UWOFA Annotations

Below is a review of the most significant changes to the 2018-2022 Faculty Collective Agreement

Compensation & Benefits

There has been an overall increase in total compensation through:

Salary increases;
Changes to Performance-Linked Career Progress (PLCP) Salary Breakpoints;
Increases to flex credits; and
A new grant of $3,500 for all new Full-Time Members with a Research or Scholarship component of 20% to 39% in their contracts.

Student Questionnaires on Courses & Teaching

Clarification that when Student Questionnaires on Courses and Teaching (SQCTs) are used in Appointments, Annual Performance Evaluation, and Promotion and Tenure processes, they shall only be considered as information about students’ experience in the classroom.
Specification of what data from SQCTs may be used in such processes (class sizes, response rates, distribution of ratings) and that SQCT data may not contain arithmetic averages (such as the average/mean score for any particular question).
Stipulation that a decision to deny Promotion and/or Tenure shall not solely be based on data from SQCTs.
Creation of a Joint Working Group to review tools for the assessment of teaching and make recommendations to enhance them.

Academic Responsibilities

Adds elements from the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies regulations as obligations of Members in fulfilling their academic responsibilities (see the list in clause 9(e)), with the qualification that students shall also meet the relevant expectations and requirements. These elements include providing timely feedback on drafts and scholarship applications and allowing students to engage in professional development.

Annual Performance Evaluation (APE)

Changes the terminology for rating category a) from “outstanding” to “exceptional.” This is to be implemented for assessment in January 2021 and beyond.
Provides that for each of Teaching, Research and Service;

ratings are to be distributed such that category c) (good) represents the level of performance expected to be achieved by the majority of Members;
assignment of category a) (exceptional) will normally not exceed 10% of Members in a Department/Unit (or 2 where there are fewer than 20 Members); and
assignment of category b) (very good) will normally not exceed 30% of Members in a Department/Unit (or 6 where there are fewer than 20 Members).

The Chair or Director will notify the Dean of proposed deviations from these expected distributions, and the Dean may require a rationale. This is to be implemented for assessment in January 2021 and beyond.

Requires that written comments, not merely numerical scores, are provided to Members whose performance is rated below good.
Clarifies details that Members are to provide about supervision of undergraduate student work: start and end dates of the supervision, the student’s program, the role of the Member, and the frequency of meetings or other interactions.
Clarifies that the APE Committee is elected annually. Members serve for a one-year term and may not serve for more than two consecutive terms.

Appointments

Creation of a permanent Teaching Scholar appointment category, with a 60% Teaching, 20% Scholarship Activities and 20% Service workload. The Scholarship Activities component may be research and academic leadership related to teaching and learning and is negotiable. At least twelve such positions to be filled by internal recruitment from current Members holding Limited-Term or Limited-Duties appointments or who have held appointments at the time of ratification.
Twelve new Limited-Term positions to be created by converting Limited-Duties Appointments held by eligible Part-Time Members.

Conflict of Interest & Conflict of Commitment

Requires Members to declare the existence of an actual, apparent or potential conflict.
Specifies than an actual conflict of interest arises when a Member is involved in a sexual or otherwise intimate relationship, or other close personal relationship, with a student with respect to whom the Member is in a supervisory or evaluative role.
Specifies that an apparent or potential conflict of interest arises when a Member is involved in a sexual or otherwise intimate relationship, or other close personal relationship, with a student who is enrolled in a course or program offered by a Faculty in which the Member has Academic Responsibilities or in any graduate program in which the Member has Academic Responsibilities.

Definitions

Upon request, details of voting results will be made available, including the number of votes cast and the numeric result of the vote.

Intellectual Property

Clarification of the circumstances in which Members are required to disclose copyrighted work (a requirement prescribed by a University policy in Manual of Administrative Policies & Procedures (MAPP)). The provision in the Collective Agreement takes priority over the policy. Members are required (clause 2.1) to disclose to the Employer copyrighted work created in the course of employment or through the use of University resources when that work is sold for more than $2,000 or accumulates more than $2,000 in royalties.

Pregnancy, Parental & Adoption Leave

The maximum paid Parental Leave for Members is increased by two weeks to 26 weeks inclusive of any Pregnancy Leave.
In accordance with federal law, maximum Pregnancy/Parental Leave has been extended to 18 months.

Promotion, Tenure & Continuing Status

Specifies that the Promotion and/or Tenure file must include a Research Statement.
Specifies that one member of the P&T Committee will be designated the Committee’s Equity Representative, consistent with the Employment Equity article.

Letter of Understanding – Workload Study Group

Creates a Workload Study Group with representatives from UWOFA and the Employer to identify trends related to workload (class sizes, faculty complement, number of students) and solicit input as to any perceived structural and other changes to Members’ workload.
The Study Group will meet by January 31, 2020 and will submit a final report, including recommendations, by January 31, 2021.