Enhancing Part‐time Teaching in Higher Education: a Challenge for Institutional Policy and Practice

Abstract

Higher education in the UK has seen a steady increase in the numbers of part-time teachers, yet the way in which they are inducted into teaching and the utilisation of their expertise are under-researched. This qualitative study of 33 part-time teachers from several universities suggests that their involvement in higher education should be considered from a fresh perspective, which differs from approaches to the enhancement of university teaching that rely upon simply educating individual teachers to do better by requiring their attendance at formally provided courses and events. While these approaches have their place, modern research on professional learning is increasingly pointing to the view that professional formation is an ecological process that is insufficiently served by the formal provision of learning opportunities. The ecological perspective, which emphasises the part played by the everyday workplace in professional formation, provides a challenge to leaders and managers regarding the development and implementation of institutional policy and practice.

The casualisation of teaching and the subject at risk

“…Knight et al (2007) assist in this by offering as a starting point for analysis four 'trajectories' or ways of understanding how casual teaching staff are integrated into a workgroup: 'slotting in' where the casual teacher is filling a teaching slot and tends to be isolated from colleagues; 'assimilation' where the casual teacher is welcome to participate but is required to adopt team practices; 'accommodation' where the team incorporates the casual teacher's expertise; and 'reciprocity' where there is the contribution and support available for the casual teacher is negotiated. They argue that 'those wishing to influence professional formation and secure greatest benefit for the university have an interest in considering how environments can favour the third and fourth trajectories' (p. 432).…”

“…Knight et al (2007) argue for the need to view 'professional formation' as an holistic and 'ecological' process that can and should be supported within the learning communities where casual teaching staff are engaged. As Boud (1999, p. 3) argues, 'it is in these sites [of academic practice] that academic identity is formed and is most powerfully influenced'.…”

“…In order to produce this kind of systemic change, Knight, Baume, Tait and Yorke (2007) argue that there are leadership implications for department Heads, educational development and human resource units. A key shift in thinking, we argue, needs to occur around the way the subject coordinator's role is understood and supported as a leadership position as they represent the fulcrum of the student/staff learning community within a subject, and are in a position to, and often find themselves responsible for, leading the more situated professional learning of casual teaching staff.…”

Tutors’ Forum: engaging distributed communities of practice

“…In part, this is due to lack of time; in part, due to the intricacies of maintaining a balance between authority and collegiality. Knight et al, 2007). Reciprocity pivots on enabling the contribution and collaboration of casual teachers to subject and program design, delivery and revision.…”

Praktikute-õppejõudude õpetamisarusaamad rakenduskõrgkoolis

“…Praktikute kaasamine kõrgkoolide tegevusse rikastab õppetööd, kujundades õppijate praktilisi oskusi ja teadmisi, ning aitab seeläbi kaasa nende kutsearengule (nt de Bruijn & Leeman, 2011;Dall' Alba, 1994;Knight, Baume, Tait, & Yorke, 2007;Ramage, 2004). Õppejõu kutsealased töökogemused on õpetamisel väärtuslikud, võimaldades neil suunata üliõpilasi kui tulevasi kolleege mõistma kutsetöö mitmekesisust ning teadvustama teoreetiliste ja praktiliste oskuste seotust (Grollmann, 2008).…”