination of self directed and assigned tasks. The non-assigned
portion of an academic staff member‟s working time is discretionary in that it is self-
directed. It is the time in which staff members conduct research or other scholarly,
creative or performance activity as required by their appointment by the University.
The amount of discretionary time will vary from one member to another and from one
area to another.
It is recognised that individual staff are at any one time at different stages of their
careers, have different career objectives, are at different stages of their career
development, have different research and performance objectives and contribute to
the Conservatorium in a variety of ways. The application of the policy will be based
on consultation with individual staff and take account of these factors along with the
curriculum and other needs of the Conservatorium as well as financial directions, staff
and student profiles and development needs.
The Conservatorium recognises that it has a duty of care to staff and will apply the
policy in a fair, transparent, consultative and equitable manner. No pressure will be
applied to undertake excessive workloads.
Full-time Workload
1,725 hours per year
(i) teaching and teaching-related activities – 40% - 690 hours per annum;
(ii) research and scholarship – 40% - 690 hours per annum;
(iii) professional & community engagement and administration – 20% - 345 hours
per annum.
Interim Workloads Model – 16 December, 2009 Page 1
Whilst 1,725 hours per annum is the full-time workload, hours are not used under the
policy for determining workload. All workload allocations are expressed in terms of
Weighted Workload Credits (WWC). Raw hours are weighted to arrive at a WWC
allocation.
WWC and WWC requirements are adjusted on a pro rata basis for staff employed on
a fractional basis.
Teaching and Teaching Related Activities
Weightings
One to one teaching 1.2
Group/ensemble teaching 1.2
Lab-type classes 1.5
Academic classes 3.0
Academic classes (Repeat) 2.0
Assessment/marking 1.0
PG/Honours supervision (per student) 1.0
Definitions
One to One: One to One sessions include all individual instrumental and voice
tuition. As well as the individual sessions for each student, it assumes 1 hour per
week for class instruction. One to One teaching is weighted as 1.2 in recognition of
the relatively low preparation requirements.
Group/Ensemble Teaching: Includes all performance group teaching including
concert practice, performance class, performance workshop, ensemble class, chamber
music, performance tutorial, improvisation class, sectional tutorial, repertoire class,
and rehearsal. The preparation requirement for this form of teaching is deemed to be
commensurate with that for One to One teaching and has been weighted the same at
1.2
Lab-type Classes: This category of teaching is with groups of students designed to
build skills through presentation and repetition including keyboard classes, aural and
language and diction classes. The weighting for these classes is 1.5.
Academic Classes: Academic classes (including repeat academic classes) include
lectures, tutorials and seminars, composition workshops as well as other forms of
theory classes. They have been weighted at 3.0 and 2.0 (for repeat) in recognition of
the substantial amount of administration, preparation and marking associated with this
type of delivery and content. This is consistent with the weightings included in the
EA for casual rates of pay.
Postgraduate/Honours Supervision: A provision of 1 WWC has been made for the
supervision of each postgraduate and honours student. That is, the supervision of the
dissertation component of their course. It is recognised that supervisory sessions will
not in most instances be held every week of each semester. On the other hand, during
some peak periods, those sessions will be more often and possibly longer. It has been
Interim Workloads Model – 16 December, 2009 Page 2
judged that 1 WWC for each semester week is a reasonable allocation given the
flexibility of this form of teaching. In individual cases, agreement may be reached to
count supervision under the Research and Scholarship category.
Assessment/Marking: An allowance of 37.5 WWC per semester is made for all staff.
A further allowance 0.5 WWC per student semester enrolment is made for non-
contemporaneous academic marking beyond that provided for under the general
allocation for assessment/marking..Such claims have to be supported by actual
enrolment numbers and approved curriculum requirements.
Number of Weeks
All teaching and supervision is calculated on the actual number of approved teaching
weeks for that component of the unit of study.
Teaching and Learning Administration
A maximum allowance of 1.75 hours per week for 46 weeks will be allowed for
specific higher education course administration for those staff with prescribed and
approved course responsibilities – 80.5 WWC per annum
An allowance of 3 hours per week for 46 weeks is made for staff with Chair of Unit
responsibilities – 138 WWC per annum
Teaching and Learning Special Projects
A special WWC allocation may be approved by the Dean on the recommendation of
the Chair and Associate Dean for special projects. This includes the preparation and
teaching of new units of study.
Research and Scholarship
Research and Scholarship means the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of
existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts,
methodologies and understandings. This could include synthesis and analysis of
previous research to the extent that it is new and creative. Further elaboration is in
the Attachment A.
690 WWC (40% of the total WWC of 1,725) is available for allocation to research
and scholarship. 50% of the research and scholarship WWC will be allocated
according to the average research points earned per year as recorded under HERDC
over the previous three years ie a maximum of 345 WWC. The conversion of
HERDC points to WWC is made at 1 HERDC point = 115 WWC.
