Showing papers in "International Journal for Academic Development in 1998"

Dimensions of excellence in university teaching

Abstract: The paper analyses the concept of ‘teaching excellence’ and attempts to give it precision. In the process, it is found that the lack of precision is due essentially to the multidimensionality of the concept, which has led to serious confusion in any attempt to reduce its dimensions to a single one. The dimensions are of two kinds; first, classificatory, distinguishing the three levels of institution, department and individual, and second, substantive, describing the different ways in which each of the three levels can exhibit excellence. Ways of recognizing and rewarding individual excellence in its different dimensions are then discussed and recommendations are made for action. It is argued that under present circumstances, excellence at institutional and departmental levels are almost unattainable, but that this is not so at individual level. Finally, it is noteworthy that recognizing and rewarding teaching excellence at all three levels is found to be significantly different from corresponding...

The impact of educational development workshops on teachers’ practice

Abstract: Workshops are common practice as a staff and educational development tool in higher education around the world, yet while it is common to seek participants’ immediate reactions there been little attempt made to measure their impact. This paper reviews the available literature on the effectiveness of workshops and reports the findings of a study in to the effectiveness of 33 workshops delivered by the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development over a four month period. The study used questionnaires at the end of the workshops and four months later, and these were followed up by telephone interviews with a sample of participants. The study demonstrates that workshops can lead to changes in practice, and that these changes are themselves deemed to be successful by those involved. In addition, where at the end of a workshop participants report that they are likely to make changes this can be used as a reasonably accurate predictor of subsequent change. The features of workshops identified in en...

Not just workshops any more: The role of faculty development in reframing academic priorities

Abstract: At most US colleges and universities, faculty development programmes have assumed a passive role waiting for interested faculty to come to them. For the most part, their activities have been limited to facilitating instructional workshops, managing faculty study leaves and sabbaticals, and providing remedial support for faculty who experience problems in their teaching. As higher education in the US faces political, social and technological challenges, faculty developers must play a more active role in institutional transformation. After providing an historical overview of faculty development in the US and describing the current situation in US higher education, this paper outlines four activities that faculty developers can undertake as change agents to help institutions accomplish the objective of institutional transformation and to foster a stronger academic culture.

A conceptual change staff development programme: Effects as perceived by the participants

Abstract: Traditionally, staff development programmes focus on teaching skills and strategies, attempting to improve teaching through adding extra skills to lecturers’ repertoire. In recent years, the conceptual change approach which has its roots in constructivism is gaining more and more attention. This emerging paradigm for staff development has found support in recent research which has collected evidence that a lecturer's conception of teaching plays an important role in his/her decisions about teaching, and that a lecturer's conception of teaching is related to his/her students’ studying approaches. The author has attempted to design a conceptual change staff development programme based on conceptual change theories. The strategies developed were the self‐awareness process, the confrontation process, exposure to alternative conceptions and the commitment building process. This paper discusses participants’ reported experience of the programme and their own perception of the impact of the conceptual c...

Rewarding good teaching: A matter of demonstrated proficiency or documented achievement?

Abstract: Good teaching can be construed from two perspectives. From one point of view, teaching is seen as a developmental process in which the individual acquires knowledge and skills through practice. Recognition is then based on the teacher meeting specified proficiency criteria as measured by such procedures as student evaluation of teaching questionnaires and colleague appraisal. A second perspective is to view good teaching in terms of instructional achievements. Here judgements are often based on a teacher's portfolio submission where assessments are made on the extent to which the teacher has contributed to the quality of teaching within the institution. This paper describes developments at the University of New South Wales in recognizing and rewarding good teaching based on the second perspective, and on how teaching staff are assisted in developing teaching portfolios to document teaching achievements. These developments are discussed in relation to the issues of what constitutes evidence for ‘g...

Supporting academic development in public output: Reflections and propositions

Abstract: Challenges arose in UK higher education (HE) in 1992 with mergers and the creation of universities from polytechnics. One of these challenges was to address tension over public output: should new academics write for scholarly journals or not? Staff in universities with a commitment to research must produce public output in refereed journals. Experience indicates that some academics have litde public output, may have to learn skills for writing, and may benefit from support as they develop new forms of public output. A body of knowledge exists on such issues (Boice 1987, 1990; Elbow 1973, 1981; Torrance et al., 1993). This paper describes a ‘Research Writers’ Support Group’, a 6‐month workshop, adapting Boice's framework for a group of volunteers who had recendy joined HE. Group processes are described. Evaluation shows that all participants in the group achieved public output goals defined at the start of six months. In addition, participants, recorded a broad range of affective gains, such as fe...

Effectiveness and ethics in educational development: Changing contexts, changing notions

Abstract: Throughout the English‐speaking world, governments and, through them, employers are increasingly influencing the goals of undergraduate education. It is argued that this trend towards state‐mandated goals entails a redefinition of the nature of effective teaching in higher education which, in turn, makes it necessary to reconceptualize the nature of effective educational development. However, there is the danger that where educational developers advance this new academic agenda they will become complicit in actions that are to the detriment of faculty members. In other words, mandated higher education goals pose ethical problems for educational development professionals. Six areas of concern are reviewed, leading to the suggestion that national educational development associations might consider advising their members on such issues.

