Showing papers in "International Journal for Academic Development in 2002"

Teaching philosophies reconsidered:A conceptual model for the development and evaluation of teaching philosophy statements

Abstract: Increasingly, the requirements of applicants to academic faculty positions, promotion and tenure procedures, nominations for teaching awards, or other application processes for innovative teaching grants worldwide include a teaching portfolio or dossier or a statement of teaching philosophy. Current literature provides a spectrum of approaches to constructing a teaching philosophy statement. While these resources provide practical utility, this literature generally lacks conceptual models that provide clear operational definitions and comprehensive frameworks for the process of generating or evaluating a teaching philosophy statement. However, this literature does illustrate the complexity of the task. Each teaching philosophy statement reflects not only personal beliefs about teaching and learning, but also disciplinary cultures, institutional structures and cultures, and stakeholder expectations as well. This synergy among self, discipline, and institutional context guided the development of a conceptua...

Academic professional development practice: What lecturers find valuable

Abstract: In an increasingly challenging tertiary environment where academics need more than ever to be skilled across a range of areas, including that of teaching, understanding what constitutes effective professional development is crucial. This paper reports on what a group of lecturers at an Australian university find valuable in developing their professional expertise by means of work-embedded events and activities. It was considered important to probe lecturers' understandings in line with constructivist approaches that encourage the involvement of participants in the learning or development process. Particularly where participants are highly educated and self-aware, drawing out their knowledge and practice seems a fruitful way of informing approaches to professional development. The study revealed that lecturers found a wide range of strategies useful in developing their professional expertise, with a predominance of those strategies being collaborative in nature. The paper suggests some practical ways in wh...

Facilitating Change to a Problem-based Model

Abstract: This paper discusses barriers which arise during the change process from a traditional educational system to a problem-based educational model. The characteristics of a problem-based learning model are presented in order to provide a framework for discussion of the scope of these issues. Then the findings of a research study, which examined an actual transition from a traditional model to a problem-based learning model, are introduced and discussed. In spite of an extensive staff development programme to introduce teachers to the new model, some unforseen issues arose. Some of these were to do with the nature of teaching in the new model, for example, the requirements of project supervision as the new form of teaching, which was quickly brought into focus by teachers involved in the transition. Other issues were to do with the retention, in this particular example of problem-based learning, of forms of teaching which appeared similar to traditional teaching, namely lectures. The findings suggested that it...

Accountability, evaluation of teaching and expertise in higher education

Abstract: Increasingly universities are being asked to demonstrate accountability through implementation of quality improvement procedures that include student evaluation questionnaires and peer observation. However, a review of research suggests that these procedures, in themselves, do not necessarily lead to improvement. Excellence in modern universities may be more effectively promoted by focusing on facilitating academics' growth in teaching expertise, perhaps first by encouraging staff to demonstrate accountability as part of a systematic programme of teacher education. Academic or staff developers can play an important role in implementing a teacher education programme, and encouraging and supporting a culture of academic leadership.

Strategies to enhance learning and teaching in a research-extensive university

Abstract: Challenges confronting those who seek to bring about change within large organizations include the need to engage with the values and beliefs held by those involved. In universities with academic cultures that have traditionally lauded and rewarded disciplinary research, attempts to enhance the status and effectiveness of teaching and learning practices must take account of the ongoing power of the research culture. In Australia and elsewhere, prestigious research-extensive 1 universities are now seriously committed to improving the educational experience of student learners from their first year on campus. The focus on teaching and learning is buttressed by another aspect of cultural change - one which values the scholarship of teaching alongside traditional disciplinary research. To the need to re-emphasize teaching, and the need to value that teaching as a scholarly, research-based activity is added a third dimension of change - a focus on the student rather than the teacher. This paper will utilize Fu...

