1. Purpose of This Document

To outline the rights and duties of individuals providing lecturing services within the Pastoral Formation Institute

2. Relation to Other Official Documents

In accepting this Policy, the Lecturer also accepts to be bound by all other official guidelines, policies, regulations, standards, statute, and terms & conditions of the Pastoral Formation Institute (PFI). The Lecturer assumes the personal responsibility of requesting, reading, and understanding these documents as part of their informed consent to this Policy and to the broader terms and conditions of their Appointment.

3. Definition of Terms

“AFF-Level”: Archdiocese Formation Framework Level. Applicable to programmes which are recognised by the Archdiocese of Malta, but have not been accredited by the MFHEA and thus are not recognised by the MQRIC;

“Appointment”: the engagement of a specific lecturer with a specified programme, occurrence, date/s, time/s, venue/s, remuneration etc as applicable.

“Archdiocese”: the Catholic Archdiocese of Malta;

“Board”: the Board of the Pastoral Formation Institute;

“certificate” or “certification”: electronic and/or hard-copy document/s attesting to a student having successfully completed a formation programme offered by the PFI;

“course”: an extended period of organised study on a particular subject, usually as a series of lessons and/or training sessions revolving around a common theme and together forming a single cohesive unit of learning;

“credits”: credits are numerical values assigned to programmes and designed to measure programme workload and facilitate the implementation of recognition of formation within the Archdiocese of Malta, but have not been accredited by the MFHEA and thus are not recognised by the MQRIC. They can help to accumulate and recognise learning outcomes towards certification recognised by and within the Archdiocese of Malta.

“day/s”: unless otherwise specified, refers to the PFI offices’ working days;

“Director”: the Director of the Pastoral Formation Institute;

“ECTS”: acronym for the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. ECTS are credits recognised by civil entities in line with European tools. All education pegged to the MQF is quantified in workload hours using an ECTS framework as per MFHEA standards.

“grade/s”: a scalable representation of the quality of a student’s work using, for example: percentages (in which case, it is also referred to as a “mark”), deciles, letters such as A-B-C-D-E-F, etc.;

“lecture”: any delivery of educational and/or formative content occurring as a continuous event over minutes or hours, and can refer to talks, presentations, recordings, or workshop sessions led or delivered by an academically qualified individual, a “lecturer”.

“lecturer/s” (or “educator/s”): academically and/or professionally qualified individuals appointed by the PFI to deliver content, material, training, supervision, tutoring, task assignment & grading, and/or any activity directly related to formation of students.

“the Lecturer”: the specific lecturer agreeing to this Policy.

“Letter of Appointment”: a written communication on behalf of the PFI through which it officially engages a lecturer (pending the lecturer’s explicit or implied consent) to provide lecturing services within a programme occurrence.

“MFHEA”: the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority;

“MQF/EQF-Level”: Malta/European Qualifications Framework Level. It is only applicable to programmes which have been accredited by the MFHEA and indicated as such in programme promotion;

“MQRIC”: Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre;

“NSO”: the Malta National Statistics Office;

“office hours”: unless otherwise specified, refers to the PFI offices’ normal contact hours (08:30-12:30) during its working days;

“personal data” and “data subject”: as defined in GDPD and GDPR legislations, ‘personal data’ means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person;

“Policy”: unless otherwise specified, refers to this very document i.e. “Lecturer Appointment Policy”

“PFI”: the Pastoral Formation Institute of the Archdiocese of Malta;

“PFI member”: all individuals in an active, formal relationship with the PFI, such as Board members, administrative & executive staff, appointed lecturers, enrolled students etc.

“programme”: in this Policy, the term “programme” is used to refer to any one complete and formative activity offered by the PFI, whether it be a course consisting of several sessions, a single-session event or seminar, supervised training in one or more sessions etc.;

“the Programme”: the specific programme occurrence within which the Lecturer is being appointed as a lecturer.

