RMIT: College of Design and Social Context

Individual Research Plan

COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND SOCIAL CONTEXT

Individual Research Plan

Version: 20 September2012

Use this template to develop your three-year research plan.

Name / Current Research Matrix Level based on outputs of previous three years
School / Mentorto be nominated after discussion with DHead/Dean Research or HOS/Dean.

Provide an Aspirational statement of where you see yourself in three years time in terms of your Research development.

EXTERNAL RESEARCH INCOME: 2013 – 2015

Include information on both proposed funding applications and funding secured. Please indicate affiliation of any non-RMIT investigators

Project Title / Activity Details / Funding Source / Chief Investigators / Completion Date
Example: Urbanisation opportunities for Melbourne / Preparation of grant application, Requesting $20,000 over 2 years / VicUrban / Dr Buckett, Prof. Smith / August, 2013

PUBLICATIONS/CREATIVE WORKS: 2013 – 2015

Include all types of research publications and creative works including reports. Please indicate affiliation of any non-RMIT authors

Publication type / Journal/Publisher / Quality of outlet / Possible Title / Authors / Completion Date
Example: JournalName / UrbanTrends / Effects of Urbanisation on Melbourne / Dr Buckett, Prof. Smith / Dec, 2013

HDR SUPERVISION: 2013-2015

Include any students who are undertaking a research project eg, Masters by Research, PhD, Professional Doctorate. Please indicate affiliation of any non-RMIT supervisors

Type / Student / Project Title / Primary Supervisor / Secondary Supervisors / Completion Date
Example: PhD / Ryan Casey / Impact of urbanisation on the environment / FJ Smith / Jan, 2011

Research Development Needs/Plans for 2013 – 2015

What training and development do you hope to undertake during 2013to 2015 to improve/expand your research, scholarly writing and grant application skills?

2013.

2014.

2015.

Signature ______Date ______

Endorsement by

Line Manager
Name
Signature Date: / / / Comment
Deputy Dean/Head (Research)
Name
Signature Date: / / / Comment

Individual Research plan

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Academic Workload Allocation Model 2012

Attachment 1

College of Design and Social Context

Research Output Assessment Process

5 July 2012

The Research Output Assessment Process and Academic Workload Allocation

The levels assigned to staff by the panel during the Research Output Assessment Process are used to inform the Research time allocation. Research workload allocation will be based on a consideration of the staff member’s:

  • proposed research activities and outcomes (including publications, research income and HDR completions) detailed in individual workplans and research plans
  • previous research outcomes relative to opportunities and level of appointment
  • research output level identified through the individual research output assessment process

The Research Output Assessment Process

The Research Output Assessment Process involves the review and assessment of staff research outputs from the previous 3 years and the assignment of a ‘research level’ for each staff member on the basis of this assessment. This assignment provides a broad indication of staff performance which is used to inform School research planning and individual academic staff workplanning and workload allocation.

The Research Assessment process will be established by the Head/Dean of School and approved by the DPVC R&I. The process will involve the review of 3 year retrospective individual research reports from RMIT Research Master, considering the quality of the research outputs, and assessing and assigning each individual to the relevant level in the research matrix relevant to the discipline.

Research output levels will be reviewed and approved by the DPVC R&I.

The DSC Research Matrices (below) outline targets in the key areas of research outputs (income, publications and HDR completions*) expected at each research level. There are two research matrix templates – one for social sciences and text based research and one for creative disciplines. These matrices provide a tool for Schools to measure and compare research performance, to support strategic planning of their research activity.

Research publications include HERDC research publications, (research books, chapters in research books, refereed journal articles and refereed conference papers) and ERA peer reviewed creative works (solo and group exhibitions, curated events and exhibitions, live performances of creative works and recorded/rendered creative works). In order to be eligible for inclusion in a record of research output, research records will have been submitted to the University’s publication collection and subjected to appropriate verification. In line with the move toward ERA assessment, quality assessment of the research output as HERDC or Creative Works forms part of the allocation of levels.

There is an expectation that where creative works are the predominant form of research output, researchers will also normally have published accompanying peer reviewed texts.

