Associate Professor: Academic Support (P5) at University of South Africa/Universiteit van Suid-Afrika

The purpose of this position is to:

• provide general academic leadership in the development of postgraduate research training programmes within the UNISA’s Open-Distance-eLearning (ODeL) context and ensure that postgraduate research training programmes contribute to the improvement of quality and quantity of postgraduate students
• provide general academic leadership in the development of support programmes and assessment/ examination strategies and processes of postgraduate students ranging from admission to submission of thesis/dissertation.
• support and assess postgraduate students’ work (i.e., research proposals, publications and thesis/dissertation)
• train research supervisors in supervision practices and publishing the student’s work
• supervise/promote Master’s and Doctoral students
• conduct research that could be discipline, field and/or subject specific thereby enhancing the University’s standing as a research institute of international repute.

ACADEMICS - CANDIDATES WITH A RESEARCH OR ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

• Applicable and relevant qualification equivalent to NQF level 10 (e.g. PhD or Doctoral Degree) or related field (foreign qualifications to be evaluated by SAQA)
• A minimum of 5 years’ relevant experience of which 2 must be teaching experience
• Able to discuss teaching reflection and statement
• At least 2 postgraduate candidates successfully supervised to completion, of which 1 must be a doctoral candidate
• A research reflection and/or portfolio
• 7 research output unitsӿ during the previous 5 years OR 5 research output unitsӿ during the previous 3 years
• OR 1,5 research output unitsӿ during the previous 1 year
• Active involvement in community engagement, with evidence of how this has been transferred into teaching and learning and/or curriculum transformation and/or research outputs
• Evidence of engaged scholarship/community engagement and outreach
• Evidence of contribution and leadership in departmental, school, college and university committees including task teams and professional associations
• Evidence of contribution in the national wider academic community and learned societies
• Provide academic leadership in the university processes and procedures for the assessment of Master’s and Doctoral students
• The ability and experience to obtain external grants/funding
• ӿ (It is an accredited output as recognized in the Research Output Policy, 2015 (Government Gazette 38552 of 11 March 2015).

(OTHER THAN ACADEMICS) - CANDIDATES FROM OTHER BACKGROUNDS

• Applicable and relevant qualification equivalent to NQF level 10 (e.g. PhD or Doctoral Degree) or related field (foreign qualifications to be evaluated by SAQA)
• 5 years relevant experience
• Able to discuss teaching reflection and statement
• At least 1 doctoral candidate supervised to completion
• A research reflection and/or portfolio
• 6 research output unitsӿ during the previous 5 years OR 4 research output unitsӿ during the previous 3 years
• OR 1,2 research output unitsӿ during the previous 1 year
• Evidence of engaged scholarship/community engagement and outreach
• Demonstrate potential to participate in community engagement and an understanding of community engagement in terms of teaching and learning, research and innovation.
• Evidence of participation in workplace committees or task teams and professional associations
• Evidence of involvement in the national wider academic community and learned societies
• Evidence of membership in at least 1 relevant learned society
• The ability and experience to obtain external grants/funding
• ӿ (It is an accredited output as recognized in the Research Output Policy, 2015 (Government Gazette
•  38552 of 11 March 2015).

Recommendations

• NRF rating will be an added advantage
• Experience in research in an ODeL environment
• Evidence of contribution in the international wider academic community and learned societies (Academics)
• Evidence of involvement in the national wider academic community and learned societies (Other than Academics)