Developing Academics

Academics work in a highly complex world where they must build integrative capabilities and outcomes as teachers, researchers and leaders. As they progress from novice to expert their evolving identities, methodologies and strategies need to be well-attuned to their own strengths and the sectoral expectations: a process that is greatly facilitated by the guidance of leaders and specialist developers. Developing Academics offers guidance to developers, senior leaders and academics on the principles and practices that support high-performing and adaptive academic communities. As the first work to explore the complex nature of academic capacity building, it offers comprehensive development principles, learning theories and specific strategies to support academic growth and development. Developing Academics explores academic capacity from a range of perspectives, including: What makes a high-performing, well-rounded academic? How can our academics be equipped to meet the demands of their current and future roles? What are the essential characteristics of an outstanding developer and development service? How can leaders support and guide high-performing academics who wish to excel? This book is divided into five parts. The first explores academic capacity building and the role developers, leaders and academics play. The second part offers comprehensive guidance to higher education developers, providing the theoretical grounding, methodologies and advanced professional techniques that support their service delivery. The third explores the academic development context, mapping the key capabilities that academics need to acquire as they progress from early career to senior roles across their various portfolios. The fourth explores strategies to evaluate and research the impact of higher education development on learners and their performance. In the final part, the design of higher education services and their interaction with university leaders is explored, illustrating the critical importance of building influence and impact across the university community. The positioning of higher education development as a discipline is also mapped. Developers, leaders and academics will find this handbook to be an essential resource for regular reference: full of useful insights, tips and strategies to help them increase their outcomes and impact. Readers are challenged to reflect on their own leadership and effectiveness throughout this work, as individuals and contributors to academic capacity building.

Within the field of academic development, the last twenty years have seen a great expansion of published research into practice and the further development of theoretical approaches. This growth in the scholarship of academic development matches a growth in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Advancing Practice in Academic Development draws on these evolving scholarships to advance professional practice in academic development, addressing questions such as: . How have global academic developers and their units developed and changed over recent decades? How has the context in which academic development work is done altered? What have academic developers and their professional associations learnt? Case studies and examples are used throughout the text to illustrate development scenarios and methods. Academic development is considered as, among others, a critical, a scholarly, a principled, a pragmatic, a supporting and a leadership role. This book is ideal for use on academic development courses run by SEDA and other international organisations as well as by those who have responsibility for leading the improvement of educational practice. Written in a scholarly, accessible, stimulating and practical style, this book acknowledges difficulties and offers ways forward. As well as analysing problems, it offers solutions. Links to web sources referenced in this book can be found at www.seda.ac.uk/apad

Academics work in a highly complex world where they must build integrative capabilities and outcomes as teachers, researchers and leaders. As they progress from novice to expert their evolving identities, methodologies and strategies need to be well-attuned to their own strengths and the sectoral expectations: a process that is greatly facilitated by the guidance of leaders and specialist developers. Developing Academics offers guidance to developers, senior leaders and academics on the principles and practices that support high-performing and adaptive academic communities. As the first work to explore the complex nature of academic capacity building, it offers comprehensive development principles, learning theories and specific strategies to support academic growth and development. Developing Academics explores academic capacity from a range of perspectives, including: What makes a high-performing, well-rounded academic? How can our academics be equipped to meet the demands of their current and future roles? What are the essential characteristics of an outstanding developer and development service? How can leaders support and guide high-performing academics who wish to excel? This book is divided into five parts. The first explores academic capacity building and the role developers, leaders and academics play. The second part offers comprehensive guidance to higher education developers, providing the theoretical grounding, methodologies and advanced professional techniques that support their service delivery. The third explores the academic development context, mapping the key capabilities that academics need to acquire as they progress from early career to senior roles across their various portfolios. The fourth explores strategies to evaluate and research the impact of higher education development on learners and their performance. In the final part, the design of higher education services and their interaction with university leaders is explored, illustrating the critical importance of building influence and impact across the university community. The positioning of higher education development as a discipline is also mapped. Developers, leaders and academics will find this handbook to be an essential resource for regular reference: full of useful insights, tips and strategies to help them increase their outcomes and impact. Readers are challenged to reflect on their own leadership and effectiveness throughout this work, as individuals and contributors to academic capacity building.

Learning through dialogue brings a powerful opportunity to navigate professional demands and meet the challenges of a turbulent world. Written for all who mentor or coach in universities, this book addresses a critical question: how can mentoring and coaching be an effective and accessible way to support researcher and academic development?

This best practice guide to teaching in the Further Education and Skills sector, and professional organisational learning contexts, examines the key concepts underpinning effective teaching and learning and combines this with case studies which demonstrate meaningful connections between theory and practice. Each chapter also contains discussion questions, learning activities and reflective points, allowing you to further engage with key research and relate it to your own teaching. Offering pragmatic advice on learning design, support and delivery, coverage includes: Identifying learning needs and objectives Selecting and developing appropriate content Using technology to enhance learning Assessment, evaluation and reflection This is an indispensable resource for anyone preparing to teach in Further Education, current Higher Education lecturers and work-based learning trainers in private and public-sector organisations. Lyn Ashmore is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Development and Denise Robinson is Director of the Post Compulsory Education & Training Consortium, both are based at the University of Huddersfield.

Lecturers, if you would like to order an e-Inspection copy, go here to order. Taking a broad contemporary view of higher education, this book explores key topics that all academics will need to engage with in order to survive and flourish in today’s increasingly complex higher education environment. Key topics include: · connecting research and teaching in practice · promoting critical approaches to the curriculum · teaching for employability and understanding graduate identity · responding to the internationalisation agenda · engaging with the demands of the digital university · enacting interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and scholarship · enabling inclusive approaches to student engagement and student voice Policy and practice debates informing these different areas are explored alongside practical guidance on how to implement and integrate key priorities into the different dimensions of their professional practice. This is essential reading for higher education faculty undertaking professional development courses, such as the PG Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP), the PG Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (PGCTLHE / PGHE) and related courses, and also for early career academics wishing to deepen their understanding of contemporary higher education.

Want to be an effective, successful and happy academic? This book helps you hone your skills, showcase your strengths, and manage all the professional aspects of academic life. With their focus on life-long learning and positive reflection, Alex and Bailey encourage you to focus on your own behaviours and personal challenges and help you to find real world solutions to your problems or concerns. Weaving inspirational stories, the best of research and theory, along with pragmatic advice from successful academics, this book provides step-by-step guidance and simple tools to help you better meet the demands of modern academia, including: Optimising your effectiveness, priorities & strategy Workflow & managing workload Interpersonal relationships, and how to influence Developing your writing, presenting and teaching skills Getting your work/life balance right. Clear, practical and refreshingly positive this book inspires you to build the career you want in academia.

"This book offers insightful reflections on academic development practices. The contributors engage the reader painstakingly in the dynamics of professional learning and effective teaching. This volume facilitates the examination of the need for reflection that leads to professional maturity. All educational institutions seek teachers who continuously search for effective strategies in improving student success. The contributors uncover a variety of approaches as they evince proven suggestions. The chapters are refreshing and edifying. This book is essential for all teachers, lecturers and trainers who want to improve their teaching practice immensely". Professor Vuyisile T. Msila Researcher at the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, University of South Africa.