The remaining 345 WWC available to be allocated for research and scholarship will
be determined according to a Research Plan for the workload year to be submitted by
the staff member and agreed by the Chair/Associate Dean/Dean with advice from the
Associate Dean (Research).
Interim Workloads Model – 16 December, 2009 Page 3
The third element of the Research and Scholarship WWC allocation is scope for
additional WWC to be allocated for specifically identified „special projects‟ to be
negotiated and approved by the Dean with advice from the Associate Dean
(Research).
Additional WWC may be allocated with the approval of the Associate Dean and Dean
for „Other Esteemed Creative Activities‟. These may include activities which do not
satisfy the definition of „Research and Scholarship‟. Activities of the kind that will be
considered are professional practice meeting certain criteria designed to identify the
level of esteem of the activity such as the prominence of the venue, the profile and
reputation of the concert entrepreneur and the prestige factor of the invitation to
perform.
Professional & Community Engagement and Administration
Administration
An allowance of 0.75 hours per day is made for general administration for all staff –
172.5 WWC per annum. This provides for such things as filing, photocopying, phone
and email enquiries etc. It is assumed this allowance also covers orientation, Open
Day and admissions.
A maximum allocation of 37.5 WWC (1 week x 37.5 hours) is available by
negotiation for general SCM/University duties. This includes such things as attending
specific SCM committees and representing the SCM on University working parties.
Special Projects
Other special projects may be approved by the Dean by negotiation.
This may include approved professional practice activities which do not qualify for
inclusion under Research and Scholarship and which meet approved criteria for such
activities.
Process
In broad terms the process for determining and approving individual workloads needs
to be underpinned by official student enrolment plans and curriculum requirements.
The process would involve staff completing their workload sheets (to be available on
the web) based on teaching responsibilities assigned by their Chair and finalising
those with their Chair. This will be the framework for a discussion between the Chair
and Associate Dean (supported by appropriate administrative staff). Individual staff
may need to be involved in part of those discussions. That meeting would be
responsible for validating teaching claims against curriculum requirements and
enrolment records and then approval by the Associate Dean. It is at this stage that
conversion from “Teaching & Research” to “Teaching Focussed” role, as provided for
under the EA, may be negotiated. Only after this has been done should part-time
teaching allocations be made after looking at un-allocated teaching commitments for
the approved curriculum.
Interim Workloads Model – 16 December, 2009 Page 4
 ATTACHMENT
Excellence in Research Australia (ERA)
The Australian government has initiated a process of evaluating research excellence in
universities: Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA).
Eligible researchers
This is an important opportunity for ALL of us (Conservatorium staff including casuals,
adjuncts, honorary appointments and visitors), who were appointed at the census date,
31 March 2008 (trial submission) or 31 March 2009 (full submission), to register
our excellence in both music research and creative work.
ERA objectives
 Establish an evaluation framework that gives government, industry, business and
the wider community assurance of the excellence of research conducted in
Australian’s higher education institutions;
Provide a national stocktake of discipline-level areas of research strength and areas
where there is an opportunity for development in Australia’s higher education
institutions;
 Allow for comparisons of Australia’s research nationally and internationally for all
discipline areas; and
 Assist with the development of future national strategies and policies and links
with the government’s broader research and innovation agenda.
Definition of research (ERA)
the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and
creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies and understandings. This
could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it is new and
creative.
This definition of research is consistent with a broad notion of research and experimental
development (R&D) as comprising ‘creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in
order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humanity, culture and
society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise applications.
ERA Submission Guidelines, Australian Research Council 2009
This definition should be read as consistent with that used in the Higher Education
Research Data Collection (HERDC) Specifications
Research (HERDC)
For the purposes of these specifications, research comprises:
 creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of
knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this
stock of knowledge to devise new applications.
 any activity classified as research which is characterised by originality; it should
have investigation as a primary objective and should have the potential to produce
results that are sufficiently general for humanity's stock of knowledge (theoretical
and/or practical) to be recognisably increased. Most higher education research work
would qualify as research.
 pure basic research, strategic basic research, applied research and experimental
development.
 ATTACHMENT
Guidelines and Proformas
SCM Creative Work Data Collection Guidelines
Guidelines and criteria to report creative works research.
 Live Performance and Recorded Works
 Original Creative Works - Composition
Proformas
Electronic forms to report details of research outputs. Each output requires submission
both electronically using the 'submit' button and a signed copy using the 'print' button.
Adobe Reader 9 (required to use proformas)
You can download the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe. Mac users: please ensure you
have Adobe Reader set as your default application to open PDF files. If you need
assistance please contact ICT for assistance on 9351 6000.
 Original creative works - composition
Musical Compositions
 Live performance of creative works - music
New work or a demonstrably new or innovative interpretation or production of an
existing work.
