Highly relevant tasks for non-teaching/research-only roles include:

• Undertaking research in an area that complements the existing strengths of the school or faculty, with the aim of publishing original and innovative results in refereed journals.
• Presenting research at academic seminars and at national and international conferences.
• Collaborating with other researchers at a national and/or international level.
• Actively seeking and securing external funding, including the preparation and submission of research proposals to external funding bodies.

Teaching

University Lecturers are academic staff employed by universities who are required to both teach and conduct research in their academic field.

This occupation includes both teaching and non-teaching roles.

Teaching roles, such as Associate Lecturer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Professor, require involvement in both teaching and research. Applicants with the title ‘University Lecturer’ but no scholarly research duties would not meet the criteria for this occupation.

For a positive outcome, applicants must be teaching a higher education course/qualification in a relevant field of study. Teaching Diploma-level courses is not considered highly relevant. Applicants must also be teaching higher education courses and programs accredited by relevant authorities.

Non-teaching roles, or research-only roles, such as Research Associate and Research Fellow, generally do not require teaching but will still meet the assessment requirements if they are primarily responsible for conducting independent academic research at an appropriate skill level.

University Lecturers are academic staff employed by universities who are required to both teach and conduct research in their academic field.

This occupation includes both teaching and non-teaching roles.

Teaching roles, such as Associate Lecturer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Professor, require involvement in both teaching and research. Applicants with the title ‘University Lecturer’ but no scholarly research duties would not meet the criteria for this occupation.

For a positive outcome, applicants must be teaching a higher education course/qualification in a relevant field of study. Teaching Diploma-level courses is not considered highly relevant. Applicants must also be teaching higher education courses and programs accredited by relevant authorities.

Non-teaching roles, or research-only roles, such as Research Associate and Research Fellow, generally do not require teaching but will still meet the assessment requirements if they are primarily responsible for conducting independent academic research at an appropriate skill level.

Research

In Australia, University Lecturers are expected to produce original and innovative research published in refereed journals. Research is a core task of the University Lecturer occupation, and applicants must demonstrate their involvement in scholarly research by providing evidence of published research.

For both teaching and non-teaching/research-only roles, at least one research paper, published in the last five years, is required for employment to be assessed positively. Completing a PhD or MPhil thesis does not meet this requirement. The research publications must be in a field relevant to the area of teaching and the academic qualification. Research papers in progress, submitted, or under peer review, do not meet the research requirement.

Acceptable evidence of research includes:

• Academic journal articles
• Books
• Conference publications

VETASSESS accepts research evidence as original and recognized if it reflects the following attributes:

• Scientific/scholarly investigation: Leading to the discovery of facts or conclusions.
• Empirical processes: Prioritized over personal judgment.
• Academic bibliography: Includes scholarly sources, not generic sources like magazines.
• Targeted audience: Written for readers with a certain level of knowledge about the field.
• Publication standards: Published by internationally recognized university presses, academic publishers, or professional organizations in peer-reviewed journals, usually monthly or quarterly.
• Peer review: High academic standards due to rigorous peer review by experts in the field.
• Verification and traceability: Research must be verifiable and traceable.

The assessment is made on a case-by-case basis, considering international recognition, the peer-review process, publication history, and relevant indicators. For example, research papers published in academic journals indexed in Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and ARC ERA Journal List are considered ‘recognized’. Publications in potential predatory journals and publishers are not acceptable.

Payment Evidence

Employment must be fully paid for a positive assessment. According to the Department of Home Affairs’ requirements, skilled employment is considered ‘remunerated’ when individuals are engaged in the occupation on a paid basis, typically at the award or market rate of the occupation. Those receiving living allowances or scholarships aimed at covering study expenses are not considered appropriately remunerated.

For University Lecturers on paid study leave (while remaining on the payroll) to pursue studies or research related to their role, the employment period during study leave may be considered. However, only paid study leave at full pay is accepted as appropriate remuneration. Applicants must provide additional evidence, such as contract variations and payslips, to support these claims.

Sessional Academics

Sessional academics are casual faculty members who undertake teaching and other agreed duties for specific academic terms. Typically, they are employed in teaching roles without research responsibilities. However, sessional academic roles can still be assessed positively if individuals are consistently engaged in both teaching and research for at least 20 hours per week as part of their paid employment. Applicants must provide official evidence from their employer to support these claims.