Many people have engaged in Flinders’ Academic Workload Model Collaboration so far – and your ideas and feedback have been very valuable to help revise our academic workload model – but there is still time to be involved.

We are in the final two-weeks of collaboration, with 14 dedicated collaboration sessions having been conducted with external facilitators leading meaningful discussions on what a revised model could look like.

A mix of academic staff from various roles and across Colleges have joined this discussion, with common themes emerging for further exploration and consideration. Some of these themes are:

• An appetite to make any future models easily understood, such as using hours as a way to measure rather than Workload Allocation Units (WAUs).
• Difficulties quantifying all aspects of work, with examples of “invisible” work, space for creativity and unpredicted opportunities.
• Managing research and service through plans that are agreed at the start of a year, with a mid-year check – and training needed to support such planning sessions.
• Current activities that are very time consuming, such as granting assignment extensions, with the suggestion to examine how processes can be streamlined.
• Draft guidelines should be altered to ensure teaching and research are considered equally.

The full summary of key themes identified from feedback received between Monday 27 May to Friday 7 June can now be found on the dedicated Academic Workload Model Collaboration webpage.

Still time to get involved

All academic staff are invited to participate in the remaining two-weeks of collaboration sessions and there is no limit to the number of sessions you can attend. Please note that all future sessions are being adjusted to online, which is the clear preference from academic staff who have so far participated. Book into a session by visiting the dedicated Eventbrite page.

After Collaboration

Throughout the collaboration sessions, ideas and feedback provided from academics across the University are being captured, considered, and will inform the development of a proposed new academic workload model. This proposed model will then be put forward for consultation. We are currently collaborating on what an enhanced model could look like – we are not in consultation.

For more information, regular updates and to view the initial concept for collaboration, visit Academic Workload Model Collaboration webpage.

For any immediate questions or to provide written feedback, please email CollabWithUs@flinders.edu.au.

Please note this mailbox is confidentially managed by People & Culture. Any feedback submitted to this mailbox will be de-identified and themed (where applicable) by People & Culture before being provided to appropriate senior leaders for consideration.