STAFF SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY
The School of Medicine aims for the continuous upgrading of its human resources, as well as encouraging the enhancement of education and research.
Within the framework of transparency in which the School operates, the criteria/qualifications for the election and promotion of faculty members (DEP) are posted on its website (http://www.med.auth.gr/KritiriaDEP), as described in Article 143 of Law 4957/2022.
In summary, it is stated that the judgement for the election or promotion of a faculty member is based on the candidate’s overall teaching and research work, including the evaluation of their teaching ability, their overall scientific and research activity—with emphasis on international presence—their contribution to the utilization of knowledge and technology transfer (as assessed, for example, through registered patents), participation in the extraction of research results, as well as attracting research funding and recognized social presence and intervention. Furthermore, the candidate’s scientific ethics are co-evaluated as an essential element of their personality.
Staff performance in teaching and research is posted on the School’s website and the AUTh Quality Assurance Unit (MODIP) website. There is significant participation of the School’s staff in Greek and international research forums, the results of which are published in international journals. Many of these publications have garnered significant scientific interest.
The School of Medicine encourages the academic activity of its staff by introducing innovative teaching methods and the use of new technologies; it grants educational leaves for mobility and further training at Universities and Research Centers worldwide and supports research work by developing infrastructure, procuring modern equipment, and assisting in the pursuit of competitive international and Greek research programmes. At the same time, it promotes cooperation with Professors from abroad at both educational and research levels. Additionally, the School’s staff demonstrates increased scientific mobility by participating in domestic and international conferences. It is noted that no permit is required for teaching staff to participate in conferences.
The above actions strengthen the link between teaching and research while promoting the scientific and professional development of the staff. The School encourages the professional and scientific development of its teaching staff by approving various types of leave (through fast and direct procedures) in accordance with current legislation. The approval of various types of leave concerns all ranks of teaching staff:
- Scientific reasons for domestic or international leave (Article 157 of Law 4957/2022) (one year for every six years of continuous service or six months for every three years of continuous service).
Leave is granted with regular salary, and in the case of international leave, the salary is increased by 80% (only if the collaboration abroad does not include remuneration). Leave is granted after the completion of three years of actual service at the HEI.
- Employment in Chairs of Greek Studies at HEIs abroad, for up to three academic years (Article 158 par. 5 of Law 4957/2022).
- Parallel employment at HEIs abroad, for up to one (1) academic semester per academic year (Article 158 par. 3 of Law 4957/2022).
- For other educational staff (EEP and EDIP), educational leaves are granted for conferences, seminars, etc., according to the provisions of Article 6 of Presidential Decree 147/2009.
For staff support and development, the School collaborates with the AUTh Center for Teaching and Learning (KEDIMA) (https://kedima.auth.gr/). Among other things, the Center for Teaching and Learning deals with the support of Postgraduate Programmes in teaching matters, particularly through the utilization of new technologies in teaching, taking special care for their use in supporting the teaching of individuals with disabilities. The Center collaborates with instructors and students, as well as with various organic units of the Institution (such as the General Directorate of Technical Services and IT, the IT Center, and the Library and Information Center) to make the use of new teaching methods more effective and to propose optimal solutions to potential problems.
For staff development, the Center for Teaching and Learning:
- Organizes learning cycles, training activities, seminars, etc.
- Collects, designs, and develops research and training material.
- Ensures the creation of a repository of supportive research and training material (in print or electronic form), as well as best practices.
- Collaborates with other corresponding structures of HEIs domestically and abroad and develops joint actions and synergies.
- Organizes a Registry of collaborating faculty members or external experts in teaching and learning matters to support specific and/or specialized actions of the Office.
The Center for Teaching and Learning may support staff by participating in additional educational activities, such as providing services for conducting studies, developing innovative educational material related to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, and undertaking relevant research work.
The School’s actions are reinforced by the Institution’s participation in the European University (EPICUR) and in programmes such as ERASMUS Staff Training, ERASMUS+, ERASMUS INTERNATIONAL, ERASMUS MUNDUS, the Utrecht Network, the European University Foundation (CAMPUS EUROPAE), and approximately 60 other International Organizations, Networks, and Associations. These participations enable teaching staff to travel abroad for research, teaching, and training, resulting in them staying informed about developments at an international level.