Policies for staff in academic roles

• Academic workload planning

Agreement on academic freedom

between the University of Exeter and the University and College Union (University of Exeter Branch) 

Updated by Senate, November 2022

Statement of Principles and Rights

The University will maintain and promote the academic freedom of all undertaking academic activities. That is to say freedom of education and discussion, freedom in carrying out research and disseminating and publishing the results thereof, freedom from institutional or other forms of censorship and freedom to participate in professional or representative academic bodies.

The University will maintain the rights of those undertaking academic activities, as appropriate to their conditions of employment and contractual responsibilities, as set out in more detail below:

• To have freedom of expression within the law, including the right to express opinions publicly about the University or the professional eco-system in which an individual works and/or studies, while being mindful of the University’s values as stated in Strategy 2030.
• To develop and advance new ideas or innovative proposals that meet recognised standards of evidence, including those that test established ideas or received wisdom.
• To undertake their academic duties without discrimination and interference, including in areas deemed controversial or unpopular.
• Academic staff should play a significant role in determining curricula and should not be required to teach or undertake research, including with international partners, against their own best knowledge and conscience or to be forced to use curricula and methods contrary to national and international human rights standards.

Statement of Responsibilities

Primary responsibility for ensuing academic freedom across the institution will rest with the Vice-Chancellor and the senior team, including senior academic managers within the faculties and departments who will take responsibility for oversight of this agreement at the relevant local level.

However, those undertaking academic activities should recognise that the exercise of the right of academic freedom carries with it specific duties and responsibilities, which include:

• The need to tolerate a diversity of opinion, and the rights of individuals from all backgrounds and cultures to hold different beliefs and views and to express them through appropriate and reasonable contribution to discussion and academic debate. This includes supporting the responsibilities of the University under the Equality Act and the Public Sector Equality Duty, and being mindful of the University’s own dignity and respect policy.
• The need to undertake teaching and research in a manner consistent with the obligation to ensure the search for knowledge and truth.
• Education and research should be conducted in full accordance with ethical and professional standards.
• The need to recognise the right of the University to make reasonable business decisions with regard to the provision of academic activities.
• To undertake education and research in a way that is fair and equitable and recognises the dignity and respect of our staff and students.
• To observe the ethics of research involving humans, animals, heritage and the environment.

Policy Framework

The definitions of academic freedom set out in this statement of principles and responsibilities are informed by the following policies and procedures.

External

(a) The expectations of the Office for Students Regulatory Framework, particularly the public interest governance principles on academic freedom and freedom of speech.

(b) The Higher Education and Research Act 2017

(c) The Education Acts 1986 and 1988.

(d) The Human Rights Act 1996

(e) The Equality Act 2010

(f) The UNESCO recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel (1997)

(g) The Concordat to Support Research Integrity.

(h) The University and College Union statement on academic freedom.

Internal

(a) The University’s 2030 Strategy.

(b) The University statement and policy on freedom of speech.

(c) The University’s statement and policies on research ethics and integrity.

(d) The University‘s social media policy

(e) The University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Vision and Policy and associated policies.

(f) The student contract and the student protection plan (in the context of the requirement to deliver education to a required standard).

(g) The University’s staff disciplinary and grievance procedures.

Annual Report

This agreement will be subject to regular review by the Senate and the UCU Exeter branch to ensure that it reflects relevant changes in the higher education operating environment.

Agreed by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lisa Roberts
and the UCU Exeter Branch
Approved by the Senate, November 2022

Annual Leave

Job families: Education and Research; and Education and Scholarship 

Staff in the Education and Research and the Education and Scholarship job families are entitled to the same paid leave as other staff graded E and above, namely 30 days plus 8 bank/public holidays and 3 closure days designated by the University. See the holidays section on the terms and conditions pages for full details.

Staff in the Education and Research and the Education and Scholarship job families will normally take their leave during University vacations. Leave will not normally be permitted during term-time. We strongly encourage staff to book their annual leave via Trent Self Service so they have an accurate record of when annual leave is taken. If staff do not use Trent self-service it is assumed they have taken their annual leave during vacations and they will not be paid for any outstanding leave if / when they leave the University.

Different arrangements apply to requests for emergency leave, compassionate leave and family-friendly leave.

Attendance

The recommendations of a joint management-union Working Party on Academic Staff Workloads and Attendance were endorsed by the University in 1998. The 1998 guidelines on workloads of academic staff were updated in 2008 and are now incorporated into the University Framework for College Workload Models. The following expectations on Academic Staff Attendance (agreed by the joint management-union Working Party in 1998) continue to apply:

• Staff are required to attend to perform teaching, administrative and related duties as agreed with the College Dean.
• Staff should arrange any necessary non-availability (e.g. field trips, study visits etc.) with the College Dean.
• The nature of academic duties means that staff may not always be immediately available but they should be contactable within University office working hours and should leave details of their whereabouts with the appropriate Secretary.
• Reasonable availability to students should be arranged with the College Dean as part of teaching-related duties.
• Part-time staff availability and attendance should be arranged within the context of their contract.

