University of Tasmania, Australia

Introduction
The University's new strategic plan, Open to Talent: Strategic Plan 2012-Onwards outlines an ambitious vision for UTAS. With its release, it is timely to reflect on the nature of academic work and the responsibilities of academic staff at UTAS.

Performance Expectations for Academic Staff
The document Opening UTAS to Talent: The UTAS Academic lays out minimum performance expectations in research and in learning and teaching. It was approved by the Senior Management Team and by Academic Senate in July 2012.  While minimum expectations are specified, it is anticipated that many staff will aspire to, and increasingly achieve, performance levels above these minima. 

Application of Performance Expectations
Opening UTAS to Talent: The UTAS Academic is relevant to all academic staff with research and/or learning and teaching responsibilities.  The document sets out performance expectations for academics with a broad balance of research and learning and teaching responsibilities. Some guidance is given on extending the application of the expectations to additional contexts, for example to research only and teaching intensive appointments.

Implementation of the Performance Expectations
The performance expectations should be implemented immediately for:

• Individual staff when they reflect on their own performance, career development and medium-term goals
• Establishing selection criteria for recruiting new academic staff
• Setting probationary requirements for new academic staff

In other areas, such as academic promotion and performance review, they are not mandatory requirements to be satisfied immediately. However, they will inform the progressive revision of policy and practice in such areas, with the intention that they will become expectations in these areas over the next few years.

Development and Review
The performance expectations were developed through an extensive consultation process. This included input from Deans and Directors of Institutes, Research College Board, University Learning and Teaching Committee, Associate Deans (Research) and Associate Deans (Learning and Teaching). In addition to a call for University-wide discussion and feedback, Academic Senate engaged in a vigorous debate. The provisions were extensively and repeatedly revised in light of the feedback.

The current performance expectations will apply during 2012 and into 2013. They will be subject to monitoring and review, to be undertaken jointly by members of the Senior Management Team and Academic Senate's Standing Academic Committee.

The scope and content of Opening UTAS to Talent: The UTAS Academic, including performance expectations, will be further developed in coming months, for example to include coverage of community engagement and internal service activities, and to deal with different kinds of academic roles. It is anticipated that the second edition of the document will be released in the second half of 2013.

Feedback on the current document can be provided by emailing utas.academic@utas.edu.au or by using the online feedback form.

Further Information and Advice

Research Performance Expectations (RPE) Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any queries about the performance expectations for academic staff please contact the Office of the Provost on (03) 6226 6393.