Dear RG Friends:
Are you monitored for the number non-academic activities (e.g., farewells and holiday get-togethers) in which you participate in your faculty or department? Do you feel that these should be counted toward your annual staff review? Your feedback is much appreciated here.
Many thanks,
Debra
In my University: some activities such as attending NGO activities, voluntary work to help the displaced and the needy, visiting orphanages and the role of the elderly. This has been accounted in the annual employee review.
Dear Debra,
At my faculty level, for annual appraisal it does matter to a small extent in the sense that initiative and discretion are observed by the staff as a form of service but at the macro level for promotion, it isn't taken into consideration. So, we are blessed in this sense.
Regards
Hello Debra - My university has sought to provide some definition of the 'service' or community engagement activities that academics might be involved with as part of a 40/40/20 research/teaching//service academic workload in a 2014 document delineating Çommunity Engagement Performance Expectations.
See here: http://www.utas.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/447446/Community-Engagment-Performance-Expectations.pdf
Although these might sound to be quite Orwellian and quantitative, the five strategic drivers are reasonably sensible and well-meaning:
1. To engage with the economic, social, cultural and intellectual life of Tasmania and extend this engagement into national and international networks by: configuring ourselves to facilitate meaningful partnerships with government, industry and communities in Tasmania and across the world, becoming an exemplar of how universities can best interact with the communities they
serve; participating in and, where appropriate, leading authentic conversations of local significance with a focus on collaborative action around shared interests, purposes and values; positioning UTAS as a forum for ideas, debate and discussion, open to all members of the community and courageous in tackling challenging topics; and engaging with our Aboriginal community and
culture.
2. To use our relationship with Tasmania to inform research questions, test research solutions at systemic scale, and translate research models into solutions for modern society.
3. To enhance our education programs by engaging with Tasmania’s society and environment, thereby increasing local participation rates, expanding the horizons of students beyond UTAS, fostering skills that extend the curriculum and providing real world experiences.
4. To attract scholars and thought leaders from around the world to UTAS, and support UTAS staff and students to spend time at other institutions.
5. To encourage current students and alumni to engage in the life of the University through volunteering, employment and engagement in outreach activities, fostering lifelong allegiance to UTAS and benefiting from the skills and experience of our alumni.
Ultimately, however, some might see this endeavour as an awkward synthesis of neo-liberal imperatives and genuine attempts to capture a university's social mission and humanistic engagement with the communities it serves.
Regards.
Peter
Yes it does. As scholars, we should be working with local communities, business and industry, while promoting scholastic values for the betterment of mankind worldwide
Community services is part of the yearly appraisal in my university.
Today's poison word is collegiality. Just how well do you get along not only with your colleagues, but are you a "team player" in departmental social activities. While nobody wants to work with a Troll, sometimes the need to make nice or you might not get tenure becomes oppressive in some places. (I say this, although I achieved tenure several years ago).
Simple attendance of events is not a requirement, but supporting your academic department and school may be. As a result, attending certain events and activities may fit the definition of support for department or school, which is a criteria at my school.
Yes, our university takes into consideration all the three types of engagement and endeavours, namely, academic, research and administration as far as evaluating the work of the employees and link them with their increments and progression. This ensures that the faculty members have an experience and idea about all the domains as far as teaching is concerned as academics is not only about teaching alone but comes with its own share of other related aspects of the learning process.
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