Enhancing research through academic staff development

Abstract: In the past few years, research has been an increasingly important focus of academic staff development, but there is little documentation of this new area of development. The purpose of this paper is to describe the evolution over four years of a programme to develop research skills. The experience of planning and implementing this programme illustrates how changes in higher education and university priorities (such as amalgamations of institutions, increased pressures on staff, increased competition between institutions for funding, and universities’ growing corporatization) have interacted with staff development objectives to shape changes in the programme's purpose, format, mode of participation, and planning approach. A collaborative approach to planning is seen to be appropriate in the current climate, maximizing sensitivity to the distinctive needs of the various faculties, departments or schools. Current scholarly discussion is recognized as providing support for a move toward collaboratio...

Enhancing teaching performance through goal setting, implementation and seeking feedback

Abstract: If faculty are truly committed to becoming more effective teachers, they should set learning goals, proximal goals, behavioural goals, or a combination thereof. Commitment to these goals will be optimized when faculty hold beliefs that contribute to high self‐efficacy and when outcome expectancies are personally valued. Furthermore, individuals need to seek behaviourally based feedback that facilitates the realization of goals and effective self‐management. It is argued that the combination of goal setting, information seeking and receiving feedback will enhance classroom performance.

Discipline‐based academic development through a tripartite partnership

Abstract: This paper describes a discipline-based academic development project based upon a tripartite relationship between departmental staff, work-based practitioners and the central academic development unit which took place over one academic year within the Department of Physiotherapy, Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh. The purpose of the project was to discuss and debate the concept of the 'reflective practitioner', to develop strategies for enabling undergraduate students to be reflective, and to devise a framework for assessment of reflective practice in clinical work-based learning. The outcomes of the project, most important of which was a change in the learning experience for students, demonstrate that academic development can be valuable and productive when undertaken as a partnership and placed in a disciplinary context. The authors identify key elements important to the success of the academic development process which should be applicable in similar situations and which could serve as guidelines for the planning and delivery of staff development through similar kinds of partnerships.

Professional development for leaders of a large teaching team: A dual role

Abstract: Academics who lead large teaching teams of often inexperienced sessional staff have a dual role in professional development They are both provider and participant Academic leaders need to develop skills to fulfill their role effectively as the primary professional development provider for their team through opportunities to enhance skills in a range of areas; these areas include team leadership, team management and teaching for learning In this scenario, there is a multilayered structure of provision of development opportunities One level is that provided by the team leader and directly related to the needs of the team members and the requirements of the subject The second level caters for the needs of the team leader in developing skills to effectively perform all the responsibilities of their role Provision of professional development opportunities that cater for these may be the responsibility of the School, Faculty, Department or Staff Development Unit, depending upon the Institutional

Motivating teachers for materials‐based learning

Abstract: Over the last ten years, materials‐based learning has become a growth area in higher education in the UK and around the world. Whether it takes the form of open learning, distance learning, resource‐based learning, flexible learning, technology‐based learning or whatever, it has been widely adopted by universities and colleges. Many see it as their only means of safeguarding high quality education in the face of a gready enlarged student body without a commensurate increase in staffing and other resources. Yet many teachers are by no means persuaded to throw themselves into materials‐based teaching–and not because they doubt the efficacy of materials‐based learning. So what deters them; and, insofar as staff might benefit as much as their learners and institutions, what needs to be done to motivate and reward their commitment to this demanding form of teaching?

How six outstanding math professors view teaching and learning: The importance of caring

Abstract: Six exemplary professors, all trained as mathematicians, were interviewed regarding their views about university teaching and learning. Nine themes emerged; seven related to teaching and two related to learning. Among the teaching themes, the most prominent was the importance placed on caring and concern for students. In addition the professors were concerned with all essential aspects of course design (content, learning outcomes, strategies and evaluation), passion for their discipline and their teaching, and the tension between research and teaching in the university context. In terms of their views of learning, these professors believed that students learn through active engagement which serves as a means for learners to personally construct knowledge. The relationship is explored between these results and findings from the literature in math education and higher education. We conclude that caring about students is not only a characteristic of math professors but likely to be typical of profes...

Women and professional development in higher education: A search for understanding

Abstract: Participation in professional development related to teaching is higher for female academics than for male academics at the University of Canberra. There is some evidence that this trend is widespread although variable across different universities and professional development activities. Various explanations are suggested as to why this occurs, including: that more teaching in universities is done by women than men; that women are naturally more committed to teaching than men; that structural inequities cause women to be more concentrated in the lower academic ranks and, therefore, more involved in teaching‐related activities; that women more than men believe professional development is important to enhance their teaching practice; that they are less confident in their academic role than men; that they feel more alienated and isolated in their work environment; and, that they are seeking role models and mentors. The paper explores these various explanations and suggests that a combination of fac...

A departmental perspective on educational development

Abstract: In 1994 the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen's University invited departments to apply for financial support of major instructional development proposals aimed at maintaining educational quality in the context of funding cutbacks and of the changing academic environment. This made it possible for the Department of Mathematics and Statistics to combine and extend ongoing course development work of individuals, and to involve new instructors and courses, through an organized project targeted at strategic department goals. One of the challenges was how, without direct involvement of an academic development expert, to guide the work by appropriate principles and by examples of good practice. The project led not only to the intended course changes, but also to an extension of the participants’ understanding and knowledge about teaching and learning and instructional change.