B/12.7 Professional Development Leave (PDL) for academic staff

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12.7.1 Policy principles
12.7.2 PDL Committees
12.7.3 PDL funding
12.7.4 PDL-Long
12.7.5 PDL-Short
Related Documents
Modification History

12.7.1 Policy principles

The Professional Development Leave (PDL) program provides support for academic staff to undertake a coherent program of activities directed towards:

• enhancing their knowledge, skills, professional experience and performance within their academic discipline, and
• assisting the University to meet its goals with respect to teaching, research, community and professional service.

Through this program the University seeks to advance the professional and academic standing of staff and the University as a whole. The program supports staff who have demonstrated a record of achievement in their discipline, as well as providing for the development of staff in the early stages of their academic career.

PDL programs are normally carried out at a location other than the employee's home or QUT.

PDL programs of 20 working days or less (PDL-Short) are approved by heads of school or equivalent, with the executive dean of faculty determining final approval on programs involving overseas travel. For more information on PDL-Short, staff should consult the PDL-Short policy (see B/12.7.5 below). PDL-Short incorporates leave to attend conferences.

PDL programs of greater than 20 working days (PDL-Long) are approved by the executive dean of faculty/head of division on the recommendation of the Faculty / Division PDL committee. For more information on PDL-Long, staff should consult the PDL-Long policy (see B/12.7.4 below).

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12.7.2 PDL Committees

Each Faculty / Division employing academic staff will have a committee designated to advise the executive dean of faculty / head of division on matters relating to PDL.

Terms of Reference

The Faculty / Division PDL Committee will provide advice to the executive dean of faculty / head of division on the implementation of PDL policy within the Faculty / Division. Specific duties for the Faculty / Division PDL Committee are outlined below in sections B/12.7.3 , B/12.7.4 and B/12.7.5 .

The executive dean of faculty/head of division will report annually to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, based on advice from the PDL Committee, on the nature of the PDL programs undertaken within the faculty / division. The report will also cover funding levels for PDL-Long and PDL-Short, and the manner in which these funds were allocated, distributed and expended within the faculty / division.

Membership

PDL committees will include at least two elected academic staff representatives with full voting rights, and a secretary appointed by the executive dean of faculty / head of division. When establishing a PDL committee, faculty / division staff should have regard to gender balance and other equity issues (see Council Procedure 1 - Committees).

Tenure and Frequency of Meeting

Elected PDL committee members will hold office for up to two years, with half the members standing down at the end of each year. Members are eligible for re-election.

PDL committees will meet at least bi-annually.

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12.7.3 PDL funding

Recognition and reward of the accomplishments of staff is essential to the motivation, attraction and retention of quality staff. The University is committed to recognising and rewarding such accomplishments which further the University's vision.

In line with this commitment, QUT provides academic staff with access to a promotion scheme which focuses on demonstrated accomplishment across the areas of teaching, research and scholarship, and service. These areas cover the diversity of academic activities and recognise disciplinary differences.

Staff are guided and assisted in career development and opportunities for promotion through the University's Performance Planning and Review process (see B/9.2).

For the purpose of this policy:

• "Research staff" means research staff appointed at Levels A - D.
• "Head of School" means the head of a school or other unit with which the staff member is associated, and includes anyone acting in that role on a temporary basis.
• "Executive Dean of Faculty" means the executive dean of a faculty or equivalent
• "Faculty" means faculty or equivalent
• "Promotion Committee" refers to Faculty Promotion Committee or University Promotion Committee as relevant.

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12.7.4 PDL-Long

Eligibility

The PDL-Long program provides support for ongoing and fixed term academic staff (including research-only academic staff) employed by QUT on a full-time or part-time (not sessional) basis.

Staff applying for PDL-Long will normally have completed two years of continuous service at QUT, and have demonstrated a sustained record of productivity as recorded through the PPR-AS process (see B/9.2). In exceptional circumstances staff may apply to the executive dean of faculty / head of division to be considered for PDL-Long prior to completing two years of continuous service.

Eligibility for PDL-Long may be withdrawn if the applicant's employment status changes (for example, the applicant gives notice of resignation or retirement). The Faculty / Division PDL Committee will determine the continuing eligibility of applicants.

Programs Supported

PDL-Long provides a consolidated period of time in which academic staff can engage in one or more activities relevant to their academic work. As such, PDL-Long is not normally approved for activities that can be undertaken while continuing normal academic duties.

PDL-Long may consist of, but will not be limited to:

• Undertaking research in libraries, universities and research institutions;
• Undertaking professional experience in the workplace;
• Visiting industrial, professional or governmental agencies and establishments;
• Teaching in an educational institution, or developing teaching or curriculum materials;
• Exchanges and secondments to other universities or industrial, professional or governmental agencies and establishments. Note that exchanges and secondments involve procedures additional to those contained in this policy. Staff should examine the procedures relating to secondments and exchanges available from Human Resources Department .
• Undertaking studies for the completion of a higher degree.

