Building a competence-based model for the academic development of programme leaders

ABSTRACT

The programme leader is crucial to the success of a higher education provider’s educational portfolio. However, programme leader development is under-researched and is too often conceptualised in a negative way, as the solution to a problem. Here we adopt a positive approach by undertaking an Appreciative Inquiry with programme leaders to understand their development needs. Our work identifies domains of reward and responsibility intrinsic to the programme leader role. Mapping these against a Competence-Based Higher Education Framework, we propose a holistic model for the academic development of programme leaders. We encourage others to adapt this model to their institutional contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic leadership
• educational leadership
• competence-based education
• course leader
• programme director
• programme leader

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the programme leaders who played an active part in our Appreciative Inquiry, and to the anonymous referees who provided constructive feedback. Dr Andrea Webb provided constructive advice on project design to author 3 through the University of British Columbia Scholarship of Educational Leadership Programme.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded through an AdvanceHE Good Practice Grant [GEN 1296] awarded to author 1 and author 3.

Notes on contributors

Jenny Lawrence

Jenny Lawrence was a Reader in Higher Education and Head of the Teaching Excellence Academy at the University of Hull. She is now Director of the Oxford Centre for Academic Enhancement and Development at Oxford Brookes University. Jenny is an Associate Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association, a UK National Teaching Fellow, and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Lesley J. Morrell

Lesley Morrell is a Professor of Bioscience Education and Associate Dean (Education) in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Hull. She is a UK National Teaching fellow and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Graham W. Scott

Graham Scott is a Professor of Bioscience Education and Director of the Teaching Excellence Academy at the University of Hull. He is a UK National Teaching Fellow and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.