MIC Departmental Assistantships Scheme

Introduction

The terms and conditions of the Departmental Assistantship (DA) Scheme are approved by the Executive Team (ET). The scheme is managed by the Research and Graduate School on behalf of the ET, including management of appointment contracts, annual renewal and discontinuation of DA awards. Selection, induction, definition and apportionment of duties, monitoring and evaluation of DAs operates through Academic Departments. The detailed processes relating to the scheme that are set out in this document are validated by Human Resources (HR).

Through the DA Scheme, the College makes provision for the appointment of a number of registered postgraduate research students as Departmental Assistants. Awardees benefit from the financial support afforded to them and gain valuable experience through teaching and working with academic colleagues. DAsin turn make a valuable contribution to the academic activities of academic departments, Faculties and the College in general.

1.Overview of the MIC Departmental Assistant Scheme

One DA per annumis available to each academic department. This is annually renewable for up to 3 yearssubject to satisfactory performance as determined by the Head of Department (HoD). This is offered by open and publicly advertised competition. All current and prospective students may apply for a DA,but the Award can only be taken up by postgraduate research students once they are registered in the College.

Departments can also avail of an opportunity to compete for one additionalDA in the same academic year under the Floating Departmental Assistantship (FDA) provision within the Scheme (reference Appendix A).

A DA awardcurrently provides for a stipend of €6,900.00 per annum(AY 2017/18) along with a full fee waiverin years Years 1, 2 &3). Where a DA awardee enters a 4th year of studies, a full fee waiver is provided, but no stipend is payable in Year 4 and no duties are required in Year 4.Stipend instalments are paid monthly beginning in September and ending in May.

An Assistant is required to provide up to a maximum of 120 hours of assistance to their home academic department across the Academic Year or an average of 5 hours per week per semester.An Assistant may not exceed 10 hours Departmental duties in any given week during the semester.

2.Assistantship Roles and Responsibilities

The Assistant may be required to provide:

  • Tutoring on timetabled tutorial sessions
  • Preparation for tutoring/seminars/workshops
  • Assistance with tutorial/lecture/seminar/workshop activities
  • Recording of lecture/seminar/workshop attendance
  • Supplementary lecture, seminar and workshop activities
  • Field work supervision and assistance with activities
  • Attendance at training sessions organised by the Research and Graduate School (RGS) and the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

Examples of work that a DA may not be required to provide would include:

  • Curriculum design and review
  • Selection of teaching styles and modes of delivery
  • Writing of examination formats and questions
  • Assessment of examinations and coursework
  • Creation of unapproved teaching materials
  • Covering / substituting for academic and professional staff
  • Covering / substituting for academic office hours
  • Supervision and/or management of fellow Departmental Assistants

The DAis required to work under the close and monitored supervision of the Head of Department (HoD), and is not expected to have full responsibility for management, administration and / or control of any assigned task.

3.Selection and Recommendations for Departmental Assistants

The HoDis responsible for carrying out the following selection processes:

  • Work with Corporate Communications / RGS in seekingDA applications through internal and external advertising drives
  • Manage the establishment of a DA Selection Committee and/or Interview Panel.
  • The HoD or nominee will serve as Chair of the Panel
  • Oversee the development of the selection criteria for DAs to be used by the Panel to record a recommendation for an offer of a DAAward and an order of merit.
  • Recommend onenew Assistantship in each Academic Year for approval via the Head of Graduate School (HGS) to the College Executive Team (ET) by a deadline of the last scheduled meeting of ET annually.

The deadline for receipt of HoD recommendations for one new DA is 2.00 PM on MOnday, 19th June, 2017.

Recommendations should be sent directly to the RGSO at: .

4.Call for Applications

The HoD, working with Corporate Communications, will seek to recruit the widest field of applicants inside and / or outside MIC through promotion and advertising in the print and/or electronic media.

5.Application Portfolio

The HoD will formulate requirements for the Application Portfolio and forward this directly to applicants.Incomplete Application Portfolios will disqualify applications.

6.Application Assessment

Applications will be assessed on the Application Portfolio documentation only, with reference to the published selection criteria.

7.Offer of an MIC Award

Following consideration of the recommendations for an Award via the RGS, the ET will notify the RGS of the outcome of the competition.The RGS will notify the HoDof the outcome and, in turn, the HoDs will notify the successful and unsuccessful applicants.

Before August 1st, the RGSwill notify Student Academic Affairs (SAA), (Information and Communication Technology)ICT, the Centre for the Teaching and Learning (CTL), and the Finance Office of list of DAs for the forthcoming academic year.

