Academic Chemistry Workload Modelling

The request was partially successful.

Dear Aston University,

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information from the University regarding the workload allocation models and tariffs used to model the workload of your academic Chemistry staff:

1. What activities are recognised by the workload model for Chemistry staff?
2. What tariffs are associated with each activity (i.e. how much time is allocated for each activity) for Chemistry staff?
3. How is the total workload of a member of Chemistry staff modelled (i.e. what protocol is used to combine tariffs)?
4. What formal guidance is given to managers relating to the link between contracts of employment and the calculated workloads of Chemistry staff? In particular:
(a) What are the maximum and minimum permissible tariffed workloads for a member of staff in a full-time role?
(b) What are the broad subcategories of activity (such as Teaching or Research) recognised in academic roles?
(c) What is the division of total workload between these subcategories in contracts of employment (e.g. 40% Teaching, 60% Research)? How does this division relate to modelled workload?
(d) How are part-time contracts modelled differently to full-time contracts?
(e) What is the intended relationship between modelled workload and true workload? (e.g. modelled workload is expected to be 20% less than true workload, or to match true workload, or to exceed true workload by 20%)

Please provide information in the form of a Microsoft Word document in either the .doc or .docx format.

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance – under your Section 16 obligations – as to how I can refine my request to be included within the scope of the Act.

In any case, if you can identify ways that my request could be refined please provide further advice and assistance to indicate this.

I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as stipulated by the Act.
If you have any further queries please don’t hesitate to contact me, and I will be happy to clarify what I am asking for.

Yours faithfully,

Mr O'Neill

FOI Requests, Aston University

The University will be closed from 25 December 2019 to 1 January 2020
inclusive.  Your email will be read and acknowledged when the office
reopens.  If you are making a request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000, we will respond within 20 working days of receipt of your email,
subject to any clarification that may be needed.  If you are making a
request under the GDPR or the Data Protection Act 2018, we will respond
within 1 calendar month, subject to receipt of identification and
clarification of your requirements, if needed. 

Please note that the University does not accept service by email.

FOI Requests, Aston University

1 Attachment

Dear Mr O’Neill

Our ref: FOI/2021/082

Thank you for your email of 3 November 2020. Your request will be dealt
with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and will be
answered within twenty working days of receipt. We will endeavour to
provide the information as early as possible.

If you have any queries about this request please do not hesitate to
contact us, quoting the reference number above.

Kind regards.

Yours sincerely,

Alice Mineyko

 

Alice Mineyko
Counsel
[1]http://static.aston.ac.uk/emails/sigs/au...
Office of the General Counsel
Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
aston.ac.uk

 

The contents of this email and any attachments may be privileged and are
confidential.  It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the
addressee, nor copied in any way.  If received in error, please notify the
sender and then delete it from your system.  Aston University does not
accept service by email.

 

From: Mr O'Neill <[FOI #703524 email]>
Sent: 03 November 2020 18:44
To: FOI Requests <[Aston University request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Academic Chemistry Workload
Modelling

 

Dear Aston University,

 

 

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request
the following information from the University regarding the workload
allocation models and tariffs used to model the workload of your academic
Chemistry staff:

 

 

1. What activities are recognised by the workload model for Chemistry
staff?

2. What tariffs are associated with each activity (i.e. how much time is
allocated for each activity) for Chemistry staff?

3. How is the total workload of a member of Chemistry staff modelled (i.e.
what protocol is used to combine tariffs)?

4. What formal guidance is given to managers relating to the link between
contracts of employment and the calculated workloads of Chemistry staff?
In particular:

(a) What are the maximum and minimum permissible tariffed workloads for a
member of staff in a full-time role?

(b) What are the broad subcategories of activity (such as Teaching or
Research) recognised in academic roles?

(c) What is the division of total workload between these subcategories in
contracts of employment (e.g. 40% Teaching, 60% Research)? How does this
division relate to modelled workload?

(d) How are part-time contracts modelled differently to full-time
contracts?

(e) What is the intended relationship between modelled workload and true
workload? (e.g. modelled workload is expected to be 20% less than true
workload, or to match true workload, or to exceed true workload by 20%)

 

 

Please provide information in the form of a Microsoft Word document in
either the .doc or .docx format.

 

 

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the
information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section
12, please provide advice and assistance – under your Section 16
obligations – as to how I can refine my request to be included within the
scope of the Act.

 

 

In any case, if you can identify ways that my request could be refined
please provide further advice and assistance to indicate this.

 

 

I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as stipulated by
the Act.

If you have any further queries please don’t hesitate to contact me, and I
will be happy to clarify what I am asking for.

 

 

Yours faithfully,

 

 

Mr O'Neill

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

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[FOI #703524 email]

 

 

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Information requests to Aston University? If so, please contact us using
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Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

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2. mailto:[Aston University request email]

FOI Requests, Aston University

3 Attachments

Dear Mr O’Neill

 

Please find attached the University’s response to your request for
information.

