ABSTRACT Research on communities of practice suggests that such groups can be used to support academic staff development, especially during times of crisis. We explore how a group of South African women academics and ‘eLearning champions’ engaged in a mobile community of practice under COVID-19 conditions. Our analysis of WhatsApp chat histories and focus group conversations reflects how the group

ABSTRACT Early career academics (ECAs) face multiple academic challenges as many assume their duties with little or no experience of the work employed. Formal organizational structures within the university space may set programs to assimilate and assert them into their responsibilities gradually. However, where do ECAs retreat to when the hierarchical and procedural spaces frustrate, belittle them

ABSTRACT This article explores efforts to stimulate significant conversations through a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Community of Practice (CoP) amongst a diverse group of professors and professional staff in a College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario, Canada. Participants share their reflections on the formation of significant networks and the start of significant conversations

ABSTRACT This article features a collaborative autoethnography of its two authors: we are instructors, also life partners, whose teaching of statistics has been transformed through significant, intimate conversations. We implemented the collaborative autoethnography within an integrated theoretical framework, designed to underpin the function of significant conversations within the academy through

ABSTRACT Lesson study is a collaborative practice recognised as a useful approach for teachers’ learning; however, we barely find studies analysing this practice among higher education faculty members. This research studies the content of their conversations to reveal the learning opportunities that lesson study opens. Content analysis shows that the participants learnt through descriptive and interpretative

ABSTRACT This text discusses the professional development of academic developers. It is based on the authors’ reflections and observations in the context of a semi-formal programme, Strategic Academic Development, held for academic developers in different regions of the world. Most recently the programme participants were academic developers in Singapore. In this text, we as authors share what we notice

(2021). How to write a lot: a practical guide to productive academic writing. International Journal for Academic Development. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT Workplace preparation is increasingly part of university curricula and this has led to the appointment of staff with professional practice expertise being appointed to teach, who are experienced professionals yet HE novices. How do they make sense of HE’s expectations and begin to reconcile their identity as educators with the credibility their practice expertise confers? The paper draws on

ABSTRACT This study explores how trusting relationships between PhD students and their significant others contribute to the success of academic development programs, and how these programs affect trust in significant others. It introduces a definition of trust and distrust in academic development as synthesized from trust research in other disciplines. The study finds that lack of trust hinders conversations

ABSTRACT This paper explores how conversations among academics in a particular institutional context evolve, starting from the individual development of teachers and shifting in focus to institutional development. Results of our basic survey (N = 55) and semi-structured interviews with teachers (N = 13) who participated in lunch-time conversations on teaching and learning revealed that these encounters

ABSTRACT Faculty-faculty conversations and student-faculty conversations typically unfold as separate forms of faculty learning. We present an approach to new faculty development through which faculty-faculty conversations in pedagogy seminars overlap with student-faculty conversations in pedagogical partnerships. Writing as three new faculty members and one academic developer in a bi-college consortium

ABSTRACT Talking about teaching with colleagues is one way that academics learn about university teaching. In contexts that offer inconsistent support for teaching, what influences conversations? This study investigated mid-career academics’ conversations at an Australian research-intensive university. Twenty-four academics were interviewed and the transcripts analysed using the constant comparative

ABSTRACT Global membership of the HEA fellowship scheme is increasing. Despite the focus by academic developers on supporting staff to achieve fellowship, there is limited research that examines whether it improves teaching and the learning experience. Our detailed survey of educators in the UK and Australia indicates perceptions of impact on individuals, practice, and community. Importantly for academic

ABSTRACT Co-teaching and student-faculty partnerships are two approaches that independently facilitate significant conversations about teaching and learning. Written reflections from a module involving both approaches suggest that these conversations took place not only backstage (between co-teachers), but also on the front stage (with student partners). The interaction between co-teaching and student-faculty

ABSTRACT Educational leaders are responsible for educational change, and many scholars have argued that academic developers (ADs) have expertise with the potential to influence educational change. We argue, however, that ADs’ influence depends on how educational leaders perceive educational change and position ADs’ roles and responsibilities in relation to that change. In this paper, we critically

