• Section 1 - Key Information
• Section 2 - Purpose
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Key Decisions
• Section 5 - Policy Statement
• Section 6 - Procedures
• Part A - Overview
• Part B - Academic Scholarship Requirements
• Disciplinary Knowledge
• Scholarship of Learning and Teaching
• Part C - Planning for and Supporting Scholarship
• Individual Goal Setting
• School Leadership
• Institutional Support
• Part D - Outcomes and Review of Individual Scholarship
• Part E - Evaluation of Academic Scholarship Programs
• Part F - Reporting
• Part G - Record Keeping and Confidentiality
• Section 7 - Definitions
• Section 8 - Authority and Associated Information

Section 1 - Key Information

Section 2 - Purpose

(1) This Procedure outlines the ways in which the University ensures that academic staff at each level of teaching are conducting and participating in appropriate scholarly activity in accordance with the Higher Education Standards (2021).

Section 3 - Scope

(2) This Procedure applies to all staff who teach students enrolled in La Trobe award courses, with the exception of casual staff. This includes staff teaching in La Trobe courses taught under educational partnership agreements. For the purposes of this Procedure staff in the following roles are hereafter referred to as ‘teaching staff’:

1. staff designated as Teaching and Research;
2. Teaching-Focussed staff.

(3) This Procedure does not apply to research-only staff. Refer to the suite of policies applying to research in the Policy Library for the University’s support for, and requirements of, research-only staff.

Section 4 - Key Decisions

Section 5 - Policy Statement

(4) This Procedure is part of the Academic Staff Qualifications Policy which governs its application.

Section 6 - Procedures

Part A - Overview

(5) Academic scholarship is academic activity that:

1. maintains and advances disciplinary knowledge, including professional practice where relevant;
2. supports continuing professional development in teaching and learning practice (Scholarship of Learning and Teaching [SoLT]).

(6) Individual members of teaching staff are responsible for planning for, undertaking, and maintaining evidence of their scholarly activities in collaboration with their supervisor and the academic leadership of their school.

(7) The University allocates dedicated time for staff to engage in research and scholarly activities as part of their workload through its Enterprise Agreement.

(8) The University has a responsibility to: 

1. support teaching staff to undertake appropriate scholarly activity that informs their teaching;
2. ensure that appropriate mechanisms are in place for all teaching staff to regularly report scholarly activity and continuing professional development in pedagogical practice, regardless of where such activity is conducted or the institution supporting the activity.

Part B - Academic Scholarship Requirements

(9) Teaching staff should be actively engaged in academic scholarship that:

1. enables them to keep abreast of and contribute to developments in the relevant disciplinary area;
2. strengthens their teaching practice;
3. aligns with the University’s strategic objectives and their individual career development goals.

(10) The expectations for the level of engagement in academic scholarship, and the types of activities undertaken, will vary according to the level of appointment of individual academic staff, as outlined in the Academic Performance Framework and associated guidelines.

Disciplinary Knowledge

(11) Teaching staff may demonstrate the maintenance and advancement of disciplinary knowledge as follows:

1. Teaching and Research staff are deemed as meeting the academic scholarship requirement in relation to disciplinary knowledge;
2. Teaching-Focussed staff must demonstrate their continued currency with disciplinary knowledge through scholarly activity. 

(12) Required scholarly activity can include, but is not limited to, the following:

1. active participation (such as delivering a paper)in disciplinary conferences, workshops, and seminars;
2. public engagement activities on relevant disciplinary topics, such as writing in The Conversation;
3. contributions to non-peer reviewed publications;
4. contributions to advances in professional practice, where relevant, such as active participation in professional organisations.

(13) Graduate research students appointed to fixed term or ongoing teaching roles are deemed as meeting the requirement of maintaining contemporary disciplinary knowledge so long as they:

1. are currently enrolled, or on Leave of Absence for less than one calendar year; and 
2. are up-to-date with their progress milestones.

Scholarship of Learning and Teaching

(14) Professional development in learning and teaching practice is required of all teaching staff within the scope of this Procedure, and may be achieved through both formal and informal activities including, but not limited to engagement or enrolment in:

1. professional development activities;
2. a recognised qualification in learning and teaching, such as the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning (staff link only);
3. teaching-focussed Outside Studies Programs (OSP);
4. Scholarship of Learning and Teaching practice;
5. relevant Communities of Practice (staff link only);
6. peer review of teaching as a mentee.