 

Kind regards.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Alice Mineyko

 

Alice Mineyko
Counsel
[1]http://static.aston.ac.uk/emails/sigs/au...
Office of the General Counsel
Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
aston.ac.uk

 

The contents of this email and any attachments may be privileged and are
confidential.  It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the
addressee, nor copied in any way.  If received in error, please notify the
sender and then delete it from your system.  Aston University does not
accept service by email.

 

From: Mr O'Neill <[FOI #703524 email]>
Sent: 03 November 2020 18:44
To: FOI Requests <[Aston University request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Academic Chemistry Workload
Modelling

 

Dear Aston University,

 

 

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request
the following information from the University regarding the workload
allocation models and tariffs used to model the workload of your academic
Chemistry staff:

 

 

1. What activities are recognised by the workload model for Chemistry
staff?

2. What tariffs are associated with each activity (i.e. how much time is
allocated for each activity) for Chemistry staff?

3. How is the total workload of a member of Chemistry staff modelled (i.e.
what protocol is used to combine tariffs)?

4. What formal guidance is given to managers relating to the link between
contracts of employment and the calculated workloads of Chemistry staff?
In particular:

(a) What are the maximum and minimum permissible tariffed workloads for a
member of staff in a full-time role?

(b) What are the broad subcategories of activity (such as Teaching or
Research) recognised in academic roles?

(c) What is the division of total workload between these subcategories in
contracts of employment (e.g. 40% Teaching, 60% Research)? How does this
division relate to modelled workload?

(d) How are part-time contracts modelled differently to full-time
contracts?

(e) What is the intended relationship between modelled workload and true
workload? (e.g. modelled workload is expected to be 20% less than true
workload, or to match true workload, or to exceed true workload by 20%)

 

 

Please provide information in the form of a Microsoft Word document in
either the .doc or .docx format.

 

 

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the
information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section
12, please provide advice and assistance – under your Section 16
obligations – as to how I can refine my request to be included within the
scope of the Act.

 

 

In any case, if you can identify ways that my request could be refined
please provide further advice and assistance to indicate this.

 

 

I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as stipulated by
the Act.

If you have any further queries please don’t hesitate to contact me, and I
will be happy to clarify what I am asking for.

 

 

Yours faithfully,

 

 

Mr O'Neill

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[2][FOI #703524 email]

 

 

Is [3][Aston University request email] the wrong address for Freedom of
Information requests to Aston University? If so, please contact us using
this form:

[4]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

 

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[5]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

 

 

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:

[6]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

 

 

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

References

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3. mailto:[Aston University request email]
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6. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Dear FOI Requests,

Thank you for your response. You state that 'Each of the tasks in the model has been allocated a number of hours'. Are you able to provide the allocations for each task?

Yours sincerely,

Mr O'Neill

FOI Requests, Aston University

If you are making a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we
will respond within 20 working days of receipt of your email, subject to
any clarification that may be needed.  If you are making a request under
the GDPR or the Data Protection Act 2018, we will respond within 1
calendar month, subject to receipt of identification and clarification of
your requirements, if needed. 

Please note that the University does not accept service by email.

FOI Requests, Aston University

1 Attachment

Dear Mr O’Neill

 

Thank you for your email.  We are seeking clarification on this point and
will respond as soon as possible.

 

Kind regards.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Alice Mineyko

 

Alice Mineyko
Counsel
[1]http://static.aston.ac.uk/emails/sigs/au...
Office of the General Counsel
Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
aston.ac.uk

 

The contents of this email and any attachments may be privileged and are
confidential.  It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the
addressee, nor copied in any way.  If received in error, please notify the
sender and then delete it from your system.  Aston University does not
accept service by email.

 

From: Mr O'Neill <[FOI #703524 email]>
Sent: 02 December 2020 16:26
To: FOI Requests <[Aston University request email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Academic Chemistry Workload
Modelling

 

Dear FOI Requests,

 

 

Thank you for your response. You state that 'Each of the tasks in the
model has been allocated a number of hours'. Are you able to provide the
allocations for each task?

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Mr O'Neill

 

 

show quoted sections

FOI Requests, Aston University

1 Attachment

Dear Mr O’Neill

 

Having consulted with the College, we have determined that this
information is commercially sensitive to the University and is therefore
exempt under section 43(2) of the Freedom of information Act 2000.

 

The information requested relates to the resourcing model and thereby the
pedagogic approach used by the College to deliver programmes that are also
offered by competitors. The internal resource model reflects our
assessment of the pedagogic delivery which is best placed to attract
students, and therefore provides the University with a competitive
advantage.  This information would be useful to our competitors in
assessing the effectiveness of our approach and how to gain an advantage
in student recruitment for these courses.