“session”: a single continuous encounter (including a short break, if applicable), in-person and/or online, between student/s and lecturer/s;

“staff”: unless otherwise specified, refers to members of the PFI’s administrative and/or executive team;

“student/s”: an individual who has been successfully enrolled in a PFI programme as a recipient of formation;

“VLE”: Virtual Learning Environment, the PFI’s web-based digital environment used as an adjunct to student learning.

When referring to individuals (students, lecturers, members of staff etc), for the sake of simplicity this Policy will avoid the use of gender specific pronouns and will use the third-person plural instead.

4. Safeguarding: Pre-Emptive Precautions

4.1 The PFI is committed to offering a safe, pleasant, and deeply formative learning experience to students and lecturers alike.

4.2 The Lecturer is obliged to inform the PFI if they are aware of any public or private issues / situations (e.g. past or presently ongoing judicial processes in local or foreign courts or ecclesial tribunals; presently ongoing criminal investigations etc), whether involving themselves personally and/or involving third parties, which may undermine students’ or others’ confidence in this commitment or pose a genuine threat to it.

4.2.1 The Lecturer is also obliged to inform the PFI promptly should such issues / situations only arise or become apparent to the Lecturer at a later stage.

4.3 The Lecturer consents to the seeking of clearances by the Archdiocese of Malta’s Safeguarding Commission in line with its policies.

4.3.1 The Director may temporarily permit a lecturing candidate to lecture while awaiting clearance from the Safeguarding Commission and / or from the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Malta. Should either clearance be refused, the PFI is not bound under any obligations of remuneration or otherwise to that lecturing candidate, and their Appointment can be legitimately declared null.

5. Personal Details and Documentation

5.1 For every new Appointment, the Lecturer must provide the PFI with their current:

• • Title (e.g. Dr., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Prof., Rev., Sr.) and post-nominals (e.g. LLD, MD, OFMCap, OP, SJ) if applicable
  • Name & surname as they appear on their official identity documentation (e.g. national identity card, passport, driver’s licence)
  • E-mail address
  • Mobile or telephone number
  • Postal address
  • Highest academic qualification: full title, date of conferment, and name of institution which conferred the qualification. In the case of programmes accredited by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA), the PFI will also require
    • a detailed and up-to-date Curriculum Vitae
    • a copy of the highest academic qualification. If the issuing body of the qualification is foreign, an MQRIC (Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre) equivalence recognition statement for that qualification will also be required.
  • Experience related to the Appointment. Appropriate content can include academic achievements, career milestones, conferences etc relevant to the Programme.
  • Short personal biography. This should be written in the third person, and should avoid detailed descriptions of personal anecdotes.
  • Profile headshot photo. This should be recent, of good quality, and focused on the Lecturer’s face. The Lecturer must be dressed appropriately and have a professional composure. The background should be simple, without: complex patterns, vibrant or distracting colours, commercial or patented images/symbols, potentially offensive or disturbing images, other people’s faces etc.

5.1.1 This can be done through the “Lecturers’ Profile Form” at https://pfi.edu.mt/lecturers-form/, unless already filled in.

5.1.2 The Lecturer will keep the PFI updated with any changes to these details and / or documents for as long as their Appointment is current.

5.1.3 It is the Lecturer’s responsibility to provide the PFI with contact details (email address, mobile or telephone number, postal address) which the Lecturer has the authority to use for receiving and sending communications from and to the PFI. The PFI will not be held responsible for the abuse of communication devices or communication accounts belonging to third parties, such as corporate, governmental, or institutional email addresses.

5.2 Unless otherwise requested by the Lecturer, the PFI may publish the Lecturer’s title, name & surname, post-nominals, highest academic qualification (full title, date of conferment, and name of institution which conferred the qualification), experience related to the Appointment, short personal biography, and profile headshot photo on its website.

6. Appointment Duration

6.1 The Lecturer’s Appointment is effective from when they formally accept their official Letter of Appointment by the Director of the PFI and is concluded only once the Programme in which they are lecturing has been concluded in its entirety i.e. once all lecturers’ inputs have been delivered, all assessments have been corrected, all grades have been handed in, and all students’ appeals have been concluded if applicable.

