Faculty/Staff Effort Reporting > >

Personnel Activity Reporting (WEBPAR)

General Instructions

The University of Iowa Web-based Personnel Activity Report (PAR) is used to identify how faculty and selected staff effort is distributed to a broad variety of activities. Federal guidelines (OMB Circular A-21) and Board of Regents directives (Policy Manual 6.16) govern who is surveyed, how frequently they are surveyed, effort categories, and the time frame in which surveys must be distributed and completed. Data retrieved from effort reports are compiled, analyzed and used to prepare summary reports for the Board of Regents and central, collegiate and departmental administrators. PARs are also used to certify individual effort on federally sponsored grants and contracts and are subject to audit by federal agencies. The PAR system is audited annually by the State Auditor’s Office.

Please read all instructions and definitions carefully before recording any effort distribution.

Align all entries opposite the respective Master File Keys (MFKs) or functions. The 8-digit grant/program ID element of the MFK is required to identify sponsored research, sponsored instruction or other sponsored activity and affiliated cost sharing activities. A box is provided to allow you to enter this information if you are reporting effort for a sponsored project that is not already listed on the form.

Report all effort in whole percentage points.

The WEB PAR is designed to allow it to be worked and saved in draft form. Corrections can be made at any time before final submission of the PAR. When a PAR is saved as draft or saved and submitted as final, an automated review process will compare effort posted to sponsored activities to the salary charged to these activities. If effort is less than corresponding salary funding, a warning will be displayed. These warnings will not prevent a PAR from being submitted, but they will flag the PAR for review by central PAR Administration as well as departmental and collegiate administration.

The automated review will also check to see if the total effort equals 100%. A PAR can be saved as draft when the total percent effort posted is less than 100%, but a PAR cannot be submitted as final if this error exists.

If changes need to be made after the PAR is submitted as final, contact central PAR Administration to have the PAR reopened.

In some situations, special instructions will be “attached” to a WEB PAR.

These instructions will be displayed each time the PAR is opened, and can be redisplayed by clicking the message box at the top of the PAR.

Certification

Whoever completes the PAR should have full knowledge of the individual’s effort and should understand the instructions that follow.

1. Each Faculty member should verify and submit as final his or her own PAR. If this is not possible, PAR Administration can authorize the departmental executive officer to submit for the faculty member.
2. PARs for Professional and Scientific staff, Student Faculty (graduate and undergraduate teaching/research assistants, Post Doctoral research scholars) and Merit staff should be submitted by their supervising Principle Investigator or appropriate designee.
3. Effort reports should be completed within 14 days after the reports are distributed.

Form Instructions

Part I - Information from University Payroll records is displayed here to show the source of funds and the percent of total salary allocated from each funding source during the reporting period.

Part II - Actual effort must be allocated by each faculty member, employee or supervisor to any appropriate function(s) listed in Part II. This will include all effort required to perform the duties of an individual’s appointment, regardless of the number of hours per week the individual works. Effort distribution should always total 100%.

Faculty and staff are not expected to be keeping detailed records of their daily workload. It is important, however, that a reasonable estimate of actual effort be made when completing the activity report.

Definitions for Part II

Sponsored/Organized Activities

Note: If there are no projects listed in this section, the PCT EFFORT boxes will not be displayed. Please continue on to the Other Activities section that follows to complete the PAR.

Sponsored Instruction

This category includes instructional activities funded by external sponsors and is limited to projects in funds 500 & 510, with a function code of 10.

Organized Research

This includes all activity related to a specific externally sponsored research project or to separately budgeted University research. (Effort for independent research and study, under fellowships, not administered by the University while faculty member is on leave of absence without pay should not be included on this report.) If effort is allocated to this category, the appropriate 8-digit grant/program ID(s) must be provided if not already displayed the form. The funding sources for these activities must include a function code of 20 or 21.

