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Section 2: Employment Expectations

How do I know the basis for my employment?

Casual staff will sign and should receive a copy of the Academic Casual Staff Appointment Form, which will nominate the period of employment, detail the rates of pay, and outline the casual staff conditions of employment.

Sessional rates for the delivery of a lecture or tutorial incorporate an allowance for preparation time. One ‘session’ is one hour of face-to-face teaching. Hourly rates are paid for marking and other required academic activities, such as attendance at meetings.

Staff appointed on a contract (full-time or fractional) will receive a letter of offer from Human Resource Services (HRS) which outlines the conditions of appointment, pay rate and duties. If you do not receive this, you should follow up with HRS and your supervisor to ensure that all relevant paperwork has been forwarded to HRS.

How do I know what is expected of me?

Expectations for casual and sessional staff vary considerably according to the nature and context of the work being performed.

You should discuss your duties with your supervisor, particularly with regard to:

  • duties, accountabilities and expectations of your role
  • whether you are expected to attend any formal induction process or training (including being shown how to access resources, complete administrative tasks, use teaching technology, facilities, etc.) and what arrangements are made regarding pay for this consultation time
  • what resources or guidelines will be provided to assist you in your teaching practices
  • what requirement there may be to make yourself available for student consultation time outside scheduled class hours, and what arrangements are made regarding pay for this consultation time
  • what expectation there is that you attend lectures for the unit, and whether you will be paid for this time
  • what support and guidance is available to you.

Please see other sections in this guide relating to teaching issues and points you may wish to clarify with your supervisor.

Staff are expected to comply with university policies and practices. Some of the ones that are particularly relevant to your employment are:

  • Occupational Health and Safety
  • Equity policies
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism.

Key university policies can be found online at: http://www.une.edu.au/rmo/policies/

What resources will I be provided with?

Once again, resources will vary considerably according to the nature and context of the work being performed.

Casual marking staff will often work from home. Staff presenting tutorial or lecture sessions may undertake their preparation from home, or may be provided with office space, depending upon the frequency of the employment and the resources available.

If you do not have adequate access to office space, necessary supplies, telephone, fax and computer facilities, email, library rights and support services to undertake the duties that are required, ask your supervisor about arranging these.

What about my own training and professional development?

Here are some points to think about and follow up with your coordinator or Head of School about your own professional development.

  1. Are you provided with any resources or guidelines to assist you in your teaching practices? Have you considered the programs offered through the Teaching and Learning Centre (see http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/) and the Organisational Development Unit (see http://www.une.edu.au/od/)?
  2. Do you know what level of training and support you are entitled to? Have you accessed it? If you are not officially entitled to any, who could you approach in your School to arrange some internal or external training and professional development?
  3. If you believe you have a particular training need, have you approached your supervisor or someone else to discuss the possibility of receiving training or mentoring?
  4. Are you paid for professional development activities that you are obliged to undertake?
  5. What processes are there for you to provide feedback to your School or supervisor about the level and type of induction, training and support?
  6. Have you approached anybody with your feedback on this yet?
  7. Does your School or supervisor make opportunities for you to liaise and share ideas with other sessional teachers? If not, what could you do to create these opportunities?
  8. Are you trained in how to mark students’ papers and/or carry out assessment procedures? If not, have you suggested some form of training to your supervisor to ensure consistency of assessment across the entire course/unit?
  9. What processes are there for you to provide feedback to your supervisor about the level and type of support and supervision they provide?

How do I evaluate my work and get recognition for what I do?

Gaining recognition for your teaching is important. Gathering evaluative feedback on your teaching will help you to reflect on your students’ learning and how well you support their learning through your teaching.

  1. How do you receive feedback about your own performance? Do peers or mentors intermittently review your performance? If not, could you approach a peer or supervisor to ask about the possibility of receiving feedback on your work?
  2. If you are a beginning teacher/lecturer/tutor/demonstrator, do you receive coaching or mentoring from someone more experienced than yourself? If not, could you approach your supervisor about the possibility of being mentored?
  3. Do you know how to organise student evaluations of your teaching?
  4. Can you provide feedback to the course/unit coordinator or Head of School about the level and type of supervision and evaluation you have received? If there are no formal means for doing this, can you identify ways to do this informally?

How do I ensure that I have regular communication with relevant individuals and groups within the School/Centre?

Staying in touch with other members of your teaching team, with your course/unit coordinator and your Head of School is important. Keep abreast of happenings within the School, Faculty and University so that you are better informed about events that may impact upon your teaching and other duties. Involving yourself will also help to inform others of the role that you play within the teaching and academic life of the School.

  1. Can you get in touch with your supervisor and fellow teachers when you need to (via email, email lists, etc.)?
  2. Do you meet regularly as a teaching team with other sessional and full-time staff who teach the same or similar courses? If so, are you paid to attend these sessions?
  3. If your students have concerns external to their course or program of study, do you know where to direct them? Do you know about the University’s student support services, including:
    • academic skills programs
    • career advice
    • counselling
    • disability services
    • indigenous student support
    • international student support
    • student equity
    • IT training
    • library skills
    • accommodation
    • finance
    • enrolment
    • student union.

      If your students approach you with a need, problem or concern outside the scope of your role as a sessional teacher, direct them to the appropriate student support network or section. Don’t feel you must solve all their problems for them!!
  4. How do you receive university-wide information and messages that may be of interest to you or are relevant to you as a staff member? For example, do you have an allocated pigeonhole for receiving mail and newsletters, access to a computer with email, etc?
  5. In your School or Faculty, is there a contact person for sessional teachers who is responsible for communicating with casual staff and disseminating relevant information? Who is it and have you had any contact with them?
  6. Do you know how the course/unit you teach fits into the academic program as a whole and what role it plays? If not, is there some way you could find out? This information can be helpful in your teaching to make links with students’ existing and emerging knowledge.
  7. In what ways can you make a contribution to the curricula or to the development of teaching and learning practices within your School or course/unit? For example, do you know about your School or Faculty’s Teaching and Learning Committees? If no formal means currently exist, could you suggest this to your Head of School or coordinator?