6.1.1 If the Programme is asynchronous, the Appointment remains effective for as long as that programme is running unless otherwise stated.

6.2 Lecturers may formally request a termination of their Appointment prior to its natural conclusion. However, depending on the consequences this might have on the PFI, its students, and/or third parties, the PFI then withholds the right to:

• • start a disciplinary process (see “Code of conduct” section),
    and/or
  • request financial or other forms of compensation from the Lecturer, resorting to the intervention of state courts if necessary.

7. Communication and Electronic Tools

7.1 The Lecturer will respond promptly to any communications or queries regarding their Appointment which they receive from the PFI through the contact details they would have provided to the PFI. They will also promptly communicate important issues or queries regarding this Appointment to the PFI through the PFI’s official phone number, email address and / or postal address as available at https://pfi.edu.mt/contact-us/, and / or through the VLE.

7.1.1 The PFI will not respond to, follow up, or act on communications received from staff, lecturers, students and/or other individuals occurring through communication channels other than the PFI’s official ones (i.e. the VLE and the PFI’s official phone numbers, email address, and postal address as available at https://pfi.edu.mt/contact-us/). Only in exceptional circumstances, such as in emergencies, may the PFI consider or acknowledge other means of communication outside official channels.

7.2 The Lecturer will keep the PFI updated with the progress of lecture preparation, lecture delivery, student participation, assessment correction, and any other activity or task relevant to their Appointment.

7.3 The Lecturer must use the PFI’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to upload learning materials, upload assessments, communicate with students, and correct students’ assessments.

7.3.1 The Lecturer will respond to legitimate student queries posted through VLE within a reasonable amount of time.

7.3.2 If the Lecturer is not confident with using the VLE, it is their responsibility to inform the PFI. The PFI will then assist.

7.4 Non-in-person communication between the Lecturer and students will occur only through the VLE. All other forms of communication (for example, using a non-‘@pfi.edu.mt’ email account, FacebookTM, WhatsAppTM, or other telecommunication platforms) are unofficial, and the PFI not only takes no responsibility for them but firmly opposes even the use of such channels and groups. PFI lecturers may not create or participate in any communication or social media group/page (unless officially created by the PFI) directly or indirectly related to programmes in which they are presently or have been previously been appointed.

7.5 The PFI reserves the right to immediately remove a Lecturer’s VLE “Teacher” / “Manager” permissions from any Programme in which their Appointment is no longer effective, as well as to deactivate a Lecturer’s personal VLE account after three calendar months will have passed from the conclusion of all Programmes in which they are appointed. Further information can be found in the PFI’s “Data management policy”.

8. Lecture Delivery, Methodology and Content

8.1 PFI programmes are delivered in various modes, primarily:

8.1.1 Asynchronous: Learning occurs at a pace determined largely by the student and by their own schedule, primarily using sources (such as audiovisual materials) which are generally accessible to students from the VLE at all hours and for extended periods of time (generally, within a time-window specified by the PFI). There is little to no real-time interaction between lecturers and students.

8.1.2 Synchronous: Learning occurs in real-time using internet-based conferencing tools, mainly ZoomTM, with programme participants calling in from different physical locations.

8.1.3 In-person: Learning occurs through face-to-face, in-person interactions. Lecturer/s and students are all present at and in the same allocated time and place where a formation session, usually in the form of a lecture, is delivered.

8.1.3.1 For valid reasons, the PFI may allow students to follow synchronously programmes which are normally offered in-person. Such a permission will always be given in writing and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and would lie at the discretion of the PFI and may be granted for parts of the programme or for its entirety.

8.1.4 Hybrid: students can choose to follow the programme either in synchronous mode or in in-person mode.

8.1.5 Limited hybrid: Students can choose to follow synchronously part of a programme otherwise offered in in-person mode.

8.1.6 Blended learning: learning is done partly asynchronously, and partly in-person at an allocated time/s and place/s. The ratio between asynchronous and in-person programme delivery will be decided by the PFI.

