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Development of Academics and Higher Education Futures

The Project

Project Aims

The project is designed to identify challenges arising from anticipated higher education futures and to recommend responses. In particular it addresses challenges associated with:

  1. Demands arising from government initiatives to enhance and recognise university learning and teaching (e.g. AUQA, LTPF and Carrick Institute).
  2. Challenges in working with new learning and teaching technologies.
  3. Challenges in working in a global context.

Project Activities

The project involves a review and survey of current practices. It includes a forum on academic development - representative of all universities in Australia involving academic developers and other key players - to assess data from the review and to provide further input. Outcomes of the Forum incorporated an expert panel to identify possible futures for higher education in Australia as a context for the development of recommendations on approaches to the development of academics as teachers. The panel offered perspectives of various stakeholders, including academic leadership and discipline-based interests. The forum provided the opportunity to build strong and inclusive networks and communities of practice. The project will generate a report on the findings and recommendations arising from project activities.

Project Outcomes

The survey and the forum are designed to define models of national and international practice in academic development – particularly in the development of academics as teachers – that can be trialled and evaluated in a second phase of the initiative. This will support the emergence of national benchmarks for development of academic as teachers, which, in conjunction with development in related endeavours within institutions and across the Australian higher education sector, will promote enhancement of student learning.The project is designed to provide recommendations relating to:

  1. Viable options in organising for academic development in a changing environment.
  2. Means of supporting and sustaining academic development.
  3. Effective strategies for the development of academics as teachers.
  4. Indicators of success in development of academics as teachers.

adobe iconOutcomes of elements of the program may be found in the:
Interim Project Report November 2007 (448KB Adobe PDF document)
Appendix B (81KB Adobe PDF document)

Outcomes of the elements of the program may be found in the:
Project Report
Volume One, March 2009 (2.25MB Adobe PDF Document)
Volume Two, March 2009 (2.35MB Adobe PDF Document)

Related Projects

Stage 1 Update Report - Teaching quality indicators (45KB) PDF

Briefing Document - Preparing Academics for Teaching in Higher Education (PATHE) (39KB) PDF