Faculty advice on PMS for academic staff

PMS forms

1. Late in 2007 or early in 2008, make an appointment with your supervisor
   
   
2. Prepare documentation
   
   Provide the documentation to your supervisor at least a week before the meeting. This will enable him or her to skim it and indicate if he or she thinks that anything is missing or needs clarifying. This may help to make the PMS meeting more useful.
   
   
3. Achievement Report for 1 Jan 2007 - 31 Dec 2007
   (New members of staff do not need to do this although they may wish to discuss last year’s achievements with their supervisor.)
   
   Make a copy of the Engagement Profile you submitted early in 2007 which indicates what you planned for the year 2007. The left column of the table will already detail your commitments. Complete the right column of the table providing an assessment of your achievements, that is, the quality and productivity of your work. Submit this document as your Achievement Report for 2007.
   
   Our advice is that you take the opportunity to document what you have achieved while it is still relatively fresh - at some time in the future this may help with a promotion application or in applying for another job! (See Outline of promotion criteria for a list of the some of the things you might mention. You would not expect to mention many of them from any section but it may give you some ideas of what you have forgotten or not thought to say.)
   
   Teaching: Please DO NOT use the appendix provided with the PMS documents to list your teaching. Instead attach your final teaching load sheet that will be provided by the Associate Dean Staff or Associate Dean Gippsland. Make additional comments on the document.
   
   Research: You DO NOT need to use the special forms provided with the PMS documents. Type bibliographic information into your document or alternatively attach a list such as you would include in a vitae. Ensure the information needed to discuss your research activity (see Policy on research activity) is available in the documentation. For example, publications should have full bibliographic information (including where published, date of publication and page numbers, and status, that is, submitted for publication, accepted for publication, in press, published, form of refereeing, DEEWR (formerly DEST) status. If you are enrolled in a doctorate you need to show evidence of clear progress and of conference or other output from the work including a report from your supervisor.
   
   Other categories: Remember the two ‘service’ categories. Committee responsibilities should be described not simply listed. Consider what your role has been on a working party and what you achieved. Take the time to list your contributions to the following:
• student support activities (graduations, prize giving and award ceremonies, MERC functions)
• student recruitment (open days, careers nights, visiting schools, writing promotional articles)
• collegial support activities (attending seminars, giving feedback, providing assistance in an area of particular expertise such as on-line learning), and
• developing links and professional knowledge (going to DET briefing meetings, sending in feedback on new legislation, etc)
  
  
4. Engagement Profile for 2008
   
   On a new set of sheets, in the left column, indicate what you anticipate doing in 2008 and how you will assess the quality and productivity of your work. It is to be negotiated with your supervisor who may suggest adjustments. This is to be submitted as the Engagement Profile for 2008.
   
   Teaching: Please DO NOT use the appendix provided with the PMS documents to list your teaching. Instead, attach the teaching load sheet from the Associate Dean Staff or Associate Dean Gippsland but supplement it. In the document itself write something like: “A target of 800-840 points of teaching load inclusive of that provided on the attached teaching load sheet”. (The target points should be adjusted for your case. Someone with a .5 contract would be at least 400-420 pts, full time staff who are not research active will be 1040-1100 pts, those on three months LSL will be .75 or 600-615 points.) Be specific about which units you will revise this year. How will you get feedback on your teaching? What student appraisals will be undertaken?
   
   Research: Be explicit about your goals for the coming year and how you plan to progress your research profile/career. If you expect to be or wish to be research active see Policy on research activity.
   
   Other categories: Remember that about 20% of your time is to be allocated to the two ‘service categories’. You need to indicate how you will use that 20% of your time. Your supervisor may suggest additional or different directions.
   
   
5. Outside work
   
   Remember you must document your outside work which you should already have approval for (see Faculty notes on the University policy on paid outside work). When you add outside work during the year, you should first gain approval and then it should be added to your Engagement Profile by sending a note to the Associate Dean Staff.
   
   
6. Development needs and career plans
   
   Development needs might arise in discussion with your supervisor about your achievement report or a proposed activity in the Engagement Profile.
   
   Take the opportunity to begin to plan for OSP and for Promotion
   
   
7. At and after the meeting
   
   At the completion of your meeting with your Supervisor he or she will write notes about what was discussed and agreed so that you both are clear about what has been discussed and agreed.
   
   You may need to make revisions to the PMS documentation. You each then need to sign it.
   
   If you need to meet again make a time.