Student evaluation questionnaires are used to measure academics' performance in most English universities. Academics are assumed to respond professionally to student feedback, making appropriate improvements to their teaching. This paper describes a small-scale study into lecturers' responses to student feedback. The evidence from semi-structured interviews suggests that the process is complex and is influenced by lecturers' perceptions, beliefs and feelings. A typology of lecturers' responses is developed, linked to concepts of performativity and professionalism, and consisting of four possible reactions: shame, blame, tame (the students) and reframe (the negative as something positive).
This article focuses on the life history of a university academic, and the ways in which he learned in different communities of practice during his career. This account raises questions about the applicability of Lave and Wenger's (1991) theory to a knowledge-based organisation, and argues that both the external context and the individuals within the community impinge on learning. It suggests that the role of academic staff developers may vary depending on the CoP and should include developing networks, facilitation, providing relevant expertise, improving harmony within CoPs and harnessing the benefits of internationally dispersed CoPs.
Many more teachers begin studying for masters' level awards than complete them. This situation is a concern to participants, providers and funders of courses. The research project reported here explores teachers' perceptions of factors affecting their success in completing assessed work. Questionnaire and interview responses from 46 students in three higher education institutions (HEIs) emphasise a number of motivational and inhibiting factors experienced by teachers. Some of these, including styles of assessment and access to resources, can be influenced positively by HEIs through course design and structures of institutional support. Other influential factors included time, personal circumstances and support in the workplace. Although these factors are not controlled by HEIs, they might be influenced by partnerships between tutors, school managers and local advisory staff working together to plan participation from course design to final impact. The research, although small-scale and exploratory, will thus be of interest to HEIs and their local and national partners who seek to increase participation, retention and completion rates of teachers engaged in Postgraduate Professional Development.
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