8.MIC Awards Contract

The MIC DA Contract includes information regardingthe stipend and fee waiver details associated with the Award, the period of the Award, and the Terms and Conditions of the Award.Upon signing the MIC DA Contract, the Awardee must provide bank account and relevant tax certificate details before a payment cycle can be activated by the Finance Office.

Note: OnlyMIC postgraduate research students who have completed the registration process may benefit from these Awards.

9.Discontinuation of a MIC Awards Contract

An MIC Assistantships Contract is discontinued where any one of the following circumstances arise:

  1. The Postgraduate Research Student (PGR) / DA decides to withdraw from their programme and completes the PGR Exit Form in consultation with their Research Supervisor.
  2. On submission of the PGR Exit Form via the Research and Graduate School Office (RGSO), the Postgraduate Research Subcommittee (PRSC) returns a decision via the HGS to the PGR / DAand copies the Dean of Faculty, HoD, SAA and the Finance Office, and payment is ceased.
  3. The offer of an Award does not nullify the repayment of any outstanding fees and the PGR / DAis responsible for repayment of any outstanding fees due prior to the offer of an Assistantship.
  4. As a Departmental Assistant may only be held by a PGR,an exit from the programme of research will be deemed to also constitute a resignation of the Departmental Assistantship.
  5. The PGR / DAcompletes and graduates from their programme.
  6. The Departmental Assistantship is terminated by the College following a process conducted in accordance with the prevailing MIC Policies and Procedures for dealing with staff disciplinary issues. The PGR whose Assistantship has been terminated may continue their programme of research as a student of the College but will no longer be entitled to a waiver of fees or associated stipend.

10.Annual Leave

Requests for annual leave must be dealt with in accordance with prevailing MIC Policies and Procedures for Annual Leave. Annual leave requests must be approved by HoD.

11.Leave of Absence

Requests for Leave of Absence (LoA) must be dealt with in accordance with prevailing MIC Policies and Procedures for Leave of Absence. LOA requests must be approved by HoD.

12.Support Services for Departmental Assistants

Assistants are required to participate in the “Teaching in Higher Education Seminar/Workshop” provided by the RGSin consultation with the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) before the commencement of each semester.

In accordance with the RGS’s commitment to ensuring that Assistants contribute fully and effectively to the College, and benefit from personal and professional development, the following support mechanisms are made available:

  • The RGSincludes a focus on early career professional frameworks in itstraining needs analysis, teaching portfolio design, and best pedagogical practices in the “Teaching in Higher Education Seminar/Workshop”.This includes formative discussions on generic and transferrable skills training courses, available via the RGS, in consultation with the CTL.
  • The HoD provides induction on how to perform and develop as a DA within their home department
  • The HoDprovides written details of the tasks to be undertaken before work commences and ensures that DAs fully and comprehensively understands their role and responsibilities. This must include a reasonable estimate of the number of hours expected of the DA on each task, and the distribution of hours across each semester and the academic year.
  • The HoD keeps a record of the Assistant’s performance in relation to the duties performed, including two performance evaluation reviews, one at the beginning of the semester and the second at the end of the semester, and provides written and constructive feedback to the DA. (During MIC Surveys for quality reviews and related purposes, undergraduate students will be specifically asked to comment on the teaching / supports received from Assistants and Assistants will be asked to comment on the teaching / support services received from the Department and the College).
  • Both the HoD and the DA are required to monitor total hours worked, and ensure that agreed time commitments relating to the DA’s duties are not exceeded.

13.Departmental Assistants Annual Review

  • The HoDwill conduct anevaluation review of the DA annually, normally in the final month of the annual contract in May.
  • The evaluation is a meaningful and useful discussion of improvements and enhancements against the Terms of Reference set out in the Contract, including a summative review of progress across the performance review meetings.
  • The Head of Department (HoD)records the outcome of the Annual Review as satisfactory or not satisfactory and returns this decision in a simple note to the Head of Graduate School (HGS) and HR.Only Assistants with a satisfactory review outcome will be offered a contract in the forthcoming year.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

These following terms and conditions apply to all DA Awardsoffered by Mary Immaculate College (MIC).

