Impacts of engaging in research into teaching and learning on academics’ conceptions of their development as teachers and on the roles of academic developers

ABSTRACT

We interviewed 13 university teachers who research their teaching practices or their students’ learning to identify how they understood their development as teachers. We interpreted recurring themes within the data as three ways of conceptualising university teachers’ development as teachers. We use a theoretical model to arrange these conceptualisations in a hierarchy based on levels of engagement in teaching development. The most complex conceptualisation sees this development as high-level engagement involving personal research into practice, with much in common with discipline-based research. We discuss our results in relation to potential and substantial changes in the roles and evaluation of academic developers.

KEYWORDS:

• Researching teaching practices
• scholarly teaching
• learning to be a scholar
• reward and recognition
• academic roles
• roles for academic developers

Acknowledgments

We thank the participants for their willingness to share their thoughts with us. The study was reviewed and approved by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (reference D18/212) and received subsequent exemption from further ethics review from the University of Canterbury (reference 2018/08/EX).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kerry Shephard

Kerry Shephard is professor of higher education development at the University of Otago’s Higher Education Development Centre, Dunedin, New Zealand. Kerry researches higher education policy and practice, academic and educational development, and the impacts that higher education has on the values of learners.

Tracy Rogers

Tracy Rogers is a teaching fellow working in the area of academic development for students and staff. Her research interests include peer-supported learning, metacognition and peer review of teaching. Tracy is the coordinator of a reciprocal peer-observation of teaching initiative, Teaching and Learning Circles, aimed at enhancing teaching culture and practice at the University of Otago.

Erik Brogt

Erik Brogt is associate professor of academic development at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. His interests include academic development, discipline-based higher education research, and the educational psychology of tertiary teaching and learning environments.