Does Accredited Professional Development for Academics Improve Teaching and Learning in Higher Education?

Abstract

This Chapter examines the extent to which we can assess whether accredited professional development programmes for academics have improved teaching -and students' learning -in higher education. A review of the literature will be presented, along with new research undertaken in our home institution. The authors are part of a team delivering accredited programmes in teaching at tertiary level, and have collaborated to examine the impact of their work and that of the team over more than ten years in this area. Our findings from both the literature and our most recent research within our own institution indicate a range of benefits for higher education in providing and supporting accredited programmes for educators. However, we have also identified methodological issues in measuring these benefits and impact overall. The Chapter will discuss this work and connect it with the broader themes of this book. We emphasise the importance of effective teaching in the midst of the many complex changes influencing higher education at this time.