Third stream activities

Third stream activities, or public engagement activities, are the responsibility of the higher education institution and are included in the duties of university teachers. As with all other duties, this work is to be carried out during paid working hours, and time is to be allocated for it. If you carry out tasks such as media interviews, these should also be accounted for in your work task plan document.  

If you are asked to take part in a third stream activity, check with your manager that there is enough time in your work schedule. If there is no time available during your working time for you to accept requests for public engagement from the local community, you cannot fulfil the obligation to fulfil third stream activity responsibilities. This is fundamentally a problem for the higher education institution to solve, not the individual teacher.  

Anyone who wishes to lecture for free in their spare time has every right to do so, but that is to be regarded as a recreational activity and not at all a part of the higher education institution’s third stream activities.