The Faculty / Division PDL Committee will determine whether or not the proposed program of activities meets the requirements of the PDL policy.

Process for Considering Applications

The process for considering PDL-Long applications will be determined by the executive dean of faculty / head of division on the recommendation of the relevant PDL committee. The process will be communicated to staff within the faculty / division in a timely manner. The process should be consistent with the following elements:

• Academic staff will provide their head of school or equivalent with advance notice of their PDL-Long application, and discuss the proposed program with their head of school or equivalent. This is expected to occur as part of the planning cycle of the PPR-AS process.
• Applications will be lodged by a due date set by the PDL committee. Applications involving an absence greater than two months should reach the committee at least six months before the commencement of the proposed program. After submission, the committee may seek further information from the applicant if required.
• The head of school or equivalent will provide a statement on the program framed against the criteria below. This statement should indicate whether the application is supported by the head of school or equivalent. The statement should detail how the academic staff member's normal teaching and other duties will be covered during the period of absence.
• Final approval for a PDL program will be granted by the executive dean of faculty/head of division, after all relevant supporting documentation has been received. Such documentation may include letters of support from host institutions, finalisation of salary details from host organisations, etc.

Criteria for Assessing PDL-Long Applications

The proposed duration and location of the program will be considered by the PDL committee in terms of the objectives of the program. In addition, PDL-Long applications will be assessed by the committee in relation to the following criteria:

• The extent to which the PDL-Long program expands staff members' knowledge, skills, experience and performance within their academic discipline;
• The extent to which the PDL-Long program delivers tangible outcomes related to faculty / division goals in one or more of teaching, research, and service;
• The extent to which the activities are consistent with the overall objectives of the program;
• The feasibility of the objectives;
• The proposed dissemination strategies.

Support for PDL-Long

Support for PDL-Long will be determined by the PDL Committee based on the nature and merit of the program, and on available funds. Support may consist of:

• Leave from normal academic duties at QUT for the duration of the program;
• The staff member's salary;
• A single return airfare appropriate to the program;
• A travel away from home allowance.

Where airfares are funded the applicant will receive the most economical return airfare to the principal destination, or an around-the-world economy airfare, whichever is cheaper. Staff are expected to use QUT's approved travel agent, and to comply with QUT's travel policies and requirements (see G/5.5).

Applicants may request additional funds to cover ground transport to locations outside the principal destination area, (for example, intercity transport). Applications for ground travel support need to demonstrate that such funding is necessary for the achievement of the program's objectives. Staff are expected to use the most cost effective form of ground travel.

The travel away from home allowance is designed to assist with the additional costs associated with living and travelling away from one's normal place of residence. The travel away from home allowance is reviewed annually by the Human Resources Director (see Human Resources web page - under travel allowances).

Where an applicant is attending a conference as part of their PDL-Long program the applicant may request funding to cover conference registration fees.

Outside Earnings

Given the costs associated with working and living away from home, especially overseas, staff members are encouraged to seek funding over and above the support provided to them by QUT. This may include scholarships or grants, salaries or other forms of income from sources external to QUT.

In some cases the activities conducted by a staff member on PDL-Long may provide a commercial or financial benefit to an external organisation. In these cases the staff member may wish to seek some funding for their program from the external organisation.

In relation to salaries or income from external organisations employing the staff member, the following provisions apply:

• Staff members living away from their normal place of residence will retain net external income (ie external income less PDL related expenses) up to a maximum of 50% of their gross QUT salary for the period of the PDL-Long program. Where dependents accompany the staff member on PDL-Long this amount will be increased by 5% per dependent. When two QUT staff members with common dependents are going on PDL-Long, dependents can only be counted once. Net external income earned in excess of these amounts is to be paid to the relevant cost centre within QUT.
• For staff members living at their normal place of residence, their gross QUT salary is reduced by the total amount of their net external income, less an allowance for PDL related expenses. Alternatively, the staff member may retain his or her full QUT salary, and the external income is to be transferred to the relevant cost centre within QUT, less an allowance for PDL related expenses.
• Staff members may choose to forego their QUT salary for the period of their PDL-Long program. In this case, the staff member will retain all remuneration received from external sources.

In the points above, PDL related expenses refer to costs not normally incurred while employed at QUT, and are determined by the executive dean of faculty / head of division in each case on the recommendation of the relevant PDL Committee.