8.2 By accepting a Letter of Appointment, a Lecturer automatically consents to programme sessions and their participation therein to be recorded and/or transmitted through the PFI’s official equipment, telecommunication channels/programs/links. The recording may be shared on the PFI’s VLE and may be used for quality assurance purposes and disciplinary processes.

8.3 Outside official telecommunication channels/programs/links, no one is allowed to transmit or record audio, videos and/or other visual data which pertains to an official PFI formation programme’s content – whether from in-person or online programme session/s, from their PFI VLE account, or obtained through other means – using telecommunication, electronic and/or audiovisual devices such as, but not limited to: mobile phones, electronic tablets, computers, microphones, cameras.

8.3.1 An exception to paragraph 8.3 may only be granted by PFI staff in writing. Any other form of permission is considered invalid. In cases where the PFI grants permission to an individual, that individual is personally responsible for informing all other participants of that session and obtaining their consent. Without such consent, that individual should not proceed notwithstanding the PFI’s permission. In all cases, that individual remains personally and solely liable for any legal action that may be taken in relationship to the recording/transmission and its use. The PFI’s permission to transmit and/or record does not imply permission to share.

8.4 The Lecturer will adhere to the specific delivery method/s, teaching methodology/ies, lecture content, and assessment details as agreed upon with PFI staff.

8.4.1 The Lecturer will also not grant any permissions, exemptions, extensions etc to students without the PFI’s prior written approval.

8.5 The Lecturer will transmit faith matters in consonance with the teachings of the Catholic Church and ensure that values promoted are in line with the PFI’s ethos. This duty is not limited to direct interactions with students and/or the PFI only, but extends even to activities, contexts, discourses, events, interactions, positions, situations, and statements not directly associated with the PFI but which may cause the PFI grave concerns about a Lecturer’s ability and/or willingness to effectively fulfil this duty (such as, by setting a bad example) or which can damage the PFI’s good name.

8.6 The Lecturer will ensure that they are constantly au courant with developments in the fields and methodological requirements relevant to their lecturing Appointment.

8.7 Whether delivering a lecture in-person, online, or as a recording, lecturers will adhere to the following guidelines:

8.7.1 DRESS CODE: (i) smart casual (for priests: clergy shirt; for religious: habit, if applicable) (ii) no striped, checked, or intricate patterns on clothing (iii) no clothing with logos

8.7.2 STYLE: (i) passionate but professional (ii) clear and measured speech

8.7.3 CONTENT: (i) As discussed with the PFI (ii) vocabulary adapted to the level and academic background of the audience (iii) structured (iv) succinct, but with all essential points (v) no ‘tangents’

9. Associated Lecture Material

9.1 Before delivering a lecture, the Lecturer will upload to the VLE any audio, video, or visual material they will use during that lecture. If no such material is used, the Lecturer will still upload (before lecture delivery) to the VLE at least a basic set of notes for the students of the Programme. In any case, this material / these notes will be the property of the PFI.

9.2 The PFI reserves the right to record audio, video, and/or visual data (“data recordings”) from any lecture given on its behalf – these data recordings can include audio, video, and/or visual data of the Lecturer themselves. These data recordings will be the property of the PFI and can be uploaded on its VLE for use by its students. Data recording can occur at the PFI offices, during in-person or online lectures, or – in agreement with the PFI – at an alternative venue.

9.3 Any material presented by the Lecturer to students will be free of plagiarism or collusion as defined in the PFI’s official “Plagiarism and Collusion Guidelines”. The Lecturer is obliged to cite all their sources appropriately.

10. Punctuality and Absences

10.1 The Lecturer will arrive at the lecture venue at least fifteen minutes prior to the commencement of the lecture/s. If delivering lecture/s online, the Lecturer will log in after having resolved any personal technical difficulties and at least ten minutes before the commencement of the lecture/s.

11. Code of Conduct

11.1 The PFI expects excellent personal conduct from all its members, be they Board members, staff, lecturers, students etc in line with the Catholic ethos.

