Rights and Responsibilities

The roles and responsibilities of sessional teaching staff at UNSW vary widely.  Some of you will be employed as tutors or demonstrators, others will be employed as lecturers, and in some cases you will be employed as course designers and coordinators.

It is your responsibility to be as well prepared as possible for your teaching; to this end, you should discuss your specific teaching responsibilities with your supervisor.  If you are employed as a tutor, demonstrator, or lecturer this person will most likely be your course coordinator.  If you are a course coordinator, you will most likely be responsible to the Head of School.  Your supervisor should provide you with all of the materials needed for your course (including course outlines and assessment materials) as well as guidance with marking.  They should be your first point of contact if you have any queries or difficulties with any aspect of your teaching.

Each School also has a sessional teaching staff contact (see School contacts), who will be able to assist you with any administrative and organisational queries.

It is your School's responsibility to provide you with:

• A written contract of employment (if you are employed for more than 4 weeks) that outlines the terms of your appointment, your working conditions, the duties you are expected to perform, and your rate of pay.
• An induction session and/or induction manual, which outlines relevant administrative and organisational details, along with detailing policies relevant to you (eg Occupational Health and Safety policies and procedures).
• Access to office space, office supplies, phone, fax and computer facilities.

Communication

Your School is also responsible for ensuring that there are systematic processes of communication in place which allow you to be easily contacted, and which enable you to easily contact supervisors. 

The Sessional Teaching Staff Strategic Action Plan

There is a standard policy for all Schools and Faculties to follow when developing their own strategies for the recruitment, employment, integration and recognition of their sessional teachers.

This is outlined in the UNSW Sessional Teaching Staff Strategic Action Plan, which can be accessed online at

http://www.learningandteaching.unsw.edu.au/content/userDocs/STS_Strategic_Action_Plan.doc