Enhancing the University’s Academic Development Programs:
Acting on the review
Draft article for June edition of Synergy In 2007

In 2007 the ITL undertook a review of its contributions across four of the university’s academic development programs:

• Sessional staff development programs
  
• The ‘Principles and Practice of University Teaching and Learning program
  
• The four units of the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Higher Education)
  
• The Research Higher Degree Supervision Development Program
  

In addition to the considerable existing evaluation data on these programs, the review considered anonymous submissions from past and current individual participants in the programs gathered by online surveys, and data collected in interviews with Associate Deans L&T in which they reported on their internal faculty consultations in relation to these programs. These submissions and contributions were invaluable and I would like to thank everybody who took the time to share their ideas and experiences.

The review was a very positive experience for the ITL and provided us with the opportunity to explore new ideas for the renewal of the programs. In 2008 we will be working with the university community to begin implementing some of these ideas. The planned changes will bring these academic development programs into alignment with the new structure of the ITL as well as with the University’s new overarching teaching and learning management structures and strategies.

Broad Directions

While there are some specific strategies related to particular programs, there are some general features which the 2008 renewal of the programs will incorporate.

Firstly, we will be seeking to provide greater flexibility across all the programs. This flexibility relates to broadening the choice of learning experiences that make up these programs, broadening the teaching contributions to these programs – especially in terms of faculty input, broadening the entry pathways (RPL), ensuring better articulation with diverse disciplinary pedagogies and faculty cultures and better linking with existing faculty academic development programs.

This year we are also looking to broaden the ownership and engagement with these programs in some faculties. In part this will be achieved through increased ITL-faculty collaboration and shared responsibility for aspects of the programs. We will also be working with faculty leaders to get a better match of individuals with identified development needs (for instance through PMD or faculty teaching QA systems) to the most appropriate program or alternative development strategy. This will also involve better alignment of academic development programs and strategies with the needs of different stages of the academic career (ranging from sessional staff to L&T leadership development) and emerging views of the academic role at Sydney.

Also, we will be working to develop a university strategy for recording teaching and learning academic development achievements of staff in relation to other development functions such as PMD and to facilitate articulation with subsequent academic development programs.

Some changes for 2008

Two areas where you will see changes in 2008 are in the second semester of the Graduate Certificate and the introductory Principles and Practice (P&P) program.

In the Principles and Practice program (P&P) we will be introducing some faculty-based academic development activities instead of the third day of the program. This is designed to recognise the fact that these activities already exist in many faculties and that new staff need an orientation to the contextual factors influencing teaching in their discipline or faculty. Each faculty will decide what is most suitable for their staff however some of the activities that will begin to be available as part of P&P will include:

• Faculty-based peer observation of teaching – this might involve observing an accomplished teacher, being observed by a peer from the P&P program or a faculty graduate certificate alumni. There are resources available to support this sort of activity.
  
• Participation in faculty teaching & learning events – this might involve attending as a member of the audience or as a contributor - possibly of something learnt in P&P.
  
• Participation in faculty teaching mentoring programs – as a mentee or possibly as a peer mentor of new sessional staff. Mentors might be faculty award winners or graduate certificate alumni.
  
• Participation in faculty teaching development projects – often faculties have difficulties finding people to work on curriculum review or even some TIES projects – both of which could provide great opportunities for work based learning.
  
• Contributing to scholarship of teaching activities in the faculty – perhaps through participating in a teaching conference – as a presenter or attendee.

The options are extensive and the development and implementation of these faculty based activities will be supported by the ITL, especially through the Cluster Coordinators as they are appointed. As part of the June P&P program, participants from the faculties in the Arts & Social Sciences Cluster will be able to engage in faculty based activities developed collaboratively by the ITL Cluster coordinator (Susan Thomas) and the A/Deans from the Arts & Social Sciences faculties. The ITL will continue to offer a central program as the third day of P&P for participants from other faculties while we work with those faculties to identify and introduce suitable activities over the next year.

The teaching of the second semester of the graduate certificate will also be changing this year to give a greater emphasis to personally relevant and authentic learning. Participants will be able to work with their cluster colleagues on a greater variety of discipline-based projects under the guidance of mentors in their faculties. The ITL will be working with colleagues in each faculty to help identify potential projects for this year’s Graduate Certificate participants. These will typically include the chance for participants to elect to:

• contribute to existing faculty TIES projects or curriculum development activities,
  
• undertake or plan a faculty inquiry project,
  
• contribute to a faculty teaching development activity or to
  
• implement and evaluate a curriculum innovation in their discipline.

The other change this year will be the introduction of a greater range of authentic tasks for participants to choose from as the basis for the reflective professional development portfolio. This year participants will be able to draw on activities such as completing a portfolio to support a teaching award or Fellowship application, a promotion application or to support their PMD. The focus on authentic tasks and discipline-based projects recognises the variation in needs of participants from different faculties as well as the teaching and learning expertise that resides in the faculties – especially amongst the more than 200 graduates of the Graduate Certificate. For these past graduates, contributing to the mentoring of these new faculty-based projects will hopefully provide ongoing professional development opportunities. In second semester 2008 we will also be opening up a revised ITL Research & Scholarship seminar series to complement the Graduate Certificate seminars. While these are designed in part for the Graduate Certificate participants, the seminar series is open to all interested members of the university community and will be one way of sharing the scholarship expertise that exists across the academic community. These seminars will be advertised on the ITL website.

What else is changing?

There are other changes we will be working on in the coming year in relation to the Grad Cert and P&P as well as the other academic development programs. If you want to read more about the various ways we are seeking to contribute to the renewal of these academic development programs the ITL 2007 Review of Academic Development Programs document on the ITL website provides a summary. For example – one area we will be contributing to is the next phase of development of the Research Higher Degree Supervision Development Program to make the pathway to accreditation more flexible and relevant to faculty supervision contexts and development needs. Another area we will be working on in coming months is in supporting the university to develop a comprehensive sessional staff development strategy which draws on the excellent programs already provided in many faculties. We hope to include reports on these activities and perspectives from participants on these updated programs in future editions of Synergy.