Developing portfolios for learning and assessment: Processes and principles

Abstract: To achieve these aims the book is structured into an introduction and seven chapters. These cover ‘Using portfolios for a range of purposes’, ‘Key processes in portfolio development’, ‘Key concepts in portfolio assessment’, ‘Problems and pitfalls’, ‘A case study’, ‘Possibilities and principles’ and, finally, ‘Portfolios and changes in assessment’. The book indeed examines in depth key concepts behind this form of assessment; and the tensions and limitations that one can expect to come across in these processes. It also provides useful illustrations from different geographical and educational contexts (from all levels of educational provision) with many interesting observations made throughout the chapters; and notably contains one extensive case study of practice within an initial-teacher education course, which gives telling insights. The nine-plus pages of bibliographical references firmly back up this thorough approach. For academic purposes, this book can be commended. However, when it claims to be a ‘practical, accessible guide to implementing portfolio use for assessment and learning purposes’ and to become ‘essential reading for lecturers, teacher educators and students’ interested in implementing such practices, this book is bound to be a disappointment. The language is terse and full of detailed references to often obscure theoretical perspectives. It makes standard use of pedagogical jargon throughout, and takes the reader far beyond what a general practitioner in an academic subject would want to know to guide his/her own practice. For example:

Research and the academic developer: A new agenda

Abstract: This paper argues that there is a need for academic developers to reassess their relationship to research, and suggests that research has to come centre stage in the practice of staff, educational and∧or academic development. The paper discusses the reasons for this and considers the implications for academic development practice. It begins with a discussion of some trends that signal the growing importance of inquiry for higher education. It highlights the important role that research and scholarship are coming to have in preparing students for a society characterized by uncertainty, complexity and plurality. It is argued that developers must become involved in this and that, if they are to be taken seriously in the future, they must become credible as researchers. Different models of the relationship between research and teaching highlight the role of developers in moving teaching and learning forward in a higher education context where teaching and research are more closely allied. Finally, the paper c...

Reflecting on teaching: The influence of context

Abstract: The nature of teaching and learning in higher education is dependent on a complex web of factors: the philosophy and personality of the faculty member, the characteristics of students, the discipline and the course content, the vision and the atmosphere of the institution, and the larger social context within which the teaching takes place When any one of these factors changes, teaching changes It is our intent in this paper to describe how faculty experience a change in teaching context, how that change leads to reflection on practice, and how beliefs and assumptions about teaching may be revised

Evaluating teaching effectiveness and teaching improvement: A language for institutional policies and academic development practices

Abstract: Demands for institutional accountability in higher education have been increasing and have led to greater attention to the evaluation of teaching, the assumption being that improved teaching will result in enhanced learning. In our work as academic developers, we are increasingly helping academic managers make explicit teaching policies and practices that seem fair and equitable. To help us in this work, we have developed a framework for evaluating the practice of teaching. What is unique about this framework is the language it provides to differentiate aspects of teaching. For instance, it provides a basis for differentiating and linking criteria to standards, i.e. the level of achievement desired or expected. Standards are critical if the evaluation of teaching is to be seen as fair and equitable, yet they are often unexamined in other representations of the evaluation of teaching. Although the original intent of our efforts was to provide a framework for academic managers, we have come to find it usefu...

Reconceptualizing the teaching team in universities: Working with sessional staff

Abstract: The need for universities to find cost-effective methods for the delivery of quality programmes has seen an increase in the numbers of casual or sessional staff in universities over the past several years. The paper suggests that the existing notions of how teaching teams are constituted should be reconceptualized to encompass sessional staff. This would allow the work being undertaken by sessional staff to be openly acknowledged and recognized by the systems in which they work. The employment of sessional markers should be regarded as ‘value-adding’ to the teaching teams of the university rather than as an outsourcing of critical university functions. The framework presented here proposes that the particular professional or academic attributes contributed by sessional markers enhance the extant expertise of teams and thus potentially serve to promote the teaching-learning process. Reconceptualization of the teaching team may well require a negotiation of power relationships. Nevertheless, it is important...

