Academic Career Development Scheme

Introduction

The 15 November 2006 Academic Board approved a new Academic Career Development Scheme (formerly known as appraisal). The new Scheme was implemented from Summer term 2007. TLC conducted a series of briefings to departmental meetings during the Lent term 2007, the purpose of which was to inform members of staff how to get the best out of the new career development scheme and to give guidance to those conducting the career development meetings. Any department wishing to be briefed on the aims and purposes of the Scheme should contact Dr Liz Barnett.

Principles guiding the academic career development scheme

The design of the new academic career development scheme was drawn up by a Working Party under the chairmanship of Professor George Gaskell. The membership of the Working Group was as follows:

Professor Martin Anthony
Dr Liz Barnett
Professor Jo Beall
Dr Chris Husbands
Professor Paul Johnson
Dr Ginka Toegel
Professor Leslie Willcocks

The Working Party felt that the new system of career development should serve the needs of individual academics, enable Heads of Department to manage staff promotions and reviews, and in that context, to flag at an early stage, any issues of concern to the Promotions Committee.

The shift in nomenclature from appraisal to career development is deliberate, tipping the balance towards proactive support, mentoring and career guidance for staff throughout their academic careers. It is intended to cultivate a change of culture in the School, towards a commitment to developing people’s academic careers, a willingness to recognise both strengths and weaknesses, and provision of institutional support to address problems at an early stage.

The academic career development scheme (ACDS) is intended to be efficient but light in touch, more forward-looking, and less bureaucratic.

The ACD Process

The process will involve the following stages:

1. The preparation by the member of staff of a brief career development statement.
2. A career development meeting (CDM).
3. The co-production of a career development report (CDR) summarising agreed action points.
4. The CDR will be signed off by the Head of Department.

All CDRs will be forwarded to Human Resources (c/o Sally Welch).

In the following paragraphs, stages 1-4 are elaborated in a little more detail.

Stage 1

The career development statement will provide the member of staff with the opportunity to outline the following in brief in a standard report form (CDR):

i. Their teaching profile – experience, current activities, future plans and innovations, and School survey data.
ii. Their research profile – achievements, trajectory, research and publication plans.
iii.Their contributions to departmental and School citizenship and administrative functions.
iv. External activities.

The CDM is intended to allow for the portrayal of a rounded profile which, as well as taking into account future plans, enables a review of past achievements and experience where appropriate.

Within the framework of headings for discussion, the scheme is deliberately non-prescriptive about the detail to be covered in the CDM. Departments are free to tailor the CDM discussion to suit the individual’s career stage.

Stage 2

The CDMs will be conducted by Heads of Department or by senior members of academic staff, nominated by the Head of Department. For members of staff pre-Major Review the CDM will normally be conducted by the member of staff’s departmental Mentor. The Head of Department may also attend with the agreement of the other parties.

The CDMs will normally be conducted across the Lent and Summer terms. The rationale of the career development meeting will be to agree a plan for the member of staff to build a well-rounded CV showing developing capabilities across teaching, research and administration, and external activities, taking account of the individual’s career stage and building on what has already been achieved.

It is envisaged that the CDM will normally be a single meeting.

Stage 3

The member of staff conducting the CDM and the individual concerned will produce a brief summary of the agreed action points arising from the CDM. The agreed action points will be recorded on the CDR.

In cases where agreement cannot be reached, points of contention and rebuttals will be noted in a supplementary document, and the complete record will be forwarded to Human Resources.

Stage 4

All CDRs will be signed off by Heads of Department.

Training needs arising from the CDR

TLC has produced a checklist of training opportunities provided in the School to act as an aide-memoire for discussion of training needs arising from the CDR. RPDD can also provide advice on details of opportunities for involvement in professional bodies, particularly for senior members of staff seeking to increase their external profile. It is assumed that members of staff and Heads of Department will be proactive in contacting TLC and RPDD in these matters. In addition, TLC will email all those due for CDMs to invite a discussion of any training and development needs.

Relationship to promotion and review

The CDRs are envisaged as a means to various ends, not as ends in themselves. For members of staff, it should lead to greater clarity about School and departmental expectations regarding career progression. For Heads of Department and other professorial colleagues, the CDRs will provide a helpful input to promotion and review proposals. And for the School as a whole, demonstrate that active career planning is taken seriously.

Frequency of CDMs

Career-Track Lecturers (including part-time)

In the early stages of an academic career, guidance to support career progression is required regularly. Thus, for members of staff pre-Major Review and through the first five years post Major Review, CDMs should be held on an annual basis.
From five years post Major Review, up to and including the level of Reader, CDMs should take place on a biennial basis (departments will be free to continue to hold CDMs on an annual basis if they so wish).
For Professors, a CDM will be held every third year.

Amongst other important functions, CDMs will contribute to sabbatical leave planning.

Temporary Lecturers

Temporary lecturers should be given the same opportunities for career development advice as career-track lecturers. Thus, it follows that for temporary lecturers (regardless of the length of contract) there should be an annual CDM.

Mentoring Guidelines for Newly Appointed Academic Staff

The Promotions Committee considers the role of the Mentor to be of vital significance in ensuring that newly-appointed academic staff receive constructive advice on career development from senior academic colleagues. All career-track lecturers, or temporary lecturers - regardless of length of contract, should be assigned a Mentor by their Head of Department.

The substance of the mentoring relationship is set out in the Mentoring Guidelines for Newly Appointed Academic Staff.

Embedding the new scheme

In the early years of implementation of the new scheme, there will be a need for awareness-raising amongst the academic community. It is envisaged that briefing sessions will be offered on an annual basis. TLC will organise briefings at the request of individual departments in order to ensure that members of staff appreciate how to get the best value out of the CDM. Briefings will also be offered at the annual Induction for new Heads of Department and at the annual Induction for new academic staff.

Monitoring and Review

1. The VCAC, in conjunction with HR, will keep the ACD Scheme under review and report annually on its implementation and effectiveness to the Appointments Committee.

2. Where the VCAC is concerned about a particular academic’s progress towards Interim/Major Review, the CDRs or information derived from them, may be presented to the Promotions Committee. The Promotions Committee may then advise the VCAC to discuss with the Head of Department the steps that should be taken to ensure successful progress towards Interim/Major Review. It is assumed that this would be infrequent and would only be initiated in the interests of the academic in question. This should be seen in the context of the School’s commitment to ensure that all academic staff receive the best possible advice in relation to career development.

Subsidiarity

It is hoped that departments will be eager to adopt the new Scheme. However, where a Department has an existing career development scheme that is functionally equivalent to the new scheme, with the approval of the VCAC, the existing scheme may continue. Furthermore, within the agreed framework of the ACDS, departments may tailor the scheme to local arrangements.

It follows that departments will wish to maintain their own records of members of staff due for CDMs to ensure that opportunities for career development discussions are offered to all staff on a regular basis.