ABSTRACT Having collaborated closely on a project we dubbed the ‘peer review of teaching marathon,’ we reflect on the role of care in opening up conversations about teaching and learning. We posit that care, through collaboration, lays a foundation for trust in higher education. Trust, in turn, invites us to be open to new ideas, to be kind and have compassion, and to foster community between instructors

ABSTRACT Drawing on the qualitative research interview, the authors propose the Educational Development Interview is an important but understudied form of significant conversation and educational development practice. By summarizing types of interviews from educational development literature, and describing our recent use of interviews for producing videos and podcasts about teaching practice, we contend

ABSTRACT Informal conversation has always been important in academic development as a means of getting academics to open up and share their experiences. Academic developers use explicit techniques to make this informality apparent, for example, through discussions following teaching observations. There are also more implicit, subtle strategies used to nudge these informal conversations. Two of these

(2021). Creating a collaborative community spirit for the future of academic development. International Journal for Academic Development: Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 117-120.

ABSTRACT While cross-cultural student voice has led to transformations in education, research is scarce about the interplay between student voice, culture, and power. For this reason, student voice informs this study to investigate the benefits and constraints of curriculum co-design with respect to teacher power and higher education culture in Iran. The researcher-teacher deployed qualitative methods

ABSTRACT As the higher education landscape changes, teaching-only faculty face increasing challenges to deliver evidence-based teaching through engaging with the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). This transition from discipline expert to SoTL practitioner is often poorly supported and undertaken in isolation. We describe a faculty learning community (FLC) to support teaching-only faculty

ABSTRACT In this article, we examine the entrepreneurial self as a response to prevailing neoliberalism in higher education. We draw on positioning theory to explore a case study of an academic language and learning (ALL) advisor at an Australian university. ALL advisors work closely with students and academic teaching staff to develop teaching and learning practices across institutions. On the basis

ABSTRACT This study considers the extent to which a professional development programme for educational leaders in a research-intensive university contributes to participants’ adaptive expertise in the domain of leading educational change. We evaluated the programme by asking participants to execute an authentic task at the beginning and end of the programme and compared the outcomes with participants’

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to explore how academic teachers view and experience challenges in teaching communication. During a teacher training course 92 STEM teachers developed, implemented, evaluated and reported on altogether 44 authentic communication elements. Content analysis was used for analysing teachers’ written answers to questions before the course, and reports after the course.

ABSTRACT Reflecting on more than five years’ work in a project to support faculty in redesigning large enrollment, high failure rate courses through an equity lens at multiple U.S. institutions, hope emerged as a crucial component of the academic development process. We consider the necessity of hope in the midst of a global pandemic, and also in long-term efforts to ameliorate systemic inequities

ABSTRACT The complex and ever-changing nature of the field of educational development has led to a scholarship of educational development (SoED) that is rich but also enigmatic. The authors outline four lenses through which SoED might be viewed, ultimately proposing a framework for SoED that empowers scholars to engage in a sophisticated negotiation between, among, and across disciplines, perspectives

ABSTRACT This paper explores the nature of integrated networks of practice, and in particular, the important role of hubs within networks. Hubs are individuals or groups that energize cross-connections, improve knowledge flow, enhance learning across small clusters of expertise, and play critical roles in building and sustaining robust integrated networks. Three examples illustrate how group-based

ABSTRACT The purpose of this case study was to investigate the perception and experience of ten new faculty member participants in paired teaching. Along with providing evidence for paired teaching as an avenue for professional development in higher education, the study provides experiential narratives of paired teaching relationships as an illustration of the process. Key outcomes of the study include:

ABSTRACT Research Data Management (RDM) is an inherently complex area that presents a challenge for institutions to effectively upskill people in RDM and get them to enact RDM best practices. This systematic review aims to provide a reference point for institutions and academic developers to design and deliver effective training for their students and staff to navigate the RDM landscape. After narrowing

ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify which factors have the greatest influence on the satisfaction of faculty members who attended higher education professional development programs in teaching. The study included 2,330 cases collected over a three-year period. The results highlighted seven factors that explained 72% of satisfaction and had the greatest influence on positive ratings: (1) achievement

