Metrics of minefield academic career paths

TWN Conference 2010Writing the Future

Metrics or Minefield ?Presentation by Carol-Anne Croker

Swinburne University of Technology

Graduating with a Doctorate by Artefact and Exegesis should be the start of promising academic career but presently in Australia the media gives a very mixed message.

On the one hand the Federal Government points out that the academic workforce (like the general taxpayer base) is ageing and there is a predicted skills

shortage ahead.

But where are the students? Where are the jobs?

The Higher Education commentators and public intellectuals wade into print

bemoaning the tenuous state of the Humanities in our Universities. Are the Humanities and Arts under siege and

being pushed fiscally to breaking point?

So, today as a writer…. I would like to take you on a journey with a recent PhD graduate entering the Academy as a junior academic.

And in true Creative Writing

style it’s a…

Choose Your Own

Adventure story !

Your first choice…

Do you seek any work, even sessional tutoring?

Or do you prefer a Post Doc research position?

You were luckyLevel B contract!

You adore teaching, it is so fulfilling and you are a great teacher who loves your creative practice… this will give you heaps of time for your own writing!

You may begin lecturing…

Congratulations you were given a rare

Post-Doc place in the Creative Industries

Discipline

… but at a NON G8 University so there are very few research staff to mentor you.

You may begin your research career…

Ah lecturing….

But hold on…. 600 online students. Lecture prepartion, online lectures to film, resources to update, academic counselling (at all hours because of asynchronous mode of delivery…)

and of course MARKING!

For tenure you need a Teaching Portfolio and high student feedback rankings…

Is there a metric for this?

Ah, research career begins….

You have a small internal research grant to work on with a more senior colleague as mentor

Is there a metric for this?

Metric to demonstrate teaching proficiency?

Hmmm?It’s exciting working with passionate educators and motivated students BUT….

TEQSA aren’t operating yet and what are metrics to record teaching proficiency yet!

Okay then… You apply for an ATLC with your colleague

How can you measure your research contribution?

You have done mostly low level Research Assistant work: lit searches, data collation, creating Endnote libraries, research notes… where are the metrics here?

You need research publications….

Australian Teaching and Learning Grants…

What can your discipline research that will be successful? Creative Arts does not have a great track record here.

Practice-led research… of course

But the Chief applicant needs a research track record… Speak to colleagues.

Publications? Do I try for an A-ranked Journal?

In your discipline area there is only one A or A* ranked journal and your colleague publishes there.

Can you write well enough at this stage for an A ranked journal?

Do you have something worthwhile to say?

Ask senior colleague to co-author a paper with you

You didn’t get an ATLC but you got an internal EARLY CAREER researcher devlopment grant

You have no teaching release and no funds for research assistance and your full-teaching allocation.

Oh well….Proceed to Ethics Application

Congratulations! Your first research points!

But hold on… it’s one ERA point for co-authorship.

It doesn’t give you or your discipline any DEEWR metrics….

or your own THOMPSON CITATION INDEX SCORE.

Begin publishing in lower ranked but International journals for citations

Ethics approval is granted.Begin data collection

• Don’t forget your teaching duties!• Attend discipline PDR sessions and develop

your PDR plans.• Ensure your work admin is up to date for

AQR requirements.• Start your research: Begin lit search by

reading the most up to date journals in Practice-led research

Congratulations you are RESEARCH ACTIVE!

Publish your research area in C ranked discipline specific journals

to stake your claim.

You are beginning to understand that citations come from journals that have the broadest readership, particularly those published in the US or Europe. Citation will come from other scholars IN YOUR FIELD.

Congratulations you gain your first H-score

As your research progresses the pressure to present at conferences and write journal articles intensifies

Your workload is horrendous… so much for work-life balance.

Is 80K worth all this pressure?

You need to pull together a Teaching portfolio too….

Is there a metric for this?

You are asked to referee for a B ranked Australian

journal.Remember to keep researching AND publishing AND presenting at National conferences. This is where the Industry partners will be found!

You are asked to referee for a Discipline specific journal!

You decide to present at an International Conference and use your

PDR money to do so

Your present a paper on the workload stress in the Australian HE sector, focusing on the status of teaching academics within the teaching research nexus particularly in HCA disciplines.

At least You come home with ideas on how to put together your teaching portfolio based upon WBP .

A business sector representative from a Internet Company is interested in your research in digital media content.

Congratulations you have taken your first steps towards and ARC Linkage Grant

There are metrics in that!

Back to lecturing with your PDR portfolio…

Don’t think about it.

There are NO METRICS IN THAT!

Welcome to the Future! Creative Writing in the C21st Academy. Paper submitted to AAWP Conference proceedings (forthcoming)