Making the tacit explicit: A teaching intervention programme for early career academics

Abstract: This paper1 describes the results from a research project designed to enhance the practice of novice science lecturers by making use of expertise already present in the University of Otago. The first phase involved the identification and study of excellent teachers from Division of Science departments. The second phase consisted of a teaching intervention program (TIP) utilizing videotapes of the excellent lecturers teaching and discussing their teaching. Participants in the TIP undertook a number of activities designed to assist them in investigating themselves as teachers (the personal); articulating their aims and intentions in the classroom; making their tacit theories about teaching and learning explicit; and, developing habits of reflective practice. Evidence from the TIP session transcripts, TIP evaluation, initial interviews, and stimulated recall interviews demonstrates that the programme assisted the novice lecturers to articulate their aims, intentions and beliefs, to interrogate their teaching...

Constituting collective consciousness: Information literacy in university curricula

Abstract: Information literacy, encompassing the ability to access, evaluate and use information in contemporary ICT environments, today has a place on the graduate profiles of many Australian universities. Growing recognition of the importance of information literacy at national and institutional levels, raises the fundamental question of how to raise the awareness of a university community about this significant issue in order to make it a focal point in learning design and support. In 1999 the Australian Catholic University (ACU) tackled this question and responded by conceiving a university-wide teaching and learning enhancement project that targeted staff at all levels of the university, across all campuses and all disciplines. In reporting this project, Bowden and Marton's (1998) framework of depicting learning as changing awareness at the individual and collective level is adopted. Key features of the project are discussed, including our developing interest in influencing the ACU collective consciousness, ke...

The difficulties of defining development:A case study

Abstract: In the current climate of change and expansion within higher education in the UK, there are various drivers for change in the way the curriculum is designed and delivered. In the recent past, within the UK, the QAA has presented a Code of Practice with respect to HE provision for students with disabilities and changes in the legislation relating to access to higher education for students with disabilities. These developments have prompted funding councils to resource major projects relating to accessibility. Such is the complexity of terms such as 'curriculum', 'accessibility' and 'disability', that these funded projects require a multidisciplinary approach. However, questions arise as to whether the key players in these multidisciplinary projects actually fully understand each other and have a shared understanding of the terms of reference. This case study highlights some of the difficulties experienced within a multidisciplinary team that did not ensure a shared conception of the complexities of the cha...

Assessing the contribution of collections of case studies to academic development in higher education

Abstract: In recent years there has been a proliferation of paper-based and electronic collections of case studies focusing on different facets of academic practice in higher education. Inherent in their compilation and dissemination is the assumption that these collections contribute to improvements in practice. How justified is such an assumption? This question serves as a backdrop to the paper in which attention is given to the range and variety of collections of case studies; their nature and purpose; positive and negative arguments concerning their value; and their role in educational development. It is concluded that, if collections of case studies are to make an effective contribution to educational development, academic developers should attend to a variety of questions concerning their adoption and use.

The impact of individual consultation on the teaching of younger versus older faculty

Abstract: This study examines the effect of age of instructor on student ratings of teaching performance after individual consultation. Instructors self-presented over an 11-year period at a large Canadian university teaching service, where each received one of three interventions. End of term student ratings of the teaching of younger and older instructors are compared before consultation, immediately post consultation, and 1–3 years after year of consultation. Younger faculty obtained significantly improved ratings immediately after consultation, while older faculty achieved significant rating increases 1–3 years post consultation. Results from an earlier study on the impact of individual consultation on teacher ratings are reevaluated using this larger sample of faculty. Generally, results in this analysis parallel the original research. Consultation produced changes in student ratings both immediately after consultation as well as longitudinally, thus confirming the utility of intervention in producing enduring...

Editorial Scholarship, academic development and the future

Abstract: (2002). Editorial Scholarship, academic development and the future. International Journal for Academic Development: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 109-111.