 Recorded/rendered creative works - performance
Performances created specifically for a recorded medium.
 Research statement for peer review of creative works
To accompany all outputs classified 'major' and top 30% creative works outputs
selected for ERA peer review.
 Author affiliation statement
Creative works categories and sub-categories
 All categories and sub-categories used in the collection of creative works research
outputs at USYD.
ARC ERA
 Journal lists
A ranked list of journals consolidated by the ARC. For inclusion, a journal must be
peer reviewed and have an ISSN.
 Humanities and Creative Arts (HCA) cluster matrix
Specification of which ERA indicators will be applied to which disciplines.
 ARC ERA Submission Guidelines
An overview of ERA and information on the rules for submission of material for the
ERA trial of Cluster One (Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences (PCE)) and Cluster
Two (Humanities and Creative Arts(HCA)).
 ERA Evaluation Guidelines (pdf format - 959kb)
Provides guidance on the evaluation of assigned material for the 2009 evaluations.
Format of research statement for Peer Review of creative works for the HCA Cluster
Criteria for publishers
Criteria for curated events and commissioned works
Tier definitions for the ranking of journals
 ERA Indicator Benchmark Methodology (pdf format - 901kb)
Outlines the sources, dates and calculations used to derive benchmarks for the ERA
trial.
USYD Creative works categories and sub- categories
 ATTACHMENT
Original creative works
Visual art A fine arts and crafts work, diagram, map, photographic image, sculpture or
installation.
Design/architectural Realised, constructed, fabricated or unrealised building and
design projects. ‘Unrealised’ projects must have an output that provides evidence of the
research involved.
Textual Written creative work that is not eligible to be submitted as a book or journal
article such as a novel or art review. Exhibition catalogues and catalogue entries should
be submitted in this sub-category.
Composition Musical compositions.
Other Other original creative works that do not fit the other output types.
Live performance of creative works
Music New work or a demonstrably new or innovative interpretation or production of an
existing work.
Play New work or a demonstrably new or innovative interpretation or production of an
existing work.
Dance New work or a demonstrably new or innovative interpretation or production of an
existing work.
Other New work or a demonstrably new or innovative interpretation or production of an
existing work.
Recorded/rendered creative works
Film/video Film/video
Performance Performances created specifically for a recorded medium.
Inter-arts Recorded/rendered creative works, often experimental, produced in
association with other researchers in other disciplinary fields.
Web site/exhibition These are eligible as recorded/rendered creative works if the
eligible researcher is the creator of the creative works featured in the website.
Digital creative work Creative 3D models, including digital outputs of architectural and
design projects, computer programs, games and visual artworks.
Other Other recorded/rendered creative works not listed above.
Curated or produced substantial public exhibitions and events
Web-based exhibition The curation and/or production of an internet website
presenting a collection of creative works where the internet is the medium of the
exhibited works.
 ATTACHMENT
Exhibition/event The curation and/or production of a collection of creative works
exhibited together for the first time, in that particular arrangement, in a recognized
gallery, museum, or event. This should be accompanied by a well researched publication
that includes the time and location of the exhibition.
Festival The curation of a festival bringing together innovative work or existing works in
an innovative format or through a theme that provides new perspectives and/or
experiences.
Other Curated or substantial public exhibitions and events that do not fit into the above
output types.
 ATTACHMENT
Professional Practice
Definition
Performance that does not meet the indicators as outlined for performance as research.
Example
Performance of standard repertoire as a member of an orchestra without a solo or front
of program role.
Performance is integral to the professional profile of many members of Sydney
Conservatorium of Music staff and underpins the highly successful teaching of these staff
members. All performance is valued for the ways in which it contributes to the continued
creative and professional development of performance staff and enriches the pedagogical
environment of students at SCM.
Professional practice and community work are integral to the SCM mission and need to
be acknowledged as a measure of activity and esteem. However, they should be
reported through PM&D processes and to the Communications and Marketing Unit for
dissemination through staff notifications, web and promotional avenues and may be of
use for promotion purposes. They should NOT be reported as research.
It is acknowledged that, to some extent, all performance is reflective of some form of
research. Technique can evolve through searching for ways in which to improve or
modify technical efficiency, through reflection, experimentation and adoption or
adaptation of new or different technical characteristics. Musical preparation may rely on
both previous and current experience, incorporating new practices and new
interpretations. However, the level of innovation, significance of role, contribution to
‘knowledge’, sustained endeavour and peer review will determine whether performances
are reportable as research, or reportable as professional practice.
Collection of data regarding professional practice
Professional practice performances and recordings are being collected in IRMA and can
be reported using the proformas below. Staff members will be able to retrieve this
collected material for use in annual PM&D reports and promotions applications.
How to report professional practice
Complete relevant sections of the proforma and submit electronically using the ‘SUBMIT’
button.