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Scholarship Index

Aim of the 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

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

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Distribution of Funds

In 2008 (Ref Year 2007) a total of $1,003,087.00 was distributed to faculties. For breakdown of funds distribution please see here.

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

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Timetable 2010

Please be advised that, due to a review of the Scholarship Index process having taken place, and the subsequent criteria amendment, there has been a delay in the annual schedule. The revised closing date for Scholarship Index 2009 (Reference Year 2008) submissions is now Friday, 4 June 2010. Please note the new criteria and related documentation.

Action

Date
S.I. 2009 (Reference Year 2008) Announcement Wed 30th September 2009
S.I. 2009 (Reference Year 2008) Closing Date Thurs 30th April 2010
S.I. 2009 (Reference Year 2008) Revised Closing Date Friday 4th June 2010
Preliminary audit of submissions by the L&T Office to be returned to faculties by  Friday 2nd July 2010
Faculties' revised submissions due back to L&T Office Friday 23rd July 2010
Distribution of Funds for S.I. 2008 (Reference Year 2007) Fri 30th October 2009
Distribution of Funds for S.I. 2009 (Reference Year 2008) January 2011

 

 

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The Scholarship Index Criteria

Please refer to the Criteria document.

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Additional Notes

  • "Reference Year" is the year for which data is being collected.
  • "Collecting Year" is the year when data is collected. In 2009 Scholarship Index data will be collected for 2008.
  • "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. However, for Reference Year 2008 funds will be distributed in January 2011.
  • 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.
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Worksheet Tips

  • For 2009 (Reference Year 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.
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Contact and Submission Details

Submission and queries should be directed to:

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the Scholarship Index?

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The Learning and Teaching Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) calls for applications from the faculties 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 Learning and Teaching Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), 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 Learning and Teaching Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education)
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Why is documentary evidence required?

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

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Do I need to claim and send documentary evidence even if the item was awarded in previous years?

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.

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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?

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.

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Can we claim for teaching materials?

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.

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What is meant by "Qualification in university teaching"?

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.

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How are achievements completed jointly by several staff counted?

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).

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Why have the points for our Faculty reduced? Why was my Scholarship Index claim unsuccessful?

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
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Are grants counted as awards e.g. National Teaching Development Grants, TIF Grants or Sesqui Teaching Equipment Fund Grants?

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

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What funds were allocated to our discipline and/or school? What is the total money available under the Scholarship Index for this year?

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 Associate 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 Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education) receives these funds. The value of one point depends on the total funds available for distribution.

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Does Scholarship Index funding need to be spent during the year of distribution, or can it be carried forward into the next year?

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

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How can my faculty use its Scholarship Index monies?

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.

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