HERDSA: Summary of replies received

[Coral Watson]

Valerie Clifford of the University of Canberra posts this note - a summary
of responses received after her request for information a few months ago.
--------------------------------------------------------
Thank you to all those who replied to my queries about Graduate
Certificates in Higher Education (or equivalent). These are the replies
that I received.

The accreditation debate seems to be opening up again with the ILT in
London circulating draft guidelines for accreditation.

I would be interested to know of any universities that:
1. Make attaining a GCHE a condition of completing probation for an
acadmeic post
and/or
2. Give new academic staff time release from teaching to complete a GCHE.

Replies:

Graham Webb, Monash:
Presently the 46 we have in the first cohort do
not systematically receive time release but they get fees paid and
different Faculties do different things to help out (for example, by
providing research assistance).  In terms of accreditation we are going
through SEDA.

Mara Siksna, UQ
the University Staff development committee DOES pay 1/2 HECS fees of staff
enrolled in Grad.Cert in EDucation courses - (about 20-25 each year) and
encourages their
departments to pay the other half. Interest in this is growing as staff see
1. and/or 2 as likely in the future.

Kate Patrick, RMIT
RMIT does not currently expect staff to undertake a Grad Cert in Tertiary
Teaching and Learning, but a number of staff are funded and supported to
participate.  In the Engineering Faculty, newly appointed tutors are
expected to participate in a semester-long training program which has been
recognised as equivalent to one of the four units making up the Grad Cert.

Sally Clarke, QUT
I am the coordinator of the Grad Cert at QUT - and am fairly new to the
position so am catching up with the policies and procedures and how they
are applied in the various Schools.

The Grad Cert is not a requirement for tenure or appointment - as yet. I
say as yet because we are in the process of introducing new performance
planning and review procedures.

I am not aware of time release for new staff at this stage. Again I say at
this stage because our grad cert teaching team discussed the issue of time
release for all staff enrolled in the grad cert at a meeting this morning.

The various Schools within the Faculties do have different ways of
supporting academics to do the Grad Cert. For example, one School gives
academics financial support for books, assignments, guild fees, etc. I have
asked them to consider time release for full-time academics and paying
part-time academics salary for at least part of their study hours
associated with studying the course. I haven't heard back on this yet.

Anna Reid, UTS
At UTS new academics at level A and B are given a 25% reduction in teaching
load over three years to complete components of our GCHE  as well as some
other negotiated development exercises  ( this program was developed as
part of our Enterprise Agreement). At the conclusion of the Development
Program they have  the option to continue and complete the full GCHE. The
Development Program doesn't include the whole GCHE as it is also intended
to provide space for them to develop a research profile as well as an
understanding of scholarly teaching. Each new academic also works with a
mentor who is not their academic supervisor. Although the program is still
young, many of the new academics have continued on to complete the whole
GCHE.

The new academics research profile is supported by a definition of need and
an identification of action with their mentor. The mentor helps them
develop research interests ( or develop some further) and strives to make
these align with the universities research directions ( if possible). The
mentors give advice on where and how to publish research, how to develop
grant proposals ( they can also come to the CLT for that - or the Research
Office) and often make submission to a conference or journal part of their
probationary or development requirements. The university also offers some
financial support for conferences ( quite variable) and time release to
attend. The University is also targeting new researchers (those who are new
to the uni, or who have recently completed a PhD) with an internal research
grant program where 'free' points are given simply for being new. This
'should' make them competitive with more published researchers. Support
workshops are run for the internal grants, and also for  the ARC s etc.

Minjung Lah, Griffith
I am not too sure about all the faculties at Griffith, but Griffith
University seems to do both - I am just not sure whether they are
compulsory conditions or advantages.
For more information, I think you can contact GIHE at Griffith University
or their websites.

Gavin Melles, Tutor - ESOL and Continuing Education, The Waikato Polytechnic
At my institution (A Polytechnic teaching degrees but with a vocational
focus) completion of a Certificate in Tertiary Teaching is essential to
complete probation.

Jennie Bickmore-Brand, Murdoch
I run a tertiary teaching course which has some standing in promotion and
teaching portfolios

Ina Te Wiata, UNSW
I am working part time at UNSW and our Centre has been doing a bit of work
for Uni of Wollongong whilst Maureen Bell is on leave.
UoW does have a GCHE but it is not taught by CEDIR.  Let me explain. CEDIR
runs a modular program called Introduction to Tertiary Teaching (ITT).  It
is compulsory for academic staff new to UoW who have an appointment of more
than 12 months - (unless you can get exemptions) and comprises 2 compulsory
modules and 2 electives (choice of 4 others including individual
negotiation).  On satisfactory completion of the program participants are
issued with a certificate and are able to seek specified credit for a
subject within the Faculty of Education's Graduate Certificate in Higher
Education.

The ITT policy states "that Heads of Units will make the necessary
adjustments to the teaching loads of new staff members to compensate for
the time involved in attending the program.  For these purposes, the time
involved in attendance equates to the teaching of 1 (3hour) course for a
session.
Also, "Completion of the program is a pre-requisite when applying for a
continuing appointment or for promotion."

Valerie Clifford, UC
The GCHE is not a condition of probation here.  The university does pay the
participants' fees and the Schools are suppose to give them time release
but I do not know of any that have or do.

Chris Rust and Alan Jenkins, Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development
I don't know if in your question to the HERDSA list you wanted responses from
outside Australia, but if you do....
Here at Oxford Brookes our Certificate in Teaching in HE has been
compulsory for five years (successful completion that is) as part of
probation, for anyone with less than 5 years experience of teaching in HE
(If they are more than 0.5 and on more than a one year contract) and they
should receive three hours a week remission for the year (the course is
part-time for one year) for which their School receives the appropriate
money from central funds to buy in that amount of part-time lecturing.

Patricia Weeks, QUT
 I have just returned from Singapore from Temasek Polytechnic where I was
appointed as external examiner for their SEDA accredited course in higher
education.  Their course is compulsory for new staff (since 1994 they have
had 200 successful graduates). They do not give time release (staff teach
21 contact hours). I also met a guy from Sri Lanka and their course is also
compulsory but I don't know about time release (although I doubt it!).

Dr Valerie Clifford
CELTS
University of Canberra ACT 2601
ph: 02-6201-2253
fax: 02-6201-5172
email: vac@cts.canberra.edu.au