(15) In accordance with the Higher Education Standards Guidance Note, SoLT is not:

1. personal or professional development activities that constitute lower-level training or that are unrelated to the teaching role (e.g., training in unrelated software or research techniques, or taking a course in an unrelated field);
2. membership of academic governance committees;
3. dated or irrelevant scholarly activity;
4. research in disciplines or fields not strategically aligned with the School’s or University’s goals;
5. basic or routine practice that does not engage with advances in practice, or that is unrelated to the content or teaching methods of the discipline/field being taught;
6. involvement in professional/community groups or activities unrelated to the content of the teaching methods of the discipline/field being taught;
7. similar activities at a lower AQF level;
8. simple attendance at conferences or membership of a professional body.

Part C - Planning for and Supporting Scholarship

Individual Goal Setting

(16) Teaching staff are required to develop and regularly update their academic, professional and personal goals in consultation with their supervisors through the University’s annual performance lifecycle.

(17) Individual plans should include specific goals and activities related to academic scholarship as outlined in Part B of this Procedure.

School Leadership

(18) Subject and Course Coordinators have specific responsibilities to encourage and facilitate professional development opportunities for the teaching team responsible for delivery of subjects within a course to ensure that staff remain up to date with disciplinary knowledge, educational technology, and best practices in teaching and assessment (see Subject and Course Coordinator Role Descriptions).

Institutional Support

(19) The University promotes academic scholarship through a range of professional development activities and provides other support for academic staff through People & Culture, Education Services, individual schools and the La Trobe Academy.

The La Trobe Academy

(20) In partnership with the Office of the Provost and schools, the La Trobe Academy (the Academy) systematically supports the scholarship of learning and teaching through undertaking or facilitating the following activities:

1. the granting of awards and recognition including internal and external awards and Fellowships of the Higher Education Academy (HEA);
2. qualifications such as the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning (staff link only) and microcredentials;
3. professional development activities including workshops, seminars, and introduction to teaching modules (staff link only);
4. knowledge exchange events as such the Learning and Teaching Forum and other planned seminars;
5. coordination of the Peer Review of Teaching (PRT) Program;
6. coordination of university-level communications and processes to raise the awareness of programs offered through the Academy and increase academic staff participation;
7. industry engagement to establish and reaffirm connected communities and ensure La Trobe is recognised as global thought leaders in education.

Recognition and Incentives

(21) The University recognises achievements in academic scholarship through awards, promotions, and other incentives. Staff are supported to apply for internal and external awards (see Education Awards [staff link only]).

(22) Staff are encouraged to publish their research, present at conferences, and contribute to academic committees.

Funding

(23) The University also supports academic scholarship through the provision of internal funding and grants and opportunities for OSP that may be applied to both the enhancement of disciplinary knowledge and SoLT.

Access to Resources

(24) The University ensures that staff have access to research databases, academic journals, and other resources necessary for scholarly work (see Library and Digital Learning Resources Policy).

Part D - Outcomes and Review of Individual Scholarship

(25) Results of scholarly activity may be published and peer reviewed, internally or externally, as appropriate.

(26) Supervisors assess staff achievements in scholarly activities as part of the annual performance lifecycle.

Part E - Evaluation of Academic Scholarship Programs

(27) The La Trobe Academy is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of their professional development support for academic scholarship through feedback from staff, and the analysis of performance outcomes.

(28) Staff can provide feedback on the support and resources available for academic scholarship through formal staff surveys such as the Employee Experience Survey.

Part F - Reporting

(29) Teaching staff are required to report on the scholarly activity they plan to take or have undertaken through the annual performance lifecycle.

(30) The Academic Director of the La Trobe Academy provides detailed briefings and reports on the Academy’s activities to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching), the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), the Senior Executive Group and Academic Board as required.

(31) The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) provides annual reports on academic scholarly activity to Education Committee for monitoring purposes.

Part G - Record Keeping and Confidentiality

(32) Documentation related to staff engagement in academic scholarship, performance reviews, and funding applications, is handled confidentially and accordance with University policies, including the Privacy Policy.

Section 7 - Definitions

(33) For the purposes of this Procedure:

1. academic scholarship: scholarship that maintains and advances disciplinary knowledge, including professional practice where relevant; and scholarship that supports continuing professional development in teaching and learning practice;
2. discipline: Field of Education in accordance with the Australian Standard Classification of Education;
3. Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT): systematic, critically reflective and evidence-based learning and teaching practice and/or leadership and/or pedagogic research. It is grounded in the relevant disciplinary and pedagogical literature, is subject to peer review, and contributes positively to continuous improvement in the student experience and the quality of teaching and assessment.

Section 8 - Authority and Associated Information

(34) This Procedure is made under the La Trobe University Act 2009.

(35) Associated information includes:

1. Academic Performance Framework;
2. Academic Promotions Policy;
3. Course and Subject Management Policy;
4. Recruitment Policy
5. Subject and Course Coordinator Guidelines and Role Descriptions.