Outside Studies Program (OSP)

The following Faculty of Education procedures are consistent with the University policy which can be found at the Outside Studies Program - Academic staff.

2008 Application for Outside Studies Program to be taken in 2009 (doc 75KB)

On this page:

• Purpose and conditions of OSP
• Closing date for applications
• Who's eligible
• Length and period of OSP
• Travel grants
• How to apply
• Application checklist
• Criteria for assessment of applications
• Guidance on preparing applications
• Further information

Purpose and conditions of OSP

The purpose of an Outside Studies Program (OSP) is to provide academic staff with a period of relief from normal University duties to carry out a cohesive program of scholarly work to enhance staff member's research development and productivity and further the Faculty’s research goals.

When applying for OSP, satisfactory arrangements must be made to cover your teaching and related commitments (including assessment and Board of Examiners), research and project supervision (with signed consent by supervisees), and ongoing administrative responsibilities.

Closing date for applications

Who's eligible?

Any member of the academic staff on a continuing or fixed-term appointment (other than casual and sessional staff) is eligible to apply for OSP.

The University guidelines state that approval will not normally be granted for a program unless the staff member has completed 3 years of continuous service or 2 years where prior service has been formally recognised by the University.

Each year, however, there are more acceptable applications than the Faculty can fund. In order to enable more staff members to access OSP over time, the Faculty of Education will not normally approve a program unless the staff member has completed 3.5 years of continuous service, or 2 years where prior service has been formally recognised by the University, and it is at least 3.5 years since the completion of the last period of OSP.

The ranking of applications will be based upon the quality of the proposed program and the likely capacity of the applicant to achieve the OSP goals and generate positive outcomes (see Criteria for Assessment of Applications). However, when ranking applications the Committee will also take into account the length of time since the applicant last had a period of OSP.

Applications from grant supported staff will only be considered where the grant/administrative unit/centre is prepared to provide the required funding.

Length and period of OSP

The Faculty will not normally approve a period of OSP that overlaps more than one semester unless a strong argument is provided. The most common exception would be where a substantial amount of LSL is taken in conjunction with OSP. Another exception would be where the pattern of teaching or administrative responsibilities such as selection necessitates the applicant being available during the summer period.

Any six-month period of OSP must include a minimum of two weeks of annual leave. Thus a six-month absence would typically comprise 5.5 months of OSP and 2 weeks of recreational leave.

Travel grants

Members of staff whose OSP has an overseas component will be eligible to apply for a travel grant up to $5,000. Where an OSP is undertaken wholly within Australia but outside of Melbourne, a staff member will be eligible to apply for a travel grant up to $2,500.

The Faculty will not allocate OSP travel grants where the major purpose of the travel is to attend conferences or for short visits. The purpose of the travel grant is to support sustained periods at a location or locations other than Monash.

How to apply

1. Applicant: Advise your PMS supervisor ahead of time of your intention to apply and discuss, for example, the goals and structure of the program and your anticipated period of absence with your supervisor. Confirm his/her availability to complete Section B during the one-week period prior to the final submission date.
2. Applicant: Open the Faculty OSP Form in Microsoft Word. Fill in Part A electronically, and email to supervisor one week before the final submission date. Ensure you get acknowledgement of receipt.
3. PMS Supervisor: Complete relevant section of form (electronically - do not hand write) and return to applicant. The PMS supervisor may suggest some changes to the proposal but the responsibility for the quality of the application lies with the applicant.
4. Applicant: Responsible for ensuring a hard copy of the complete application with all accompanying documents is signed by you and your PMS supervisor and sent to the Staff office by the closing date. (See Application checklist.)

Application checklist

• Full application form with
  Part A completed and signed by applicant
  Part B completed and signed by applicant’s PMS supervisor
  
• Supporting documentation such as invitations to be a visiting scholar, evidence the host institutions will provide accommodation, advice that people with whom you will work will be available.
• Report of last period of OSP
• List of scholarly publications and other research outcomes since last period of OSP (if you have not previously had a period of OSP, list of research outputs for past 3.5 years)
• Estimate of travel expenses: All grant applications should incorporate an estimate of travel expenses (refer Travel Liaison Office for further information) at standard University rates and must be submitted with an OSP application
• Signatures of HDR students and Masters thesis students and proposed replacement supervisors. (This must be updated at least six weeks prior to the commencement of OSP.)