RMIT Research and Innovation will provide panels with audited research output reports for each staff member based on information supplied annually as part of the Higher Education Research Data Collection exercise. In order to reflect the cyclical nature of research the targets set out in the matrix are those expected over three years.

The research level allocated to the individual staff member will be on the basis of a ‘best fit’ reflecting performance across all activities. The process is similar to many other research peer review processes, such as research grant applications, where panel members score based upon a systematic assessment and scoring of specific components.

The Research Output Assessment Process and matrices will be reviewed and updated as appropriate to ensure alignment with the University’s research strategies. (Awaiting University Academic expectations currently in development)

Early Career Researchers (ECR) (PhD awarded within 3 years) who are not yet at level 1 will be considered as level 1 researchers for the purposes of assessment of research performance.

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Social Sciences and Text based publishing disciplines matrix
(Total outputs across the past three years)
Criteria / Research level 1
/ECR Researcher / Research level 2 / Research level 3 / Research level 4
General Description
(Indicative profile of staff at each level) / Regular active participation in internal research activities and networks
Or Early career researcher, within three years of awarding of PhD at 1 January based on appropriate work plan commitments / Active contribution to internal research activities and networks, and involvement in national and international research networks and associations / Leader of collaborative research teams and projects.
Regular involvement in national and international research networks and associations. / Leader of major research teams and projects
Prominent involvement in national and international research networks and associations
Recipient of honours and awards for research activity
Allocation of level is normally based on evidence of outputs across the 3 categories.Discretion may be exercised where performance is strong in one or more categories / HERDC eligible Publications** / Three publications**: pro-rata with a focus on the quality of the research outlet. / Four publications**: pro-rata with a focus on the quality of the research outlet. / Six publications**: pro-rata with a focus on the quality of the research outlet. / Eight publications**: pro-rata with a focus on the quality of the research outlet.
Research Income / HERDC Category 1-4 Reportable Research Income less than $10,000 as CI share / HERDC Category 1-4 Reportable Research Income between $10,000 and $40,000 as CI share / HERDC Category 1-4 Reportable Research Income between $40,000 and $60,000. Lead CI on at least 1 C1 grant / CI over last 3 years on multiple Cat 1 grants.
Lead CI on at least 1 C1 grant. Income above
$60,000
Postgraduate Completions / Currently supervising (first or second supervisor) / Supervisor with at least 1 successful completion in past 3 years / Supervisor with at least 3 successful completions in past 3 years / Supervisor with at least 3 successful completions in past 3 years
Creative Disciplines which may include Text based publishing disciplines Matrix
(Total outputs across the past three years)
Criteria / Research level 1
/ECR Researcher / Research level 2 / Research level 3 / Research level 4
General Description
(Indicative profile of staff at each level) / Regular active participation in internal research activities and networks
Or Early career researcher, within three years of awarding of PhD at 1 January based on appropriate work plan commitments / Active contribution to internal research activities and networks, and
Involvement in national and international research networks and associations / Leader of collaborative research teams and projects
Regular involvement in national and international research networks and associations. / Leader of major research teams and projects
Prominent involvement in national and international research networks and associations
Recipient of honours and awards for research activity
Allocation of level is normally based on evidence of outputs across the 3 categories. Discretion may be exercised where performance is strong in one or more categories / A combination of HERDC and ERA Research creative outputs (see below)** / Three Research Outputs pro-rata as HERDC publication and/or ERA creative works with a focus on the quality of the research outlet. / Four Research Outputs pro-rata as HERDC publication and/or creative works with a focus on the quality of the research outlet.
May include a Commission, Award or prize (under $15,500) / Six Research Outputs pro-rata as HERDC publication and/or creative works with a focus on the quality of the research outlet.
May include: Commission, Award or Prizes (above $15,500- $50,000) / Eight Research Outputs pro rata as HERDC publication and/or creative works with a focus on the quality of the research outlet.
May include Major commission Award or Prize (above $50,000)
Research Income
Over 3 year period / HERDC Category 1-4 Reportable Research Income less than $10,000 as CI share / HERDC Category 1-4 Reportable Research Income between $10,000 and $40,000 as CI share / HERDC Category 1-4 Reportable Research Income between $40,000 and $60,000 Lead CI on at least 1 C1 grant / CI over last 3 years on multiple Cat 1 grants.
Lead CI on at least 1 C1 grant. Income above $60,000
Postgraduate Completions / Currently supervising (first or second supervisor) / Supervisor with at least 1 successful completion in past 3 years / Supervisor with at least 3 successful completions in past 3 years / Supervisor with at least 3 successful completions in past 3 years

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Where a staff member has not been employed at RMIT for three years, eligible outputs from previous employment should be considered.

