Further information on the University of Salford Economic and Social Impact project
This study being undertaken by Viewforth Consulting Ltd for the University of Salford .The study is
about the capturing the broader economic, social and cultural impact of the University.
Staff survey - Guidance notes
The staff survey is seeking information on the additional external engagement
and public service activities of university staff, inside and outside of normal work hours. Many university staff participate in such activity but it can be
an 'invisible' element of their professional role and the additional value for society that is generated by such activity
may be overlooked. We will are gathering information from staff in order to make estimates of the value generated.
Definitions
For the purposes of this study, 'additional' means activities which are not a core or formally
required part of any individual job although they are related to an individual's professional standing. They also
should be 'public' activities which reach beyond purely academic audiences.
Relevant
Time period
Information is sought on activities taking place during the last 2 complete
academic years i.e August 2013-July 2014 and August 2014 - July 2015. We are focussing on 2 complete academic years in order to make estimates of the typical
volume of such activities taking place.
What should be included
Any broader public, community or business (
including social enterprise) engagement undertaken on an unpaid or 'pro bono' basis . Activities which have a nominal
honorarium (i.e. not a market-rate fee) or if they are 'expenses only' can be included.
Examples could include: acting as adviser to a government committee, serving on a school board, giving
talks to local schools or working with voluntary, community or charitable bodies. Other examples could include aspects
of a 'public information' or 'public intellectual' role, such as giving media interviews in areas of
professional expertise or contributing to consultation documents.
What should be excluded
Any fully paid consultancy or advisory activity should be excluded.
Work which is undertaken as a private hobby or private interest ( such as general
volunteering), with no connection to your professional role or professional standing, should also be excluded. If you consider
an activity to be partly private interest, partly professional, only include the proportion you estimate to be professional-related.
Academic professional activities aimed purely at academic audiences , eg involvement with academic
associations or learned societies. should be excluded.These are of course very valuable activities but they would normally
be regarded as integral to academic activity and their value captured within the normal valuation of academic work.
Similarly, if some of the activities being surveyed are an explicit part of your paid university job
- for example, if your role formally includes responsibility for organising activities supporting wider participation or increasing
diversity in the university, these should be excluded as it is already clearly recognised and would be included in more general
valuations of the university's work. Only include activities undertaken that go beyond your formal work role eg on an
out of hours or voluntary basis.