Workload

The University Framework for College Workload Models

Purpose

The purpose of this framework is to:

• ensure that, as a research-intensive institution, staff with a contractual duty to research are given time and opportunity to develop and publish their research;
• assist the University through Colleges to address its obligations to manage the health and safety of its staff, particularly with regard to stress, well-being and work-life balance;
• assist the University in meeting its equality and diversity obligations, particularly in regard to staff working on a part-time basis;
• provide for parity of treatment in the allocation of work to academic staff in each College, taking account of discipline-specific characteristics;
• provide a management tool to achieve these objectives.

Characteristics

Workload allocation models should:

• cover the work of all staff in the academic job families (i.e. 'education and scholarship', 'research' and 'education and research') and, at the College’s discretion, other staff in the College who contribute to academic activity (e.g. Graduate Teaching Assistants);
• cover all elements of workload, including teaching, research, administration, personal/professional development and (where agreed) work for external bodies;
• provide for the workload of individual staff to be appropriately distributed over a period of time, so that imbalances in one year are rectified in subsequent years;
• be based on a transparent methodology;
• be developed in partnership with academic staff in the school;
• be regularly reviewed and revised;
• ensure consistency of treatment within the College, while allowing for differences in teaching, research and administration between academic disciplines;
• ensure a pro-rata allocation for part-time staff.

Units of Measurement

• Workload models are based on a notional working year of 1650 hours, in line with Research Councils’ guidance (taking account of employees’ entitlement to annual leave, bank holidays and closure days). The University recognises that most academic staff do not have defined working hours and that this arrangement provides flexibility which benefits individual members of staff, students and the University as a whole. The use of the notional figure of 1650 hours is not intended to imply a contractual or defined working period: it is used solely to act as a guide in ensuring a fair allocation of work through College workload models.
• While most Colleges will base their workload model on hours, Colleges may use others systems of points or credits or percentages provided that these can easily be converted to hours to ensure transparency and understanding.

Relationship with Time Allocation Schedules (TAS)

Workload allocation models are for the internal benefit of Colleges to achieve the purpose and characteristics summarised above. They set out a plan for future activity. By contrast, TAS is a retrospective measure of actual activity for external purposes. Separate guidance is issued by Finance Services on the completion of TAS.

Relationship with other agreements and guidance

• This framework replaces the recommendations of the joint management-union Working Party on Academic Staff Workloads and Attendance, which were endorsed by the University in 1998, and incorporated into the Guidelines to College Deans in respect of Workloads of Academic Staff.
• The 1998 guidance on Academic Staff Attendance remains unchanged.
• Guidance on the right to paid and unpaid time off for public duties is available from Human Resources.

Publication of outcomes

Relevant information from the outcomes of the workload model, taking account of any data protection issues, should be made available to staff within the College in an appropriate form, for example through the staff intranet.

Good Practice

Where a member of staff is concerned that the application of the workload model in their College results in an allocation of work which they perceive to be excessive or unfair, in the first instance they should discuss these concerns with the manager(s) in their College responsible for workload allocation. If, following these discussions, their concerns remain unresolved, the member of staff may raise these concerns informally with their College Dean. Exceptionally, where the concerns have not been resolved informally, the member of staff may follow the appropriate grievance procedure.

Mindful of the University’s commitment to deliver high quality teaching to its students and mindful of the health and wellbeing of staff, Colleges should, as far as practicable, seek to ensure that (a) teaching timetables do not require a member of staff to teach more than two consecutive fifty minute lectures or more than four hours continuously in any other form of teaching without a reasonable break; and (b) that staff are permitted a reasonable break at some time between 12pm and 2pm.

Outcome of Task and Finish Group – February 2008
Amended March 2008 following consultation with the University and College Union

• Code of Good Practice in Research

• Code of Professional Conduct: Policy on Staff/Student Personal Relationships

• Code of Professional Conduct: Relations between Staff Members

University framework for College workload models

Purpose

The purpose of this framework is to:

• ensure that, as a research-intensive institution, staff with a contractual duty to research are given time and opportunity to develop and publish their research;
• assist the University through Colleges to address its obligations to manage the health and safety of its staff, particularly with regard to stress, well-being and work-life balance;
• assist the University in meeting its equality and diversity obligations, particularly in regard to staff working on a part-time basis;
• provide for parity of treatment in the allocation of work to academic staff in each College, taking account of discipline-specific characteristics;
• provide a management tool to achieve these objectives.