ABSTRACT Increasing instructional quality in higher education is a key goal of educational development (ED) work, yet demonstrating complex outcomes remains challenging and lacks practical guidance. Evaluating ED services often relies on a reductionist approach characterized by linear assumptions of causal pathways to measure the extent to which instructional outcomes have been achieved and uses proxies

ABSTRACT This paper describes how various initiatives to develop SoTL culture can be inspired by the eight steps of Kotter’s model of organizational change. The purpose of each step is to provide a set of probing questions for institutional leaders, academic developers, and faculty leaders on their roles to support this enculturation. Mapping Kotter’s steps with this list of questions and potential

(2021). Access and success: rethinking and widening the impact of academic development. International Journal for Academic Development: Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 1-6.

ABSTRACT The focus of this research is the centralised provision of professional development opportunities for postgraduate teaching assistants (PGTAs) through accredited and non-accredited courses (ACs and NACs), and their perceived and actual benefits. Evidence on the impact of courses at the University of Birmingham (UK) is synthesised with evidence from the wider sector and discussed within the

(2020). 25 years of accomplishments and challenges in academic development – where to next? International Journal for Academic Development: Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 293-296.

(2020). Thanks to IJAD peer reviewers. International Journal for Academic Development: Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 382-385.

ABSTRACT Many factors influence the effectiveness of educational programs and initiatives for engineering faculty, including job responsibilities, departmental and college culture, experience, and more. In the current study, we examine the results and implications of a survey assessing faculty priorities and needs for educational and instructional responsibilities, as well as for research and service

ABSTRACT Over the past two years, four research-intensive universities in the UK have appointed senior academic leaders from academic development backgrounds, a new phenomenon in this sector of UK higher education that may suggest a changing pattern. This study interviewed these four leaders to explore what the appointment means for their academic identity. The interviewees identified internal and

ABSTRACT Educational developers play a critical role as change agents and facilitators of curriculum development initiatives. This reflection explores factors that enable and limit curriculum development initiatives as experienced by a group of educational developers working in different university contexts in Canada. By highlighting aspects of our practice wisdom, we hope that we will be able to amplify

ABSTRACT I discuss my engagement with three professional recognition and development opportunities for academic developers: Senior Fellowship of HEA, HERDSA Fellowship, and SEDA Fellowship. I found that the portfolios for these fellowships complement one another well, and together present a valuable reflection on all aspects of the academic development role and identity.

ABSTRACT This study examines the extent to which lecturers demonstrate effective teaching behaviour. The results of 203 observations reveal substantial differences in detected teaching behaviour. Lecturers mostly demonstrated teaching behaviour in the domains classroom climate, efficient organisation, and instruction. Teaching behaviour relating to the domains activating teaching and teaching learning

ABSTRACT This study reports on an investigation into the experiences of faculty engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Common challenges that emerged across the interviews included competing priorities, and a lack of background knowledge and research skills relevant to their SoTL work. These challenges were often overcome by working alongside colleagues, as well as receiving support

ABSTRACT Institutional approaches to curriculum development often privilege outcome over process. This paper explores the use of an adapted Change Academy approach, originally developed for teams from different institutions, to supporting teams from different disciplines within the same institution. The approach was evaluated through analysis of the experience of members of four teams, with data collected

ABSTRACT This systematic literature review explored North American educational development programs designed for sessionals. After reviewing the literature, five needs are identified: (a) teaching and learning development, (b) connections to the academic culture, (c) administrative and organizational supports, (d) technological proficiency, and (e) content expertise. Initially focused on Canada exclusively

ABSTRACT This paper describes the Teaching and Learning Regime concept, situating it within top-down university policy implementation and its possible interactions, with bottom-up disciplinary cultures. It argues that top-down policy implementation needs to acknowledge the importance of disciplinary practice architectures and the enablements and constraints they present. Policy will manifest itself