  • The scheme is managed by the RGS on behalf of the ET, including management of appointment contracts, annual renewal and discontinuation of DA awards. Selection, induction, definition and apportionment of duties, monitoring and evaluation of DAs operates through Academic Departments. The detailed processes relating to the scheme that are set out in this document are validated by HR.
  • The Scheme makes provision for the award of the following:
  • One Assistantship per department per annum,
  • Subject to contract
  • Awarded by open and publicly advertised competition
  • Potentially annually renewable for 3 years
  • A full fee waiver in Year 4, in consultation with the HoD and HGS
  • Only full-time MIC registered postgraduate research students may take up this award.
  • Value of Assistantship: The currentAssistantshipvalue is a stipend of €6,900.00(AY 2017/18) with a full fee waiver for a three year period (Year 1-3), and a full fee waiver in Year 4.Stipend instalments are paid monthly beginning in September and ending in May.
  • A DA is obliged to provide up to a maximum of 130 hours of assistance to their home academic department across the Academic Year or an average of 5 hours per week per semester.A DA may not exceed 10 hours of Departmental duties in any given week during the semester.
  • The duration of each Assistantship Award is for one academic year with the possibility that it may be renewed subject to satisfactory academic progress and satisfactory performance, as determined through the MIC Annual Progression Review and Departmental Assistants Annual Review processes.
  • The Head of Department (HoD) seeks the widest field of applicants through promotion and advertising in the print and electronic media inside and / or outside MIC, in consultation with Corporate Communications and Management (CCM).
  • The applicant submits an Application Portfolio defined and published by the Departmental Assistantships Recruitment and Selection Committee and / or Interview Panel.
  • Following receipt of the recommendations for an Assistantship Award from the HoD viva the HGS, the College ET will make an offer of an Assistantship to the successful applicants.
  • It is a requirement for each of these Assistantship Awards that DAs shall sign a contract and comply fully with its terms and conditions.
  • It is a requirement for each of these Assistantship Awardsthat DAsshall complete a Self-Declaration on Criminal Offences form in consultation with SAA.
  • The financial value of the Assistantship Awards may vary but information on their current value is available from the MIC RGSO or the Finance Office.
  • A DA may not be held for more than two years in the case of a Research Masters student and three years in case of a PhD student.
  • In a case where a Research Master’s student transfers to the PhD register, he/she is eligible for funding for a maximum period of three years from the date of initial registration for the Master’s.
  • Awardees may not take on any office of profit or employment during the normal working hours of the College, without the written approval of the HoD, the Dean of Faculty and HGS, andin consultation with the Research Supervisor andHR.
  • Awardees are bound by the postgraduate academic rules and regulations of the University of Limerick (UL) and those of MIC.

Appendix A

FLOATING DEPARTMENTAL ASSISTANTSHIPS (FDA) COMPETITION 2017

1.Outline of Competition

A set of 4 Floating Departmental Assistantships (FDAs) will be provided on a competitive basis in the Academic Year 2017/18. 2 FDAs will be reserved for Departments allocated an FDA in the AY 2016/17 (Category 1) and 2 will be reserved for Departments that were not allocated an FDA in the AY 2015/16 and/or 2014/15 (Category 2).

2.Deadline

The deadline for receipt of applications is no later than 2.00 pm on Friday,5th May, 2017.

Applications should be sent directly to the RGSO at:

3.Applicant

The Applicant for the purposes of this competition is the Head of Department.

4.Eligibility

The competition is organised into two categories and the Applicant must apply under the appropriate category.

Category 1 is for Departments who were allocated an FDA in the AY 2016/17.

Category 2 is for Departments who were not allocated an FDA in the AY 2015/16 and/or the AY 2014/15.

5.Proposal

Category 1: Departments allocated an FDA in the AY 2016/17

  • The Head will show how Departmental Assistants (DAs and FDAs) have been deployed in the Department over the last three years (to end of May, 2017), using a tabular format and statement of up to 750 words.
  • The Head will make a case for why the Department should be granted one FDA in the AY 2017/18, including details of how the full complement of DAs and FDAs will be deployed in the AY 2017/18 (to end of May, 2018), using a tabular format and a statement of up to 750 words.

Category 2: Departments not allocated an FDA in the AY 2015/16 and/or the AY 2014/15.

  1. The Head will show how Departmental Assistants (DAs and FDAs) have been deployed in the Department over the last three years (to end of May, 2017), using a tabular format anda statement of up to 750 words.
  1. The Head will make a case for why the Department should be granted one FDA in the AY 2017/18, including details of how the full complement of DAs and FDAs will be deployed in the AY 2017/18 (to end of May, 2018), using a tabular format and a statement of up to 750 words.

A Committee consisting of staff with college-wide roles and responsibilities including the Head of Graduate School who will serve as Chair, the Director of Teaching and Learning and the Associate Vice President Academic will use the above documentation as the basis for determining the allocation of FDAs in 2017/18.

The outcome of the competition will be communicated via email following the June 2017 meeting of ET to the Associate Vice President Research, Faculty Deans and HoDs.

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