11.2 Verbal, non-verbal, online, and/or other behaviour which is not permissible in any form during any activity or at any location or within any relationship directly or indirectly associated with the PFI includes but is not limited to:

• • Any criminal offence,
  • Breach of any policy of the PFI,
  • Bullying,
  • Deceitful behaviour,
  • Discriminatory and/or disrespectful comments towards persons or entities present or absent,
  • Dressing inappropriately (see the PFI’s “Dress Code Policy”),
  • Excessive disruptions during programme sessions,
  • False declarations,
  • Falsification of documents,
  • Harassment,
  • Inappropriate and/or offensive behaviour,
  • Inappropriate and/or offensive language,
  • Inappropriate use of electronic devices,
  • Intimidation,
  • Misuse of the PFI student card,
  • Plagiarism,
  • Regular tardiness,

etc.

11.2.1 This prohibition extends even to behaviour which occurs outside of PFI-related places, events, or contexts (for example: posts on one’s personal social media page, public declarations etc) but which can still damage its good name (for example, by its association with that person) or which causes the PFI grave concerns about a person’s potential behaviour towards other persons or entities during any activity or at any location or within any relationship directly or indirectly associated with the PFI.

11.3 If a member of the PFI (Board member, staff, lecturers, student etc.) feels they are a victim of one or more other members’ actions such as those described above, they are encouraged to report it formally to the Secretary to the Board and/or to the Director.

11.3.1 Should the alleged perpetrator be the Director, the Secretary to the Board, or any member of the Board, the report should be filed with the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Malta, with procedures then following Archdiocese policies.

11.4 The PFI may investigate, either on its own initiative or else prompted by in/formal report/s from any third party/ies, any alleged unacceptable behaviour as described above. In this investigation the PFI may ask for the assistance of any relevant competent entity/experts, or even delegate the entire investigation to such an entity/experts.

11.5 Whether a report is filed by an alleged victim or the PFI itself takes the initiative to investigate, in either case the Secretary to the Board and/or the Director is to collect all relevant information and convene a disciplinary board made up of the Director, the Secretary to the Board, and at least another member appointed by the Vicar General. Great care will be taken to appoint individuals who are compassionate, just, unbiased, and personally uninvolved in the case.

11.5.1 Each case will be considered on its own merits, and the accused will have the right to defend themselves in front of the disciplinary board.

11.5.2 In exceptional circumstances, the disciplinary board may ask the accuser and/or alleged victim not to remain anonymous or the disciplinary case may be withdrawn.

11.6 The disciplinary board’s decision regarding innocence or guilt, as well as the necessity and the nature of disciplinary action if any, is final, and will be communicated to the accused through the Secretary of the Board.

11.6.1 If the accused is found guilty and is a lecturer, disciplinary action can include one or more of, but is not limited to:

• • • A written reprimand (“warning”),
    • Dismissal from one or more programmes in progress or in future as a lecturer,
    • Expulsion from the PFI,
    • Immediate termination of any Appointment as a lecturer.

11.6.2 In any of the last three cases listed in 11.6.1, or in similar disciplinary actions, the PFI will not refund that individual any expenses. The PFI will not refund any expenses, whether related to the process of disciplinary investigation, action, and/or defence, or related to the programmes that individual would have delivered/is delivering as a lecturer.

11.6.3 The case and the disciplinary board’s decision will also be reported to the competent ecclesial authority/ies for further action if the disciplinary board deems it appropriate to do so, whether or not the accused was found to be guilty.

11.6.4 Without prejudice to any law or policies, a case can only be re-examined once, or when relevant new information comes to light. In such cases, the Director will reconvene a disciplinary board to reexamine the case.

11.6.5 Appeals to the decision of the disciplinary board may be placed with the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Malta.

11.6.6 Notwithstanding the decisions or any disciplinary action taken by the PFI or the Archdiocese of Malta or lack thereof, the accused may still be subject to legal actions which the alleged victim may take up in state courts.

12. Etiquette During Online Sessions (“Netiquette”)

12.1 Lecturers and students joining an online session from a location not managed by the PFI must deal with any personal technical difficulties prior to the start of each session.

12.2 Lecturers are to dress, sit, and act as they would at a public, in-person lecture. They should join the call in a place which is unlikely to present distractions to themselves or to other participants in the session.

