Departmental leadership for learning in vocational and professional education

Abstract

Background: To maintain relevance, institutes for vocational and professional education (VPE) need to be responsive to changes in society and industry. This requires leaders and educators in VPE to keep developing themselves and their practices. In institutes for VPE many decisions regarding program curriculum and teaching practices are made at the department level. Yet, the preparation of department chairs in postsecondary contexts rarely focuses on improving teaching and learning. A substantive knowledge base regarding leadership of teaching and learning in VPE is lacking. A model of leadership for learning in VPE is proposed as comprising three elements: (1) developing a shared vision and goals; (2) promoting instructor learning; and (3) leading the educational program. The study explores ways in which seven chairs and associate chairs from western Canadian VPE institutes conceive of and enact leadership for learning in their departments. The paper thus aims to contribute to the building of a knowledge base on leadership for learning in VPE.Methods: A multiple case study approach was used to explore chairs' conceptualization and enactment of their leadership for learning. Data collected included interviews with five chairs and two associate chairs from five departments across three institutes for VPE in western Canada. Observational data from department meetings and interviews with instructors were used to provide contextual information and corroborate our findings. In cross-case analysis, chairs' and associate chairs' conceptualizations and strategies were themed and categorized according to the three elements of leadership for learning as identified in the literature.

Practices and strategies for enhancing learning through collaboration between vocational teacher training institutions and workplaces

“…The competency of VET graduates is to a great extent influenced by the quality of VET teachers and teacher educators (Jia et al 2014;Ministry of Education and Sports [MoES] 2012). Vocational teachers and teacher educators need to be well qualified and with up-todate competences (Andersson and Kopsen 2015) as well as keep developing themselves and their practice (Hoekstra and Newton 2017) to meet the growing social needs and changes (Sirk et al 2016). However, internationally, the delivery of VET is challenged by several factors including increasing skill shortages in certain industries and rapidly changing skill requirements (Pillay et al 2014).…”

Departmental conditions for professional learning of instructors in vocational and professional education

“…Within this context by participating in the activities of their instructional department they develop a second professionalism as educator. Without the requirement to obtain a teaching credential, VPE instructors develop their instructional knowledge and skills largely by doing: by participating in the work of the educational program they teach in (Hoekstra and Newton 2017 ; Viscovic 2005 ). As this learning happens primarily on-the-job, it is important to consider what and how workplace practices foster such learning.…”

Assessing the Performance of Academic Chairs: A Leadership Approach

“…Therefore, it makes sense for researchers to support IHE in finding ways to assess and provide feedback to department and program chairs in a way that training, and development programs can be deployed to greater effect. The reason why researchers and leadership experts should be involved in the assessment is because educators may have different views about the role of program chairs, or the behaviors they should enact, to enhance their influence (Hoekstra & Newton, 2017). It would be up to the experts to guide them through the process by recommending theoretical models and analysis techniques.…”

“…It is common practice to promote faculty and staff who excel in their discipline to leadership roles. The problem is that these individuals often lack the necessary leadership training and experience to support their organizations in their quest to address emerging challenges (Hoekstra & Newton, 2017). To achieve their goals, academic leaders need to have the respect and support of faculty and staff (Schmidt & Silva, 2005).…”