Salary and Leave Accruals

Subject to the above section on outside earnings, a staff member's normal salary and conditions of employment accrue during any period of paid PDL-Long. For absences of three months or more, normal recreation leave credits accrue, and should be taken in the course of the PDL-Long program. If this is not possible, staff members must seek approval from their head of school or equivalent for the leave to be taken at a later date.

Staff members may choose to forego their QUT salary for the period of their PDL-Long program. In this case the staff member will continue to accrue normal leave credits, including long service leave, recreation leave, sick leave, and service credits for salary progression during the period of leave.

The university does not continue to pay superannuation payments during periods of PDL-Long without pay.

Service on Return

The staff member is expected to continue in service at QUT after completing the PDL-Long leave. The period of service on return will be equivalent to the period of absence. If this undertaking is not fulfilled, the executive dean of faculty / head of division may recommend to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor that the staff member be required to refund some or all of the allowances provided.

Report on PDL-Long

Following completion of PDL-Long, staff are required to report to the relevant PDL-Long committee through their Head of School or equivalent on the outcomes of the program. The report is used to assess the extent to which the objectives of the program have been met, and will be referred to when considering subsequent applications for PDL-Long by the staff member.

The report also will describe how the outcomes of the program have been or will be disseminated within the faculty / division. PDL-Long reports, once approved by the committee, will be accessible by other staff members within the faculty / division.

PDL report guidelines are available from the Human Resources Department web site.

Variations to Approved Programs

Staff members are expected to pursue the approved program. Except for certified illness or compassionate grounds, any substantial alterations to the duration, location, purpose or timing of the program must be approved by the executive dean of faculty / head of division.

Unauthorised variations to a PDL-Long, or failure to complete a PDL-Long, may result in the Deputy Vice-Chancellor on the recommendation of the executive dean of faculty / head of division, in consultation with the PDL committee, requiring the staff member to refund some or all of the support provided for the program.

Appeals

A staff member may appeal a PDL committee's recommendation to reject their program. Appeals can be made only on the grounds of process. Appeals must be lodged with the Human Resources Director within two weeks of formal advice to the staff member that the application has been rejected. The appeal will be considered by a panel comprising:

• Deputy Vice-Chancellor;
• Two elected academic staff members from a faculty / division committee (other than that of the appellant) designated to assess PDL-Long applications.

This panel will review the process followed by the PDL committee in evaluating the appellant's PDL-Long application. Should the panel conclude that there has been no breach in process, the panel will advise the appellant accordingly. There will be no further right of appeal.

Where the panel concludes that there has been a breach in process, all relevant documentation will be referred to the executive dean of faculty / head of division and the relevant PDL-Long committee, and the application will be reconsidered.

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12.7.5 PDL-Short

Eligibility

The PDL-Short program applies to ongoing and fixed term academic staff, including research only academic staff, employed by QUT on a full time or part time (not sessional) basis.

Programs Supported

PDL-Short leave may consist of, but will not be limited to:

• Conferences;
• Undertaking research in libraries, universities and research institutions;
• Undertaking professional experience in the workplace;
• Visiting industrial, professional or governmental agencies and establishments;
• Establishing or renewing contacts with professional colleagues working in related fields;
• Teaching in an educational institution, or developing teaching or curriculum materials;

The head of school or equivalent will determine whether or not the proposed program of activities constituting a PDL-Short program are appropriate.

Process for Considering Applications

The process for considering PDL-Short applications will be determined by the head of school or equivalent in consultation with the staff of the school or equivalent. The process will be communicated to staff in a timely manner.

Applications for PDL-Short will be submitted to the head of school or equivalent. The head of school or equivalent may seek advice on the application's merit from staff members within the school or equivalent. The head of school or equivalent will then determine the extent to which the application is to be supported. Where the application involves overseas travel final approval will be granted by the executive dean of faculty / head of division.

Applicants should endeavour to time PDL-Short programs so as to disrupt their teaching duties as little as possible. Where possible, applications for PDL-Short should be discussed with the head of school or equivalent as part of the planning cycle of the PPR-AS process.

Appeals

Appeals can be made only on the grounds of process. Academic staff will have access to the dispute resolution procedures (see B/10.1) in making appeals with respect to PDL-Short decisions.

Reporting

The head of school or equivalent will report annually to the executive dean of faculty / head of division through the relevant Faculty / Division PDL Committee on the manner in which PDL-Short funds were expended.

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Related Documents

MOPP D/7.1: Outside work - academic staff

MOPP B/9.2: Performance planning and review for academic staff (PPR-AS)

MOPP B/7.2: Authority to approve leave

MOPP B/7.3: Absence from normal duties on University business

MOPP G/5.5: Travel Policy

Travel away from home allowance ( http://www.hrd.qut.edu.au/staff/salary/)

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Modification History

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