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What do you really need to know?The importance of the third space in developing

institutional CPD frameworks.

Liz Marr and Rachel Forsyth

HEA Conference 2011

HEA Conference 2011

What does it mean to be an academic in today’s universities?

“ …how to be a proper academic is a moving goal; moreover one that is fraught with ambiguity.” (Clegg,2008)

“what it is to be an academic is by no means given but is a matter of dynamic relationships between social and epistemological interests and structures” (Barnett, 2000)

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How does one become an academic?

‘Refugee’ from practice?

As an apprentice?

Other?

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What are the tensions in the academic role?

• Institutional role and disciplinary identity

• Internal and external activity• Administration and academic

work• Research and enterprise• Teaching and scholarship• Quality assurance and quality

enhancement• Autonomy and accountability• Development and judgement

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HEA Conference 2011

What is CPD for ?

• Personal development?• Career enhancement?• Institutional enhancement?• Compliance?• External validation?• Skills and competencies?• Knowledge – subject/teaching practice?

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What risks do we face?

• De-professionalising• Fragmentation• Reduced quality and standards

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Activity 2

• What are the essential functional elements of a successful university?

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How should CPD respond?

Academic Academic related

Secretarial and

clericalServices

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Will UKPSF do the job?

• Multiple pathways• Multiple opportunities to gain credit• Focus on context as well as content• Cross disciplinary approach• APEL/APL

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A CPD framework for blended professionals- the context

• The Higher Education context:– History and philosophy – Funding and governance

• The university context– Cross institutional functions (finance, estates, HR etc)– The management of teaching– The management of research– The student experience– External relations

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A CPD framework for blended professionals-teaching

• Teaching:– Designing and quality assuring courses– Delivering courses (lectures, seminars, labwork,

tutorials)– Assessing students (design, administration,

marking)– Working with diversity (disability,

internationalisation)– Supervision (ug, pg, placements)

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A CPD framework for blended professionals-research and scholarship

• Bidding for funding• Managing research projects• Writing for publication• Enterprise and community engagement

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A CPD framework for blended professionals-managing

• Leading teams• Implementing strategy• Resource management

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Conclusions

• Need to be more inclusive about CPD• Mixed groups

– Force clarification– Reduce jargon– Encourage collaborative solutions– Improve responsiveness

• But there are issues about accreditation:– UKPSF ‘licence to practice?’

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References

Barnett, R. (2000). Realizing the University in an age of Supercomplexity. Maidenhead, SRHE/OUP.

Clegg, S. (2008). "Academic identities under threat?" British Educational Research Journal 34(3): 329 - 345.

Whitchurch, C. (2008). "Shifting identities and blurring boundaries: the emergence of third space professionals in UK higher education." Higher Education Quarterly 62(4): 377-396.

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Acknowledgments

• Free cartoon by Kirk Luehrs• Panic - photo by hufse (used under creative

commons licence)• Parachutes cartoon by Jana Cook • Other photos © OU and MMU