12.3 Lecturers should avoid animated or otherwise inappropriate screen backgrounds: the screen background setting should be off or should be plain and simple (e.g. “blurred background”) without distracting elements.

12.4 Lecturers should be aware that students’ microphones should always be kept mute and should only be switched on when explicitly invited to do so by the lecturer for any questions or comments. This serves to minimise disruptions and background noises during the session. Should a student need to speak or to draw attention (e.g. needs to leave early), they should use the “raise hand” feature and wait for the lecturer to invite them to speak.

12.5 The chat feature of the internet-based conferencing tool (usually ZoomTM) used during online sessions should only be used for comments or queries pertaining to the session in progress, and the text should always be respectful.

13. Protection of Personal Data

13.1 The processing of the Lecturer’s and students’ personal data shall be carried out in accordance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Archdiocese of Malta’s General Decree on the Protection of Data (GDPD), and any other applicable legislation and policies.

13.2 The PFI collects personal data on behalf of the Archdiocese of Malta, of which the PFI is part. The personal data collected by the PFI under this Policy is thus property of the Archdiocese of Malta which consists of different units/entities, such as the PFI itself, the Archbishop’s Office, the Secretariat for Parish Life and Activity etc. As a result, in submitting any personal data under this Policy to the PFI, the data subject consents that such data can be shared with other entities or units of the Archdiocese in order to: fulfil the purpose for which the data was submitted, update the data subject’s profile within the Archdiocese, communicate information relevant to the subject of the Programme even after Programme termination, and/or for any other reason according to the purpose, conditions, and consent the data subject gave at the time of data submission.

13.3 Without prejudice to and in line with 13.2, submitting personal data as per the “Personal details and documentation” section above implies giving consent to the PFI to collect and process personal data for purposes indicated in its policies, including but not limited to:

• • Communication with the data subject;
  • Enrolment in a programme as a lecturer or applying to collaborate / participate in an event/initiative organised by, in collaboration with, or supported by the PFI;
  • Fulfilling legal obligations such as those imposed by the NSO and the MFHEA.

13.4 The data subject assumes responsibility for the accuracy of the personal data submitted and, should such information change, is also responsible for notifying the PFI and any other entity in possession of said data of these changes.

13.5 By submitting personal data to the PFI, the data subject consents to the Archdiocese and its different units/entities retaining this information, communicating it between themselves, and possibly collating it with data previously collected, either so as to better deliver the pastoral and/or administrative service which the data subject is collaborating with / participating in, and/or to improve any task or mission which falls within one or more units’/entities’ responsibility. In the latter case, the PFI will anonymise this data if necessary to respect the principles of purpose limitation and storage limitation as outline in article 5 of the GDPR.

13.6 Personal data shall not be disclosed by the PFI to third parties (that is, persons not employed by the Archdiocese or entities not forming part of the Archdiocese) unless specific consent is given by the data subject and/or unless the PFI deems disclosure necessary so as to conduct its ministry, obtain essential advice, or because it would have entrusted the third party/ies to perform a service on its behalf. In any of these cases, data disclosure will be on a strictly as-needed basis and third-parties will be asked to confirm their compliance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Archdiocese’s General Decree on the Protection of Data (GDPD) where applicable.

13.7 With regard to their personal data, and without prejudice to other ecclesial and civil legislation, any data subject has the right to: use or disclose it, request access to it, request its portability, object to or restrict its processing, withdraw their consent to its collection, request its erasure. The data subject may request the correction of any error or omission in their personal data. All requests must be made directly by the data subject and in writing. Further information can be found in the PFI’s “Data Protection Policy” and “Data Management Policy”.

13.8 Even if a data subject restricts the processing, objects to the processing, withdraws their consent to the collection, and/or requests the erasure, of their personal data, their personal data will have been collected, processed, and/or retained legally up to that point if done so according to the prior consent the data subject would have given. Furthermore, the data subject will not be exempted from any persisting legal obligations they may have entered into when they gave such consent the first or subsequent times.