Criteria for assessment of applications

Step 1:

The University Policy on OSP requires that the Faculty OSP Committee consider the following:

1. is the proposed program justified in terms of the expected academic benefit to the member of staff and to the University?
2. does the applicant have a proven and sustained record of productivity and excellence in research, teaching, scholarship and administration, or have they demonstrated the potential of achieving this?
3. is the proposed travel overseas or within Australia appropriate to the program?
4. is the length of absence justified by the requirements of the program?

Consideration will also be given to the applicant's teaching record, recent publication record and to the outcomes and academic merit of any previous OSP.

Acceptable applications will need to satisfy each of the above criteria and, in addition, satisfy the Faculty requirement that, at the time of commencement of OSP, it be 3.5 years since the completion of the last period of OSP.

Step 2:

Not all acceptable applications can be funded each year, however, so the Faculty OSP Committee will rank applications based upon (1) and (2). That is, the Committee will assess:

1. Quality of program: the quality and potential benefit to the individual’s programmatic research development and to the Faculty’s research profile of the proposed OSP program
2. Track record: the likely capacity of the applicant to achieve the OSP goals and generate positive outcomes from the period of leave as evidenced by past record of productivity appropriate to the applicant’s level of appointment and circumstances or, for early career academics taking their first period of OSP, demonstrated potential. Outcomes from previous period of OSP will be taken into account as will any particular circumstances that may have inhibited the applicant’s research progress in recent years.

For equivalent applications preference will be given to those where the length of time since the last period of OSP is greater.

Guidance on preparing applications

The Committee may support OSP proposals that are connected to enhancing teaching, including HDR supervision but, as indicated in the University guidelines, “This emphasis is not at the expense of the traditional research orientation of an OSP activity”. It is therefore anticipated that proposals connected to enhancing teaching specifically relate to a research agenda aimed at producing high quality publications and/or submission of external grant applications.

The following are some suggestions of characteristics of programs beneficial to the Faculty. Note that it is generally assumed that OSP applicants will propose programs with clear outcomes that relate to applications for competitive funding and/or high quality publications. In some circumstances, OSP leave may be used to gather further data related to an existing project.

Applications for external competitive funding

The intention is to encourage OSP applicants to submit to a high quality journal, or to prepare a monograph reporting research.

With respect to intentions to prepare such publications, it is expected that applicants will outline the:

• completed (at the time of commencement of the leave) research on which the publication will be based;
• focus of the intended publication (research findings, philosophical essay, policy development, etc);
• type of intended publication and rationale for this;
• processes of collaboration if other authors are involved;
• external and internal process for seeking feedback on drafts.

Gathering further data for existing projects

In some cases, OSP leave can allow staff to gather data that has not previously been possible. It is suggested that this aspect only applies to projects that will already be at the execution phase, and does not apply to projects that will be in development.

Progress on Doctorate

Work on a Doctorate will be an allowable component of an OSP program providing it results in either completion or substantial completion of the doctorate. Applications should be very specific on what progress will be made during the period of OSP. The supervisor at the expiration of the OSP will be expected to corroborate that such progress was made. Such applications will be ranked and compete against other applications. Only one period of OSP will be approved related to, or during the overall period of enrolment in, a doctoral program

Networks

The Committee also invites applicants to include information about activities designed to consolidate networks, especially those overseas, although this will not be a criteria for selection. It is noted that the best way to consolidate networks is to spend significant periods of time in one place rather than a small time in many places.

Further information

For more detailed information on OSP, including:

• Salary
• Travel grant
• Financial obligations following OSP
• Reporting requirements
• Deferment of an OSP

see the Workplace Policies and Procedures (WPP) website.