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Definition of Activities

Definitions used in completion of staff Time Allocation Schedule (TAS)

The TAS contains 19 different activities that a member of staff can allocate their time to. Definitions of the types of activities that fall under each area are given below:

A. Teaching (T):

B. Research (R):

C. Other Activities (O):

D. General Support:

A Teaching (T):

Activities to be recorded in A.1 to A.4:

  • holding lectures, seminars, tutorials
  • project, workshop and laboratory supervision
  • preparing materials for lectures, tutorials and laboratory classes
  • preparing materials for an agreed new course
  • editing and updating course materials
  • organising and visiting placements, fieldwork
  • supervision/contact time relating to projects, dissertations and assessment
  • other student contact time relating to educational matters including remedial classes
  • preparing and marking examination papers, including resits
  • oral examinations/vivas
  • reading and assessing student dissertations, reading and marking essays and other student work
  • invigilation of examinations including external examinations
  • mentee meetings
  • outreach where T is the underlying activity (e.g. teaching carried out through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership)

A.1 and A.2 Undergraduate and Postgraduate Publicly Funded Teaching:

  • time taught teaching all students on award/credit bearing courses should be allocated to Publicly Funded Teaching in the first instance. A high level adjustment will be made centrally where overseas and self-funded students are a material proportion of the student population on UK based courses
  • all teaching activities like ESF, Erasmus

A.3 and A.4 Non-Publicly Funded Teaching:

  • short courses (full cost short courses; non credit/award bearing courses; overseas courses and other non-publicly funded commercial teaching)
  • teaching carried out through trading units/commercial companies

Support to Teaching

A.5 and A.6 Support for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Teaching :

  • timetabling
  • examination boards
  • preparing prospectuses
  • interviewing students, admissions and induction
  • course and other committees relating to teaching
  • schools liasion
  • pastoral support (outside timetabled tutorials), counselling
  • initial course development (where the future of the course is not certain; preparing materials for an agreed new course should be recorded in A.1 to A.4)
  • module reviews (but subsequent updating and editing etc should be recorded in A.1 to A.4)
  • scholarship and professional development relating to writing books and other publications for teaching purposes
  • advancement of knowledge and skills relating to teaching
  • secondment to/academic exchanges with other universities for teaching activities
  • publicity for teaching facilities and opportunities

B Research (R):

Research is to include research and experimental development. The definition of research, below, is taken from the Frascati Manual:

"Research and Experimental Development (R & D) comprise creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge of man, culture and society and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications. R & D is a term covering three activities: basic research, applied research and experimental development."

Basic research is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundation of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application or use in view.

Applied research is also original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge. It is, however, directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective.

Experimental development is systematic work, drawing on existing knowledge gained from research and/or practical experience that is directed to producing new materials, products or devices, to installing new processes, systems and services, or to improving substantially those already produced or installed.

Routine testing is excluded from R & D and should be reported as Other activities.

In addition, research comprises the following related activities:

  • fieldwork, laboratory, studio, classroom work
  • management of projects, informal discussions, progress reports etc
  • recruitment and supervision of research staff
  • attendance at conferences, seminars and society meetings that are directly connected with specific research projects
  • production of research reports, papers, books
  • training and supervision of PGR students including training in research methodology/review of drafts and preparation of thesis, and external examining
  • collaboration with other departments or institutions in any of the above
  • outreach where R is the underlying activity (e.g. research carried out through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership)

B.7 Institution/ own-funded research:

  • institution own-funded or Funding Council funded work where there is no external sponsor commissioning the work but where the work is expected to be published.

Externally funded research activity should be recorded in B.8 to B.12 depending on who funds the research activity.

B.8 Projects funded by Research Councils

B.9 Projects funded by UK Government Departments

B.10 Projects funded by EU Government Bodies including European Commission

B.11 Projects funded by UK based Charities

B.12 Projects funded by Any Other External Sponsor

includes projects funded by:

  • European Industry
  • Other non-EU Government bodies
  • Other Overseas Governments
  • Overseas Industry and Commerce
  • Overseas Higher Education Institutions
  • Overseas Charities
  • QUB Endowments
  • Other UK Universities

B.13 Other Research and Scholarly Activity

  • speculative research undertaken to investigate the potential of ideas before preparing grant or contract bids
  • maintenance and advancement of own personal knowledge and skills (reading literature, attending professional conferences, maintaining professional skills, CPD, acquiring new skills)    

B.14 Training and Supervision of Post Graduate Research (PGR) students

  • all training and supervision time relating to PGR students irrespective of their funding source

B.15 Support to Research (R):

  • drafting and redrafting proposals for new work and supporting bids to external bodies
  • refereeing papers
  • quality assurance e.g. related to the REF
  • unpaid work advising government departments or committees, professional bodies or agencies in relation to research matters
  • University and school committee work supporting research
  • block time in other institutions on research exchange schemes
  • publicity for research facilities and opportunities

C Other Activities (O):

C.16 and C.17 for the School of Medicine,Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences will be as follows:

C.16 Clinical Services

  • all time spent on NHS duties

C.17 Consultancy/Other Services Rendered (inc Support to Other Activities)

  • consultancy (excluding private) i.e. that is contracted to the institution and carried out in institution time; including advisory work, journal editing, feasibility studies
  • other services rendered, including testing and non-R clinical trials
  • work carried out through trading units/commercial companies that is not teaching or research
  • technology transfer work if remunerated through the university
  • outreach (where the outreach activity is not teaching or research)
  • drafting and redrafting proposals for new work and supporting bids to external bodies for consultancy and other services rendered activities
  • negotiating contract terms and conditions with external bodies

C.16 and C.17 for all other Schools will be as follows:

C.16 Consultancy/Other Services Rendered

  • consultancy (excluding private) i.e. that is contracted to the institution and carried out in institution time; including advisory work, journal editing, feasibility studies
  • other services rendered, including testing and non-R clinical trials
  • work carried out through trading units/commercial companies that is not teaching or research
  • technology transfer work if remunerated through the university
  • outreach (where the outreach activity is not teaching or research)

C.17 Support to Other Activities

  • drafting and redrafting proposals for new work and supporting bids to external bodies for consultancy and other services rendered activities
  • negotiating contract terms and conditions with external bodies

D General Support:

Include in this section any activities which cannot be directly attributed to Teaching,Research or Other

D.18 Faculty and University Administration

  • membership of/participation at faculty boards, institution committees etc not included under either teaching or research
  • management duties such as deans, head of admissions etc.
  • staff management, appraisal
  • publicity, representative work on behalf of the university or school
  • careers advice
  • information returns
  • quality assurance contribution to sector e.g. on (unpaid) committees or review work (where the QA activity relates to T or R, e.g. for QAA or REF reviews, then it should be recorded under support for T (A.5 or A.6) and support for R (B.15) respectively.
  • secondments, exchanges

D19 Any other activity not covered above

  • long term sick leave
  • new unit setup
  • any other exceptional activity