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

Abstract

This study reports on a collaborative teaching enhancement project at a research‐led university, within the context of a focus on the first‐year experience. It demonstrates the kind of influence which a combination of managerial and collegial approaches can have on the collaboration. It illustrates the importance of working with a conscious understanding of the academic development orientations underpinning an educational change initiative. In the study, academic developers teamed up with lecturers from eight departments to embark on change endeavours to enhance teaching and learning in the lecturers’ immediate settings. The adoption of an action research‐oriented, interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to professional development was found to be appropriate at a research‐led institution. Contextual and cultural factors inherent to the disciplines, departments and institution were shown to have an impact upon the involvement of participants in the project.

Keywords:

• professional development
• collaboration
• research
• first‐year experience
• academic development

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the contributions of the following team members: Sonia Human, David Holgate, Andrew Fransman, Pietie Horn, Ada Jansen, Gillian Arendse, Robbie Luckay, Tanya Roex, Anthea Metcalfe, Idilette van Deventer, Hanelie Adendorff, Liezl van Dyk and Susan van Schalkwyk.

The team wishes to thank the Higher Education Quality Committee and the Finnish government, via the Competitive Grants Fund, for providing financial support for the project.

Notes

1. All names of quoted respondents are pseudonyms.