Orientations to academic development: lessons from a collaborative study at a research‐led university

Collaborative Partnerships to Facilitate Change in Higher Education

“…Some respondents reported a change in the assessment methods employed in mainstream with assessments becoming a lot more practical and including case studies in order to test a wider scope of students' ability. This is reflective of Leibowitz et al's (2011) view that collaboration between academic developers and subject specialists leads to educational change expertise being embedded within faculties.…”

Democracy or intervention? Adapting orientations to development

“…Academic staff may care deeply about student welfare and the quality of the learning experience, but there is a common presumption that improvements to teaching require resources to be diverted away from research, and that such a diversion of resource is not justified on economic grounds. This presumption is echoed in reports from other institutions and in other countries (see, for example, Leibowitz et al, 2011).…”

Foundational academic development: building collegiality across divides?

“…Others identify conflict within departments and staff members themselves due to the imperative to prioritise research over teaching (e.g. Adams & Rytmeister, 2001;Hunt, 2007;Leibowitz et al, 2011). Workload also has an impact and goes beyond professional development for new staff.…”

“…Common concerns, such as that of developing and maintaining quality teaching and learning across all disciplines, require a common discourse, one that enables the bridging of the often siloed thinking of institutional structures and promotes collaboration. One of the key aspects of a move towards cross-departmental collaborative planning and action (Leibowitz et al, 2011) is the creation and maintenance of flexible cross-functional teams (Aaker, 2008, p. 74) to engage in the joint research efforts that are needed. This approach requires appropriate staff development and visible action, such as the development of truly 'collaborative leadership' at an institutional level (Eckel & Kezar, 2003, p. 78).…”

“…The challenges of inducting new academic staff have attracted much attention in recent years, both in the area of academic development generally, as reviewed by Åkerlind (2005) and Leibowitz et al (2011), and particularly in regard to the induction of new academic staff into their role as both teacher and researcher (Barkhuizen, 2002;Jawitz, 2007;Trowler & Knight, 2000). Numerous studies have emerged, partly fuelled by an interest in improving university teaching standards in response to now well-established government agendas of 'quality, value for money and enhanced participation' noted by Ramsden (2003, p. 233) nearly a decade ago.…”