Version Information
Fri, 31 Mar 2023
Approved by: Academic Board
Current Version: V1.3
Replaces Version: V1.2
Next Review: Wed, 31 May 2023
Domain:
Staff
Academic Scholarship Policy
Purpose
This policy articulates Metavision Institute’s value and support for a culture of academic scholarship, research and lifelong learning within its learning community and in the delivery of its professionally accredited courses to enhance personal and professional development, collegial work relationships and organisational outcomes. The pursuit of knowledge through free intellectual inquiry is highly valued, and is integral to Metavision Institute’s contribution to the evidence base and practice skills of the disciplines of Process Work and holistic counselling and psychotherapy.
Scope
This policy applies to all of Metavision Institute’s academic teaching staff and governance committees.
Definitions
Academic scholarship: Engagement in the four domains of scholarly activities described by Boyer, E. L. (1997). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities for the professoriate. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; the scholarship of discovery, the scholarship of integration, the scholarship of application, and the scholarship of learning and teaching, as relevant to ensuring the currency of academic teachers’ knowledge and skills in their professional discipline, as well as in teaching and learning in their discipline.
Organisational support: Academic teaching staff members are supported in their scholarly and research activities and provided with ongoing opportunities to participate in professional development, as outlined in 1.2 of the Implementation section of this policy.
Professional development: all activities, both formal and self-directed, that enhance relevant knowledge and skills. Professional development includes participation in formal study, attendance at training courses, workshops and conferences, preparing and presenting papers at conferences, forums and seminars, undertaking scholarship and research activities, and contributing to the development and review of courses and curriculum. Membership of internal and external academic committees and working parties of relevant professional associations is another strategy that contributes to professional development.
Policy
1 Metavision Institute draws on the four domains of scholarly activities described by Boyer, E. L. (1997). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities for the professoriate. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, in its approach to academic scholarship:
- I. Scholarship of discovery: to advance and build new knowledge through traditional forms of research.
- II. Scholarship of integration: by which connections are made between ideas through scholarly activities of interpretation and synthesis, leading to new insights and connections between disciplines.
- III. Scholarship of application: by which knowledge is applied to real world problems using research findings and innovations in a dynamic process through which new knowledge can arise.
- IV. Scholarship of learning and teaching: by which knowledge is shared, transmitted, transformed and extended, inclusive of the expansion of Boyer’s framework to include how teaching influences the student’s learning experience in Rice, R. E. (1990). The new American scholar: Scholarship and the purposes of the university. Metropolitan Universities, 1: 7–18. Retrieved from https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/muj/article/view/19165/19000 .
2 Metavision Institute values all forms of intellectual enquiry that explore or lead to continuous improvement in teaching and learning and advance the disciplines of process work and holistic counselling and psychotherapy. This includes scholarly activities such as:
- Conduct of research
- Preparation of articles for publication in professional and academic (peer-reviewed) journals,
- Conference presentations,
- Active membership and engagement in the activities and committees of relevant professional associations,
- Academic teaching staff undertaking higher level qualifications in relevant disciplines and fields of education, including higher degree research qualifications,
- The processes of course design, curriculum development, evaluation and reflective review by academic teaching staff, that result in the incorporation of new, emerging and improved knowledge, approaches to professional practice and improvements in educational technology into the Institute’s professionally accredited courses,
- Performance reviews with academic teaching staff, which include discussion of academic scholarship and research outputs, and end of semester reviews of teaching and learning, including feedback from students in unit evaluations, and
- Regular internal professional development seminars, webinars and the annual Process Work seminar on the evidence base and practice of holistic counselling and psychotherapy, including sharing of scholarship and research and innovative teaching and learning initiatives.
3 The requirement to be engaged in scholarly and research activities is specified in employment contracts and position descriptions for all academic teaching staff.
4 Metavision Institute is committed to supporting all academic teaching staff to maintain currency of their disciplinary knowledge, practice skills and rapidly evolving technologies through participation in ongoing professional development relevant to counselling and psychotherapy.
Implementation
1. Monitoring and reporting on academic scholarship and research
1.1 The Academic Director monitors the scholarly and research activity of all academic teaching staff to ensure that Metavision Institute maintains an appropriate level of active academic scholarship with verifiable outputs in scholarship and research.
1.2 Professional development for academic teaching staff is supported in the annual budget with a fund capped at two per cent of gross academic staff salaries. Access to professional development funding is provided on application in a fair and transparent manner.
1.3 The Academic Director prepares an annual report detailing scholarly and research activity undertaken by academic teaching staff during the year. The report will be presented to the Teaching and Learning Committee at its first meeting of the following academic year.
1.4 Academic teaching staff are encouraged to share their learning and insights from academic scholarship and professional development activities in Teaching and Learning Committee meetings.
1.5 The Teaching and Learning Committee reports annually to the Academic Board on the quality and outcomes of academic scholarship and research activities, and makes recommendations to support academic scholarship and research in the following year.
Responsibilities
The Governance Board delegates responsibility to the Academic Board for the academic governance and leadership of Metavision Institute. The Academic Board is responsible for fostering and enhancing a culture of scholarship and research at Metavision Institute, and for monitoring the scholarly and research activities undertaken by academic teaching staff in the form of annual Scholarship and Research Plans.
‘Scholarly and Research Activity’ is a standing agenda item for the Teaching and Learning Committee, and all academic teaching staff are requested to present the outcomes of their scholarly and research activities at Metavision Institute’s annual Process Work Seminar.
The Academic Director is responsible for ensuring a systematic approach to academic scholarship and research within Metavision Institute, which includes organisation of the regular professional development seminars and webinars and the annual Process Work Seminar. The Academic Director is responsible for annual performance reviews with academic teaching staff to ensure that academic teaching staff have ongoing involvement in scholarship and research, and continue to undertake relevant professional development. The Academic Director reports to the Teaching and Learning Committee and the Academic Board on the scholarship and research activities undertaken by academic teaching staff.
All academic teaching staff members are required to be active in scholarly and research activities that contribute to advancing disciplinary knowledge and professional practice, to actively reflect on student evaluation feedback on their teaching, and are responsible for maintaining up to date records of these activities for discussion at their annual performance review
All members of Metavision Institute’s scholarly community have a responsibility to foster a culture of scholarship and research, and free intellectual enquiry.