Scholarship Index

The purpose of the Scholarship Index is to provide financial rewards to departments whose staff members contribute to teaching quality through the scholarship of university teaching.

• The Scholarship Index Budget
• 2008 Timetable
• The Scholarship Index Criteria
• Additional Notes
• Clarification of Criterion G
• Contact and submission details
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Scholarship Index is sourced from 0.5% of Operating Grant Money and 0.5% of the previous year's International student fee income.

In 2007 (Ref Year 2006) a total of $865,857.85 was distributed to faculties. For breakdown of funds distribution please see here.

Action	Date
S.I. 2008 (Reference Year 2007) Announcement	30 May 2008
S.I. 2008 (Reference Year 2007) Closing Date	17 October 2008
Distribution of Funds for S.I. 2007 (Reference Year 2006)	24 October 2008

#	Criterion	Weight	Evidence Requirements and notes
A.	Qualifications in university teaching	10	Evidence:  Copy of certificate.  In cases where it is unclear from the certificate that the qualification is in teaching in university/higher education, the transcript must also be provided with the relevant sections highlighted.  If the certificate is written in a foreign language, a certified translation must be provided. Courses must be the equivalent of one year's part-time study or more. Notes:  This criterion refers very specifically to qualifications in university teaching/higher education.  All other qualifications are not eligible, including teaching qualifications in school, adult, further, tertiary or language education, unless transcripts are supplied showing that a significant proportion of the work undertaken was in the area of university teaching. Qualifications awarded in 2007 or anytime before 2007 may be claimed and continue to be claimed each year while the staff member remains teaching at the University.  Please note, however, that qualifications undertaken in 2007 but awarded in 2008 may not be counted until the 2008 reference year.
B.	National or state teaching award (AAUT or ACE winner)	10	Evidence: Copy of AAUT or ACE award letter. Notes:  Awards achieved in 2007 or anytime before 2007 may be claimed and continue to be claimed each year while the staff member remains teaching at the University.  AAUT Awards include the Prime Minister's Award, Teaching Awards, Neville Bonner Award and Institutional Awards.
C.	National teaching award finalist	5	Evidence:  Copy of letter showing finalist status. Notes:  Only awards made in 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, and 2003 can be claimed.
D.	Vice-Chancellor's Award winner (includes awards for Outstanding Teaching, Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision and Support of the Student Experience)	5	Evidence:  Copy of award letter, including names of all recipients. Notes:  This criterion includes excellence in teaching awards, excellence in research higher degree supervision awards and support of the student experience awards.  TIF projects and other grants are not eligible.  Where a single award has been made jointly to a number of recipients in a school or faculty, it can only count once in that school or faculty. Only awards made in 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, and 2003 can be claimed.
E.	College or Faculty award winner for Outstanding Teaching, Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision and Support of the Student Experience	2	Evidence:  Copy of award letter, including names of all recipients. Notes:  Where a single award has been made jointly to a number of recipients in a School or Faculty, it can only count once in that School or Faculty.  Only awards made in 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, and 2003 can be claimed.
F.	Publication on university teaching - book	10	Evidence:  Copy of publication data (please highlight date) and contents pages. Notes:  This criterion refers specifically to books about university teaching, or, commercially published textbooks for university students.  In the latter case, additional evidence of the text's status as a university textbook must also be provided (for example the book's foreword); non-university textbooks are not eligible.  Where a book has been written jointly by more than one member of staff of the University, the 10 points will be divided equally amongst all joint authors. Only books published in 2007 can be claimed.
G.	Publication on university teaching - refereed chapter	2	Evidence:  This criterion refers specifically to chapters in books about university teaching, or, commercially published textbooks for university students.  In the latter case, additional evidence of the text's status as a university textbook must also be provided (for example the book's foreword); non-university textbooks are not eligible.  Copy of: (i) publication data  (date highlighted); (ii) contents page; (iii) the first page of the chapter (please do not submit the full chapter); and (iv) publisher's name highlighted (only publishers listed in the DEEWR Register of Acceptable Commercial Publishers will be accepted) Notes:  Where a chapter has been written jointly by more than one member of staff of the University, the 2 points will be divided equally amongst all joint authors.  Only chapters published in 2007 can be claimed.
H.	Publication on university teaching - refereed article	2	Evidence:  Copy of: (i) journal publication data (please highlight date); (ii) contents page; (iii) the first page of the article (please do not submit the full article); and (iv) evidence of the refereed status of a journal, includes: " Photocopy of journal listing from the DEST Register of Refereed Journals (http://www.dest.gov.au/highered/research/documents/register.rtf) " Photocopy from Journal listing in Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (or equivalent) showing refereed status " Photocopy from journal's own publishing details, with "refereed" statement highlighted. Notes:  This criterion refers specifically to refereed articles about university teaching.  Articles on other issues, such as a member of staff's research, are not eligible.  Only articles published in 2007 can be claimed.  Articles published in Synergy count as a refereed article Where a refereed article has been written jointly by more than one member of staff of the University, the 2 points will be divided equally amongst all joint authors.
I.	Publication on university teaching - non-refereed chapter, article or published conference paper	1	Evidence:  Copy of: (i) publication data (please highlight date); (ii) contents page; (iii) the first page of the chapter/article (please do not submit the full article). Notes:  This criterion refers specifically to non-refereed chapters/articles about university teaching.  Chapters/articles on other issues, such as a member of staff's research, are not eligible.  Only chapters/articles published in 2007 can be claimed.  Where a chapter, article or published conference paper has been written jointly by more than one member of staff of the University, the one point will be divided equally amongst all joint authors.
J.	Presented conference paper or poster on university teaching	1	Evidence:  Copy of: (i) conference details; (ii) abstract (please highlight date and time). Notes:  This criterion refers specifically to papers/posters about university teaching.  Papers/posters on other issues, such as a member of staff's research, are not eligible. Papers and posters must be at conferences/seminars external to the University or at the level of ITL or College.  Only papers/posters presented in 2007 can be claimed. Where a conference paper or poster has been written jointly by more than one member of staff of the University, the one point will be divided equally amongst all joint authors/presenters.