 

We have applied the public interest test, as required by the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.  While we acknowledge that there is a public
interest in transparency, in our opinion this is outweighed by the fact
that the University operates in a competitive environment and needs to be
able to operate on a commercially attractive basis.  We therefore need to
have the freedom to withhold certain information which in our opinion is
likely to give a competitive advantage if disclosed. 

 

Kind regards.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Alice Mineyko

 

Alice Mineyko
Counsel
[1]http://static.aston.ac.uk/emails/sigs/au...
Office of the General Counsel
Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
aston.ac.uk

 

The contents of this email and any attachments may be privileged and are
confidential.  It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the
addressee, nor copied in any way.  If received in error, please notify the
sender and then delete it from your system.  Aston University does not
accept service by email.

 

From: Mr O'Neill <[FOI #703524 email]>
Sent: 02 December 2020 16:26
To: FOI Requests <[Aston University request email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Academic Chemistry Workload
Modelling

 

Dear FOI Requests,

 

 

Thank you for your response. You state that 'Each of the tasks in the
model has been allocated a number of hours'. Are you able to provide the
allocations for each task?

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Mr O'Neill

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear Aston University,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Aston University's handling of my FOI request 'Academic Chemistry Workload Modelling'.

Specifically, I request a review of the public interest test used to withhold information. I note that the public commitment in the 2018 Aston strategy document states that Aston will:

'support our staff to succeed and deliver high quality research and teaching'

I submit that there is an additional burden of transparency associated with making this public commitment, and I request that you consider this in your review.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...

Yours faithfully,

Mr O'Neill

FOI Requests, Aston University

The University is now closed and will reopen on Monday 4 January 2021. 
Your email will be reviewed on our return. 
Aston University does not accept service by email.

FOI Requests, Aston University

1 Attachment

Dear Mr O’Neill         

Our ref: FOI/2021/082

Thank you for your request for appeal dated 23 December 2020. Your request
will be dealt with under the University’s FOI appeal process as stated in
our letter of response.

Kind regards.

Yours sincerely,

Alice Mineyko

 

Alice Mineyko
Counsel
[1]http://static.aston.ac.uk/emails/sigs/au...
Office of the General Counsel
Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
aston.ac.uk

 

The contents of this email and any attachments may be privileged and are
confidential.  It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the
addressee, nor copied in any way.  If received in error, please notify the
sender and then delete it from your system.  Aston University does not
accept service by email.

 

From: Mr O'Neill <[FOI #703524 email]>
Sent: 23 December 2020 08:06
To: FOI Requests <[Aston University request email]>
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Academic
Chemistry Workload Modelling

 

Dear Aston University,

 

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information
reviews.

 

I am writing to request an internal review of Aston University's handling
of my FOI request 'Academic Chemistry Workload Modelling'.

 

Specifically, I request a review of the public interest test used to
withhold information. I note that the public commitment in the 2018 Aston
strategy document states that Aston will:

 

'support our staff to succeed and deliver high quality research and
teaching'

 

I submit that there is an additional burden of transparency associated
with making this public commitment, and I request that you consider this
in your review.

 

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on
the Internet at this address:
[2]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Mr O'Neill

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[3][FOI #703524 email]

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[4]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

 

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:

[5]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

 

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
2. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...
3. mailto:[FOI #703524 email]
4. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...
5. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

FOI Requests, Aston University

2 Attachments

Dear Mr O’Neill

 

Please see attached letter.

 

Kind regards.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Alice Mineyko

 

Alice Mineyko
Counsel
[1]http://static.aston.ac.uk/emails/sigs/au...
Office of the General Counsel
Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
aston.ac.uk

 

The contents of this email and any attachments may be privileged and are
confidential.  It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the
addressee, nor copied in any way.  If received in error, please notify the
sender and then delete it from your system.  Aston University does not
accept service by email.

 

From: Mr O'Neill <[FOI #703524 email]>
Sent: 23 December 2020 08:06
To: FOI Requests <[Aston University request email]>
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Academic
Chemistry Workload Modelling

 

Dear Aston University,

 

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information
reviews.

 

I am writing to request an internal review of Aston University's handling
of my FOI request 'Academic Chemistry Workload Modelling'.

 

Specifically, I request a review of the public interest test used to
withhold information. I note that the public commitment in the 2018 Aston
strategy document states that Aston will:

 

'support our staff to succeed and deliver high quality research and
teaching'

 

I submit that there is an additional burden of transparency associated
with making this public commitment, and I request that you consider this
in your review.

 

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on
the Internet at this address:
[2]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Mr O'Neill

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[3][FOI #703524 email]

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[4]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

 

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:

[5]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

 

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
2. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...
3. mailto:[FOI #703524 email]
4. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...
5. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...