STAFFING AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT

EMBOLDENED QUESTIONS

The priority questions and points are emboldened.  These are intended to act as a guide and help in deciding to what to address/include in preparing the report on the each area.  They are intended to help report compilers to identify points for inclusion.

The emboldened questions and points are followed by unemboldened words and numbers.  The unemboldened words indicate useful sources of documentation, whilst the numbers refer to the number of the pro-formas distributed as part of the documentation for the Faculty Review.

KEY AREAS OF FOCUS

1. Faculty policies and strategies for effective staffing and staff development in the Faculty.
2. Overall quality of staffing and staff development in the Faculty.
3. Quality of the English language abilities and use in the Faculty.
4. Main areas of staff development in the Faculty.
5. Identification of strengths and weaknesses in staffing and staff development in the Faculty.
6. The provision of, uptake of, and effects of staff development in the Faculty.
7. Practices for monitoring and reviewing the actual quality of staffing and staff development the Faculty.
8. Plans for interventions and staff development to improve the quality of staffing and staff development in the Faculty.

KEY QUESTIONS

1. How high is the quality of the staffing and staff development in the Faculty?
2. How do we know and how will we continue to know?
3. What is being done to improve staffing and staff development?

CORE QUESTIONS

1. What are the policies and strategies for staffing and staff development in the Faculty?  What procedures and processes does the Faculty have for planning, monitoring, reviewing, and developing these in the Faculty? Staff handbook, departmental Handbook, summary CVs of all staff teaching on the program.
2. How does the Faculty know and inform itself and stakeholders if these procedures and processes are working/being used? Minutes of meetings.
3. Are the procedures and processes for planning, monitoring, reviewing, and developing the staffing and staff development in the Faculty in place, operating and effective in meeting the Faculty’s stated mission, values, purposes, policies, self-evaluation contents and criteria for the effectiveness of the Faculty?
4. How does the Faculty inform itself/stakeholders about how these procedures and processes for the Faculty are effective in terms of outcomes and quality (i.e. impact analysis)?
5. How high is the quality of the staffing and staff development the Faculty, and how does the Faculty know?
6. How has the Faculty improved the quality of its staffing and staff development over time, and how does it know?
7. What recommendations can be made for needed interventions and developments to develop further the staffing and staff development in the Faculty?
8. What does the Faculty do to monitor and improve the staffing and staff development in the Faculty?
9. What does the Faculty seek to achieve for its staff?

ACADEMIC STAFF

1. Details of the academic staffing in the Faculty and a commentary on what the data show (e.g. quality, credentials and experience of the academic staff in the Faculty; number of full-time and part-time academic staff and their areas of expertise: full-time and part-time, with a commentary on what the data show).
2. How does academic staff recruitment, appointment, promotion and appraisal operate in the Faculty? What are the mechanisms, criteria, and processes for the appointment, appraisal, and promotion of staff? Are these mechanisms and criteria transparent to all staff?
3. Match between background, expertise and qualifications of the academic staff and the programs and courses on which they work.  Are academic staff qualified and experienced to work at the level at which they are working? How do we know?
4. What induction and support for new academic staff are provided in the Faculty?
5. Commentary on the number of new faculty and faculty who have left each year over the preceding three years and the present year; retention and turnover rates.
6. Commentary on the faculty-to-student ratios for programs.
7. What system is there to ensure the quality of full-time and part-time academic staff? How well does it work? How do we know?
8. Are there sufficient academic staff to service the Faculty and its programs?
9. What equity principles are practised in the academic staffing of the Faculty?
10. What are the expectations of the academic staff in the Faculty in respect of teaching, research and publication, supervision, scholarly activity and service?
11. What Teaching Assistants are there in the Faculty, how and where are they used, with what effect, and how does the Faculty assure itself that they are being used to maximum benefit?
12. Is there an appropriate academic staffing structure in the Faculty, with competitive remuneration packages, benefits and conditions of service to attract, retain and motivate qualified staff members?
13. Is there a sufficient pool of full-time staff to provide the appropriate level of teaching, tutoring and counselling for students?

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

1. What are the Faculty’s policies, strategies and measures for providing orientation/training/staff development to existing and newly appointed staff, and what is the impact of these?
2. How does the Faculty provide for the realization of the full potential of the staff, and reward staff in their moving toward achieving the highest possible standards of performance?
3. What are the strategies for career development in the Faculty, and what is the impact of these?
4. How are staff professional development needs/wishes identified and addressed?
5. What research training is there for academic staff in the Faculty, and how does the Faculty assure itself that this is effective and sufficient?
6. What supervision training is there for academic staff in the Faculty, and how does the Faculty assure itself that this is effective and sufficient?
7. What training in teaching, learning and assessment in higher education is there for academic staff in the Faculty, and how does the Faculty assure itself that this is effective and sufficient?
8. What staff development is provided for the Faculty, and what are the uptake of staff professional development and its impact on practice?  How do we know? 
9. Why do staff engage/not engage in professional development?  How do we know?
10. What is happening in the Faculty for quality assurance in respect of staff development and its impact on teaching, learning, assessment and students?
11. How can, and do, staff share and benefit from innovative ideas in the Faculty?
12. What staff development is provided for curriculum content, teaching, learning, research, supervision, assessment, and quality assurance?
13. How relevant, timely, sufficient and useful are the staff development activities?
14. What incentives are given to staff to undertake staff development? What is the staff’s record in this respect?

SUMMARY OF STAFFING AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT IN THE FACULTY

1. Current strengths and weaknesses in staffing and staff development in the Faculty.
2. Future directions in staffing and staff development in the Faculty.
3. Key challenges and prospects in staffing and staff development in the Faculty.
4. Key opportunities for staffing and staff development in the Faculty.

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