Characteristics

Workload allocation models should:

• cover the work of all staff in the academic job families (i.e. 'teaching and scholarship', 'research' and 'teaching and research') and, at the College’s discretion, other staff in the College who contribute to academic activity (e.g. Graduate Teaching Assistants);
• cover all elements of workload, including teaching, research, administration, personal/professional development and (where agreed) work for external bodies;
• provide for the workload of individual staff to be appropriately distributed over a period of time, so that imbalances in one year are rectified in subsequent years;
• be based on a transparent methodology;
• be developed in partnership with academic staff in the College;
• be regularly reviewed and revised;
• ensure consistency of treatment within the College, while allowing for differences in teaching, research and administration between academic disciplines;
• ensure a pro-rata allocation for part-time staff.

Units of measurement

Workload models are based on a notional working year of 1650 hours, in line with Research Councils’ guidance (taking account of employees’ entitlement to annual leave, bank holidays and closure days). The University recognises that most academic staff do not have defined working hours and that this arrangement provides flexibility which benefits individual members of staff, students and the University as a whole. The use of the notional figure of 1650 hours is not intended to imply a contractual or defined working period: it is used solely to act as a guide in ensuring a fair allocation of work through College workload models.

While most Colleges will base their workload model on hours, Colleges may use others systems of points or credits or percentages provided that these can easily be converted to hours to ensure transparency and understanding.

Relationship with Time Allocation Schedules (TAS)

Workload allocation models are for the internal benefit of Colleges to achieve the purpose and characteristics summarised above. They set out a plan for future activity. By contrast, TAS is a retrospective measure of actual activity for external purposes. Separate guidance is issued by Finance Services on the completion of TAS.

Relationship with other agreements and guidance

This framework replaces the recommendations of the joint management-union Working Party on Academic Staff Workloads and Attendance, which were endorsed by the University in 1998, and incorporated into the Guidelines to College Deans in respect of Workloads of Academic Staff.

The 1998 guidance on Academic Staff Attendance remains unchanged.

Guidance on the right to paid and unpaid time off for public duties is available from Human Resources.

Publication of outcomes

Relevant information from the outcomes of the workload model, taking account of any data protection issues, should be made available to staff within the College in an appropriate form, for example through the staff intranet.

Good practice

Where a member of staff is concerned that the application of the workload model in their College results in an allocation of work which they perceive to be excessive or unfair, in the first instance they should discuss these concerns with the manager(s) in their College responsible for workload allocation. If, following these discussions, their concerns remain unresolved, the member of staff may raise these concerns informally with their College Dean. Exceptionally, where the concerns have not been resolved informally, the member of staff may follow the appropriate grievance procedure.

Mindful of the University’s commitment to deliver high quality teaching to its students and mindful of the health and wellbeing of staff, Colleges should, as far as practicable, seek to ensure that (a) teaching timetables do not require a member of staff to teach more than two consecutive fifty minute lectures or more than four hours continuously in any other form of teaching without a reasonable break; and (b) that staff are permitted a reasonable break at some time between 12pm and 2pm.

Payments to academic staff for additional teaching

At present, the contractual terms for academic staff do not provide for a College to approve an additional payment to a member of staff who undertakes work over and above the ‘norm’ (unless the member of staff is based in another College). Some Colleges have found that this has made it difficult to run teaching programmes - many of which offer income-generating opportunities - outside of normal working hours, particularly at weekends, and the senior management of the University has been requested to reconsider this policy.

The attached procedure, which has been approved by the Vice Chancellor’s Executive Group, the Human Resources Committee and the Strategy, Performance and Review Committee, provides a way forward for academic staff to receive additional payments, approved by the College, where it is not possible to absorb the additional teaching into the College’s workload allocation model and where the College is able to satisfy the line manager Deputy Vice Chancellor that the proposed arrangement is self-funding and supported by a sound business plan.

The new arrangements take effect immediately.

Payment will be authorized by a memorandum signed by the College Dean, detailing the name of the member of staff, the amount to be paid, the dates worked and cost code(s), attaching a copy of the Deputy Vice Chancellor’s approval, signed off by the College Dean. To ensure that the payment is coded correctly in Aptos, all payments should be coded to the proper detail code. To ensure that the payment is coded correctly in TrentHR, the memo should be headed Payments To Academic Staff For Additional Teaching. This will enable payments under the new arrangements to be monitored.

(There is no change to the existing procedure where a member of staff based in one College undertakes work for another College, which is covered by paragraph 19 of the current conditions of service – ie the member of staff must have the prior express agreement of their College Dean to undertake the additional work; the normal expectation is that payment will be made to the College which ‘employs; the member of staff, but the Head of the ‘employing’ College may agree that payment should be made direct to the member of staff. Colleges should consult with their HR Business Partner about the rates of payment in such circumstances. Similarly, these arrangements are independent of the University’s revised arrangements for consultancy and outside work.)

If you require any further information or advice, you should consult your HR Business Partner.

More information on Study leave/ Leave of Absence can be found in the Leave, flexi-working and absence pages.