Opportunities for Academic Staff
UniSA offers academic staff an array of professional development opportunities.
New Staff
An induction program involving a mix of face-to-face sessions, on-line and text based resources is available for all new academic staff. The scope of this varies according to employment status (continuing, fixed term contract, sessional). Details of what’s on offer, including on-line resources are available on our Induction site.
New Roles
Workshops are provided for staff new to roles such as Program Directors, Course Co-ordinators or who are teaching or supervising offshore for the first time. Details of these are made available through our monthly Development at a glance bulletins.
Teaching & Learning
Teaching@UniSA builds on induction and includes a number of modules on teaching in higher education contexts generally, as well as focusing on UniSA’s teaching and learning framework. For new continuing staff, participation is mandatory. From the beginning of 2007, UniSA will also offer a Graduate Certificate in Education (University Teaching). This award is offered through the School of Education and is jointly taught by staff from the Flexible Learning Centre and the School of Education. Occasional workshops are also provided by Learning Connection, Organisational Learning, Equity and Development and Divisions to assist staff develop their teaching skills or their understanding of contextual issues shaping their teaching practice. Keep an eye on Development at a glance for details.
Academic Development Program
The Academic Development Program is trialling a suite of professional development activities for academic staff at the UniSA to:- assist people develop and extend their skills and capabilities
- share knowledge among staff about good practice, enhance understanding of the University and its processes
- build collaboration and networks to support our efforts.
Research Education
Online and face-to-face learning resources are available to support research supervisors with their supervising practices. These include supervision guides, online workshops and links to a range of research resources for research education and details of workshops.
Research
UniSA offers professional development opportunities, services and resources to assist academic staff develop their research skills and practice. Developing your research provides an overview of what is on offer. A useful starting point is the Quick Guide to Starting Research @ UniSA. Key programs include:
- Research Induction sessions are held twice annually for new academic staff. See Dates for Induction events to find out when the sessions are held.
- The Research Leadership Program
- Early Career Researcher (ECR) Development Program
Other Continuing Professional Development
The University provides support for staff seeking to upgrade qualifications as well as time release for further research and study. Details of the schemes are set out in the attached policies. Staff seeking further information should explore these links and discuss the issue with their supervisor.
- the Professional Experience Program which provides for time release for further research or study
- Assisted Leave for Higher Degree Study and
- Financial Support for Approved Study: Guidelines for Academic Staff (pdf 74kb download Adobe Acrobat)
- 031 Financial Support Application (pdf 61kb – download Adobe Acrobat)
Women
The Women and Leadership and Women’s’ Executive Development programs also provide development opportunities for female academic staff. In 2008, UniSA will offer a major career development program for academic women at Level C. Further information is available at the following link: Opportunities for women
Seminars and workshops
Seminars and workshops focused on engaging staff in learning and discussions about the environment in which the University operates and building capabilities, strengthening collaboration and sharing knowledge on good practice are on offer each year. Organisational Learning, Equity and Development offers a suite of activates aimed at supporting development of academic staff. Professional Development initiatives and support are also provided by the academic Divisions and Research Institutes and by many Schools, research groups and centres. Staff should consult their local Divisional and Research Institute websites for further information.
Details of workshops and seminars available to academic staff can be found each month in the section of the Website called Development at a glance, or by going to the sites listed here.