Notes:

*A Postgraduate Completion includes the number of students who have completed their post graduate education.

** Includes publications that satisfy the HERDC requirement in the classifications Research Book, Chapter in Research Book, Refereed Journal Article but not including Refereed Conference Papers except for Level 1. Includes HERDC research book publications. Publications or creative works involves an ERA quality assessment of the research outlet or in the case of journals the ERA ranking where available.

*** Creative Works as defined by ERA publicly available research in the form of – Solo and group Exhibitions, Curated events and exhibitions, Live performance of creative work, Recorded/Rendered Creative Work with some peer assessment of the Quality of the output venue.

Research Income received by the University or School and reported as eligible HERDC income will be considered as qualifying research income.

HERDC reportable income category definitions:

The following examples, using the Social Sciences and Text based publishing disciplines matrix illustrate how panels might use it.

Examples:

Dr A. Person is a new member of staff with a recently completed PhD. She has submitted one journal article for publication, but as yet has no measurable research outputs. Dr A. Person qualifies as an Early Career Researcher and has, as part of her workplan, negotiated a strategy, with annual milestones, for building her research output over the next three years. As long as she meets those milestones she will be assessed as a Level 1, as an Early Career Researcher.

Dr B. Academic is active in research and over the past three years has published one article in refereed conference proceedings and another two articles in refereed journals. He is a junior member of a team - whose CI is a more senior member of the School - that was successful in being awarded a $70,000 external competitive research grant. None of Dr B. Academic’s HDR students has reached completion. The panel has assessed Dr B. Academic as a Level 1 Researcher.

Dr C. Teacher attends and makes occasional contributions to School research forums, but has yet to publish the results of the research and has no record of publication for the last three years. Similarly, he has not been active in applying for research funding. He shares the supervision of one HDR student - for which he has been allocated HDR teaching points - The panel has determined that he has not demonstrated research activity sufficient to be allocated a research level.

Professor A. Researcher is one of the School’s leading researchers. Over the past three years she has published two book chapters with a highly ranked international publishing outlet and five journal articles, four of which are in ERA B or higher ranked outlets. Professor A. Researcher leads the research team of which Dr B. Academic is a member and is CI of the successful research grant that has secured $70,000 in research funding for the University. Professor A. Researcher is a sought after HDR supervisor and three of her PhD students have successfully completed in the past three years. The panel assessed Professor A. Researcher as a Level 3 Researcher.

Associate Professor V. Productive is also a leading researcher and has one more publication than Professor Researcher, although only two of those publications were in ERA B or higher ranked outlets. Associate Professor V. Productive has also supervised three HDR students to completion over the three-year period. He has received some modest internal research funding, but has not been active in seeking external competitive research grants. In assessing Associate Professor V. Productive’s research output the panel noted the strategic importance his school places on obtaining external research funding, but also noted the limited opportunities for securing external grants in his discipline compared, for example, with that of Professor Researcher. On balance the panel determined that Associate Professor V. Productive’s research output fell between levels 2 and 3 in the matrix and he was assessed as a Level 2 Researcher.

Associate Professor A. Attentive is a leading researcher. Over the past three years he has published one book with a highly ranked international publishing outlet, plus 2 book chapters with highly ranked international publishing outlets as well as 3 refereed journal articles in ERA A ranked journals. Three PhD and one Masters students have completed in the past three years. He has also secured 3 ARC Linkage grants in the past 3 years.
The panel assessed Associate Professor A. Attentive as Level 4 Researcher, even though the raw total outputs is 5, the additional 5 weighting for his book with the high quality international standard brings his outputs to 10 high quality outputs.

Updated 5 July 2012

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