• "Reference Year" is the year for which data is being collected.
• "Collecting Year" is the year when data is collected. In 2008 Scholarship Index data will be collected for 2007.
• "Funding Year" is the year when funds are dispersed. Thus in Funding Year 2008 funds will be dispersed for Reference Year 2006. Please note that funds are distributed in February of the following year. Thus, Funding Year 2008 funds will be distributed in February 2009.
• Claims cannot be submitted for staff covering years after they have left the University. Thus, for example, a member of staff holding a Diploma of Higher Education who resigned with effect November 2007, would be eligible for 10 points towards the 2007 Reference Year, but not beyond that.
• Claims cannot be submitted for casual staff or visiting scholars.

Criterion G - Publications on university teaching - refereed chapter
From 2008 the evidence required to prove the refereed status of book chapters will be in line with the DEEWR Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) specifications. Points will be awarded to chapters in books that have been published by commercial publishers as listed in the DEEWR Register of Acceptable Commercial Publishers since "the concept of a commercial publisher.... is used as a surrogate test of quality in place of a peer review requirement. This clarifies requirement (iv) of the "Evidence requirements and notes" in the Scholarship Index Criteria whereby the highlighted statement will be that of the publisher's.
For further information about HERDC specifications for peer review and commercial publishers please see the University of Sydney's Research Office and DEEWR websites.

• For 2008 submissions please use the current Criteria and Worksheet
• Worksheets may be submitted for each School or Department but should be collated and summarised in a final worksheet for the Faculty
• Claims should be itemised on the worksheet and sorted by criteria (i.e. not by staff)
• Any attachments should be sorted by criteria (i.e. not by staff)
• Dates for teaching qualifications claims must be valid (i.e. the valid year/s)
• Evidence for teaching qualifications and awards must be provided even if the qualification and/or award were awarded at the University of Sydney
• Claims for refereed publications must have dates and refereed status highlighted

Submission and queries should be directed to:

Sally Paynter/ Ara Levingston
Learning and Teaching Office
Room L4.20, A14 - Quadrangle
Tel: (02) 9351 5200 / 5987

• How do I apply for the Scholarship Index?
• Why is documentary evidence required?
• Do I need to claim and send documentary evidence even if the item was awarded in previous years?
• Can we claim for the publishing output of our research only staff, for visiting scholars, for casual staff, and for staff who have since left the University?
• Can we claim for teaching materials?
• What is meant by "Qualification in university teaching"?
• How are achievements completed jointly by several staff counted?
• Why have the points for our Faculty reduced? Why was my Scholarship Index claim unsuccessful?
• Are grants counted as awards e.g. National Teaching Development Grants, Teaching Improvement and Equipment Scheme (TIES) Grants?
• What funds were allocated to our discipline and/or school? What is the total money available under the Scholarship Index for this year?
• Does Scholarship Index funding need to be spent during the year of distribution, or can it be carried forward into the next year?
• How can my faculty use its Scholarship Index monies?