13.9 Without prejudice to any other consent or applicable data protection regulations, all personal data or documentation submitted by the data subject to the PFI will be kept by the PFI for up to ten years from the date of termination of the individual’s relationship with the Institute.

13.10 The Lecturer should always and only communicate with the PFI any and all data or information of whatsoever kind provided to the Lecturer by the PFI and/or its students in connection with an Appointment. Unless otherwise stated by the PFI or the data subject, or unless communicating this data / information is subject to any legal obligation, this data / information shall be considered as confidential outside the PFI, must only be used in connection with that Appointment, and should not in any way be used for any other purpose – the Lecturer must destroy it once that Appointment has been concluded.

13.11 Any queries regarding the clauses in this section (“Protection of Personal Data”), as well as any requests for the exercise of data subject rights, should be directed to the PFI’s administrative staff. Should there be disagreement with the PFI on matters of Data Protection, the potential or actual data subject may contact the Archdiocese Data Protection Officer (DPO). If after contacting the DPO the data subject feels their rights may be or have been breached, they have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner, Malta.

14. Assessments

14.1 The PFI employs various modes of assessment, including but not limited to:

14.1.1 Multiple-choice questions

14.1.2 Written assignments

14.1.3 Reflective journals

14.1.4 Class presentations

14.1.4.1 At the discretion of the PFI, a class presentation may be recorded or a second examiner may be present when it is being delivered.

14.1.5 Oral examinations

14.1.5.1 At the discretion of the PFI, an oral examination may be recorded, or a second examiner may be present when it is being held.

14.1.6 Practicum supervision and/or reports

14.1.7 Project-based assessments

14.2 The Lecturer will observe the Programme’s assessment correction deadlines and assessment criteria with diligence, fairness, professionalism, and justice.

14.2.1 Corrections and grading of written assignments will follow the criteria described in the PFI’s official “Plagiarism and Collusion Guidelines” and “Assignment Guidelines”.

14.2.2 Unless otherwise agreed with the PFI, the Lecturer will correct the assessments and submit the results on the VLE within four weeks of the students’ assessment submission deadline.

14.2.2.1 The corrections and result submissions of assessments submitted within an approved extension may be delayed beyond these four weeks, up to a deadline agreed upon with the Director, and assessments submitted within such approved extension deadlines should not be penalised for tardiness.

15. Evaluation

15.1 As part of a wider evaluation of any programme, the lecturers’ performance evaluation may be carried out by the PFI through a combination of the evaluation/s by the lecturers themselves, students, fellow lecturers, and/or PFI staff.

16. Remuneration

16.1 Unless otherwise specified, all lecturers engaged with the PFI do so on a ‘pro bono’ basis. In cases where the PFI will remunerate the Lecturer for services rendered, a fiscal receipt is to be provided. The PFI will also declare such remuneration given with the pertinent authorities as required by law.

16.2 Lecture content preparation, communication with students, assessment corrections, and all other work related to an Appointment, where applicable, will be covered by the remuneration stated in the Lecturer’s Letter of Appointment. The PFI may withhold remuneration in part or in whole as part of a disciplinary process and/or if the Lecturer has in any way failed to respect the terms, conditions, and details of their Appointment.

16.3 The PFI reserves the right, if the Lecturer is not available to deliver the lecture/s agreed upon in their Letter of Appointment, to appoint another lecturer/s for that/those lecture/s and to reduce or withhold the agreed-upon remuneration accordingly.

16.4 Where applicable and unless otherwise agreed, remuneration to a Lecturer will be issued by cheque only once:

all student assessments within a Programme have been corrected,
and
all student appeal processes have been concluded (if applicable),
and
the Lecturer has appropriately participated in evaluation and review exercises related to the programme delivered.

17. Changes to This Policy

To reflect changes in legislation and/or in operational exigencies, the PFI may from time to time review this Policy and other policies and amend them, uploading these changes to the PFI’s official website. Once an individual consents to this Policy and other policies, it is that individual’s duty to check the PFI’s official website regularly for any updates: the PFI is not responsible for directly notifying individuals of any changes.