Procedure: Sessional academic conditions

Purpose

To outline the conditions and procedures for the engagement and payment of casual sessional academic staff at ANU, in accordance with the ANU Enterprise Agreement.

Procedure

1. A sessional academic (casual) appointment is one where:

1. the staff member is not appointed on an ongoing basis and is normally required to work an irregular pattern of hours on an intermittent or irregular basis;
2. there is no expectation of continuity of employment; and
3. the appointment may be terminated by providing one hour's notice.

2. Sessional academic staff are not entitled to paid leave, redundancy or severance payments.
3. A sessional academic staff member will not normally be engaged by the University for lectures, tutorials or demonstrations for 60% or more of the time of teaching contact hours expected of a full time staff member of similar designation within the academic organisational unit.

Responsibilities of sessional academic staff

4. Sessional academic staff employed for lecturing, demonstrating and tutoring will:

• not be responsible for the engagement of other staff;
• not be required to engage in research duties (for the purpose of this clause preparation for teaching and course/subject development is not regarded as research);
• only be involved in administration to the extent that is necessary to support their primary teaching related function;
• not be responsible for the supervision of other staff;
• not have sole academic or decision making responsibility for the development of an on-line teaching and learning course; and
• be paid at the rates specified in the ANU Enterprise Agreement. (Sessional academic staff salary rates), which include the loading specified in clause 4 above.

Reasonable access to facilities

5. Where practical, sessional academic staff will be provided with reasonable access, commensurate with available resources, to University facilities to enable them to perform University work. These include access to the library, email and internet, a working space, and out-of-hours access to the office as appropriate.

Involvement in relevant academic activities

6. The University supports the reasonable inclusion of sessional academic staff in the relevant activities of the University in terms of attending staff meetings and other related academic activities. If attendance at staff meetings and other related academic activities is required the staff member will be paid the hourly rate specified in ANU Enterprise Agreement.

Access to ongoing employment

7. The University supports assisting suitability qualified sessional academic staff to obtain either part-time or fulltime employment within the University where suitable vacancies arise. Existing sessional staff employed at the time of advertisement of a vacancy in the University are eligible to apply for such vacancies. Due consideration of the contribution and experience of suitably qualified sessional staff is given by selection panels when assessing applications for such ongoing fulltime and part time positions.
8. Due consideration would not mean giving preference to sessional staff with lesser claims to the selection criteria for the position.

Sessional staff salary

9. The sessional academic salary rate includes a casual loading of 25% in lieu of all paid leave entitlements, including long service leave.
10. Sessional academic staff are not entitled to incremental progression but may be eligible for a Teaching Experience payment in accordance with clause 14 and 15 (below).
11. Sessional academic staff are paid at the sessional rates in the ANU Enterprise Agreement derived from the following formula:

• relevant full time salary divided by 52 divided by 37.5 multiplied by hours multiplied by loading of 25%.

12. A sessional rate is not an hourly rate for all time worked but rather a rate struck for the purpose of completing particular activities associated with the delivery of a Lecture/Tutorial/Musical Accompanying/Pre-tertiary Music Tuition, regardless of the actual time the sessional academic takes to complete the full range of activities associated with the session in accordance with the following.
13. The sessional rate of pay for lecturing or tutoring encompasses the following activities in addition to the delivery of lectures and/or tutorials:

• preparing of lectures or tutorials;
• up to 30 minutes for each hour of teaching for contemporaneous marking for the students for whom the sessional staff member is responsible;
• administration of relevant records of students for whom the sessional staff member is responsible;
• consultation with students involving face to face and email consultation prior to and following a lecture or tutorial; and
• attendance at meetings specifically for the purpose of assisting the sessional staff member to prepare for their lecture or tutorial and which are intended as a substitute for preparation that the staff member would have otherwise had to undertake.

14. "Contemporaneous marking" means marking that is consequential to, or originates from assignments, work or exams set within a given lecture, tutorial or demonstration but does not include marking of subject or course wide examinations, essays or other assessment tasks.
15. A sessional academic staff member is paid within 22 days of submitting a valid and approved electronic timesheet.

Superannuation

16. Sessional academic staff earning in excess of $450/month receive the minimum Superannuation Guarantee rate and do not have access to the rates for ongoing staff. Sessional academic staff earning less than $450/month are not entitled to any superannuation payments.

Teaching Experience Payment

17. A sessional academic staff member is entitled to a Teaching Experience payment at the next highest salary point in the salary range where the staff member:

1. has been employed doing substantially similar work, normally in excess of four semesters,
2. has acquired the skills, experience and knowledge that has resulted in an improved student experience during this time; and
3. demonstrates ongoing satisfactory performance, including satisfactory student assessments where relevant.

18. Sessional staff meeting all the criteria for payment above should seek their supervisor's endorsement and delegate's approval using the Accelerated Increment eform ensuring that a statement is attached identifying how their experience has resulted in improved student experience.
19. The Teaching Experience payment is be subject to the conditions in 17(b) and (c) above being maintained.