The Office of the Deputy Provost (Learning and Teaching) and Pro Vice-Chancellor calls for applications from the faculties in March each year. The Faculty Office either:

• Calls for applications directly and cumulates all the evidence behind one covering worksheet and sends the completed worksheet and attached evidence to the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching), or
• Calls for applications from the Schools. The Schools then cumulate the evidence from their staff behind one covering worksheet and send the completed worksheet and evidence back to the Faculty Office to add to those of other Schools in the Faculty. These are then sent as one package to the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching)

Documentary evidence is required to validate your claims. The evidence supplied should include the relevant date.

The University does not keep copies of submissions from previous years. Submissions are returned to faculties at the time when funds for that reference year are distributed.

Each year is separated and calculated individually, hence documentary evidence must be provided separately for each year. Even if an item had been successfully claimed in previous years, documentary evidence will be required for each claim, e.g. a qualification in university teaching which was successfully claimed in 2006 Reference Year will not be counted for the 2007 Reference Year unless it is claimed for and the evidence supplied again.

Claims are only valid for members of academic staff of the University (full-time or part-time). Claims for research-only staff, visiting scholars and casual lecturers will be discounted.

Whether claims for staff who have left the University are counted depends on when the academic staff member ceased employment. Thus, if a member of staff left in the second half of 2007, their achievements could be counted for the 2007 Reference Year, but not for the 2008 Reference Year or subsequently.

Claims for teaching materials, including web-based materials, under "Category G - Publications on university teaching" are not valid. Only commercially published text books for use in university teaching are valid.

Only qualifications that are clearly in university teaching or higher education are valid. Other educational qualifications (e.g. DipEd) and qualifications in adult education are not valid unless transcripts are supplied showing that a significant proportion of the work undertaken was in the area of university teaching.

While qualifications in university teaching count from the year of award onwards, they must be claimed every year. N.B. a Dip HE completed in 2007 and awarded in 2008 can count towards the 2008 (and all following years) allocation, but not the 2007 allocation.

The points for publications and presentations produced by joint authors will be divided equally amongst the staff involved. For example, a presentation (worth one point) given jointly by three people will be divided equally amongst the joint authors. Joint winners of Vice-Chancellor's Awards will only receive a total of 5 points (not 5 points each).

The following list may provide the reason for your decreased or disallowed submission:

• Separate submissions are needed for each Reference Year
• Evidence of claims are required
• The Qualification claimed was not in University Teaching
• Claims were made for Visiting Scholars
• Outdated claims, e.g. finalists in teaching awards more than four years old and publications not in the Reference Year are not valid claims
• Publications and Conference Papers claimed were not about University Teaching
• Claims for teaching materials that are not published textbooks specifically for the use of university students
• Teaching equipment fund grants are not considered equivalent to teaching development grants and do not count towards the Scholarship Index

No, grants are not included as valid criteria for the Scholarship Index.

It is the responsibility of each faculty to transfer allocated funds to the schools as appropriate. Please contact the Faculty Office for this information. N.B. Scholarship Index money is distributed to Faculties. The Academic Board requires faculties to use Scholarship Index funds for:

• Recognising and rewarding good teaching, or
• Supporting and improving the scholarship of learning and teaching
• Scholarship Index monies must not be used for items of recurrent expenditure

With the above as guidance, Deans have discretion to determine how the funds are dispirsed within their faculty.

Regarding determining the points awarded to disciplines, all data sheets are returned to the Assoc Dean (Learning and Teaching) thus providing the faculty with the data to work backwards to discipline level and even individual level.

The total amount of funds available for the Scholarship Index depends on student fee income. This is only known once the Office of the Deputy Provost (Learning and Teaching) and Pro-Vice Chancellor receives these funds. The value of one point depends on the total funds available for distribution.

Faculties should aim to expend their monies within a calendar year of its receipt.

Faculties must use Scholarship Index funds for either:

• Recognising and rewarding good teaching, or
• Supporting and improving the scholarship of learning and teaching

Scholarship Index funds must not be used for items of recurrent expenditure or for Research.