Examples include:

• Planning of and experimental work on the awarded project
• Preparation of project results
• Supervision of employees on project
• Correspondence and general participation in project related activities
• Readings directed toward project goals
• Administrative effort related to a specific project Meetings related to the specific sponsored project

Special note:

For Faculty and Research Scientists who receive awards listed below (commonly referred to as “K” awards): The effort funded by these awards may be posted to the award directly or in some cases to other related sponsored projects. Please contact your departmental administrator, Grant Accounting representative or PAR Administration for assistance.

• Clinical Investigator Awards
• Research Scientist Awards
• Physician Scientist Awards
• Research Career Development Awards

Other Sponsored Activity

Effort on externally sponsored projects, funds 500 and 510 only, with functions other than research (function code 20) or instruction (function code 10) should be reported here. If effort is allocated to this category, the appropriate 8-digit grant/program ID(s) must be provided if not already displayed on the form.

Examples include:

• Outreach programs which do not qualify as instruction or research
• Service on an advisory committee for the government when the University is reimbursed.
• Community and health service work supported by outside organizations
• Demonstration projects not classified as research or instruction

Cost Sharing Activities

Effort which is contributed to externally sponsored activities at the University’s expense should be reported here. If effort is required under this category, specific accounting information will be displayed on the form.

Other Activities

This section of the PAR is where any effort on non-sponsored activities should be reported. These activities do not need to tie to specific funding sources so none are listed.

Non-Sponsored Instruction

Teaching activities - examples include:

• Scheduled courses
• Curriculum development
• Continuing education (excluding overload assignment, paid by payroll voucher)
• Academic advising
• Supervising undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students in work not related to sponsored agreements
• Short courses, meetings, developmental assignments or Old Gold Summer Fellowships related to instruction

Departmental Research

Research effort supported by department, college, Graduate College, or Old Gold Summer Fellowship funds, not separately budgeted should be reported here. This also includes developmental assignments related to research. (Effort related to separately budgeted University research and to externally sponsored research projects should be reported under Sponsored Research.)

Proposal review for external agencies (e.g., NIH study sections) for which no additional compensation is received should also be included here.

Institutional Review Boards

Effort is to be filled in here only by individuals who serve on any of the Research Regulatory Committees, including Institutional Review Boards, Institutional Animal Care and Use, Institutional Biosafety Committee, Radiation Safety Committee and Conflict of Interest in Sponsored Programs Committee.

Collegiate and Departmental Administration

In most instances this category will be used by Departmental Executives and other persons who have immediate responsibility for overall departmental function, or those who have had an official committee appointment to serve on a departmental or collegiate committee. If faculty or professionals other than departmental executive officers assign effort to this category, the effort must benefit more than one function of the department, including sponsored projects.

1. General Department Activities
   • Policy and other committee work including representing college on Faculty Senate, faculty evaluation committee
   • Assigning faculty workloads
   • Preparing departmental budgets
   • Planning departmental operations
   • Providing services, such as statistical, supportive of, but not chargeable to, sponsored projects.
   • Writing and/or reviewing proposals (Any post award administrative effort to a specific sponsored project should be posted to the Sponsored Research/Other Sponsored Activity category)
   • Professional development related jointly to all aspects of the department (short courses, professional meetings, developmental assignments)
2. Hospital Patient Related Committees and Administrative Activities
   • General management functions related to inpatient services, clinic services and operating room services and general supervision of laboratory, radiological and other such hospital diagnostic and therapeutic services
   • Facilities planning, services on the hospital H.A.C. standing and ad hoc committees and other hospital patient care program activities
3. House Staff Program Administration
• House Staff recruitment and selection, program development, rotation scheduling, committee activities and other such program management functions

University Wide Administration

Service on University wide charter or ad hoc committees such as parking, funded retirement, Graduate Council, academic computer service, campus planning, human rights, University libraries, Research Council, and Staff Council should be reported here.

Other University Activites

This category includes all University funded activities not covered above, including community service, service to professional organizations and patient care activities that are funded through the Faculty Practice Plan.

VA Concurrent Appointment Activities

This category will appear on the Effort survey for faculty who have concurrent appointments with Veterans Administration Medical Center. All VAMC activities should be pooled and reported as a single percent on the University effort survey.