ABSTRACT This paper discusses academics’ perceptions of challenges during the implementation of peer observation of teaching (POT) for promoting teachers’ reflection and teaching improvement. This qualitative case study involved 11 academics teaching English at a university in Vietnam. Data were analysed inductively and thematically. Several challenges were identified: limited learning from observing

ABSTRACT There has been extensive research conducted into the plight of casual academic staff, the precarious nature of their work, their limited academic development opportunities, and their heightened risk of being positioned on the periphery of the workforce in academia. Institutions have attempted to mitigate this risk through the provision of academic development interventions at all levels of

ABSTRACT This paper details a six-step model for coaching online teachers that has been successfully implemented at an Australian university. Drawing on three fields of literature – online teaching, community of practice theory and coaching programs – the model involves (1) on-boarding and goal-setting, (2) coaching conversations about online teaching strategies, (3) implementing those strategies in

ABSTRACT Rapid technological and social changes have prompted a strong focus on teaching practices in higher education. Among the assortment of programs and approaches aimed at developing teaching practices, peer review and observation of teaching remain widespread for their efficiency and potential to be transformative. Though such programs are well described in the literature, whether or how they

ABSTRACT One way to support academics as whole people is to address the psychology of success and failure in academic work. Despite their success in securing doctorates and academic positions, academics often feel like imposters. The current neoliberal audit culture reinforces this sense by demanding more and more of them in terms of outputs that are ‘successful’ when measured and thus financialised

(2020). Diversity matters: academic development in times of uncertainty and beyond* International Journal for Academic Development: Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 201-204.

ABSTRACT Career trajectories within the academic enterprise elicit copious amounts of literature, much of which focuses on individuals who hail from faculty and rise through the academic ranks to college and university administration. However, scholarly discussions that conversely pay attention to administrators who transition to faculty roles are not as abundant even though they may possess unique

ABSTRACT This study investigates the perceived benefits to academics who assess HEA Fellowship applications in one institution. Results show that the assessors experience similar benefits from engaging with the continuing professional development (CPD) scheme as those reported by applicants. The data also indicate that the scheme nurtures a teaching-focused community of practice. By examining and discussing

ABSTRACT Reading poetry through a metaphorical lens, we enquire into our lived experience of academic development. By reading poetry as a metaphor for practice it becomes possible to explore teaching identities within higher education, creating opportunities for learning and critical self-awareness. Comparing and contrasting our different interpretations of the same poems, we reflect on new ways of

ABSTRACT Educational developers need to assess the work of their Centres, from program participation and impact to underlying organizational processes. Various frameworks exist, but developers may feel unsure how to get started. We developed a planning model that offers a structured, systematic approach for developing comprehensive assessment systems that fully engage Centre staff. The model includes

ABSTRACT Interdisciplinary education is gaining prominence in higher education, but little is known about the experiences and professional development needs of interdisciplinary educators. Through the lenses of self-reflection, peer review, and the educational literature, this paper uses a narrative enquiry approach to explore the lived experiences of two academics as they transition from a focus on

ABSTRACT This research explored the experiences of three health professionals transitioning into academia as second-career academics (SCAs), with the aim of gaining insight into potential enablements and constraints for such career changers. The process of redefining identity from expert health professional to novice academic could occur through a three-stage process of transitioning. However, if SCAs

ABSTRACT This study explored three US educational development (ED) programs: a weeklong course design institute, a new faculty learning community (NFLC), and a STEM learning community (STEM-LC). We compared observed instruction and student achievement for 239 STEM undergraduate courses taught by instructors who had or had not engaged in ED. Courses taught by NFLC and STEM-LC instructors had significantly

ABSTRACT Although professional training or development opportunities can help university academics to expand their competences and implement high quality educational practices, academics differ in the extent to which they engage in such learning opportunities and their resulting learning gains. A theoretical explanation for these differences involves their motivations in the form of achievement goals

ABSTRACT Midterm student feedback is a common process in post-secondary institutions that can lead to enhanced teaching practices and thereby potentially to higher ratings of instructional skills in summative course evaluations. At McMaster University, midterm student feedback is called a ‘Course Refinement’ and includes consultation with educational developers. As part of a multiphase study investigating