Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/59259
Title: Building the Status of Teaching-Focused Positions as Prestigious Roles to Improve Teaching Quality
Contributor(s): Loch, Birgit  (author)orcid ; Horey, Dell (author); Julien, Brianna (author); Bridge, Christopher  (author); Thompson, Belinda (author)
Publication Date: 2024
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.59197/asrhe.v5i1.8145
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/59259
Abstract: 

Teaching-focused roles provide an ideal opportunity to improve the quality of teaching in higher education. However, such roles are commonly presented as pragmatic solutions for academics not fulfilling research expectations rather than quality improvement interventions. Workload allocations can be shifted to ensure that unproductive researchers are not counted as research-active in university ranking assessments and, at the same time, help balance salary budgets. These measures to address underperforming researchers have shifted focus from the potential to improve teaching quality that teaching-focused roles promised. We argue that a successful implementation of a supported approach for teaching-focused academics can help to foster a culture of excellence in teaching that should deliver career development and associated benefits for those in teaching-focused roles. This paper discusses a considered approach to improving teaching in higher education by supporting teaching-focused roles in an Australian university. Strategies to raise the profile of teaching-focused academics included a high-level champion, a merit-based application process, and a development program. These strategies aimed to address mis-focused perceptions and stigma related to teaching-focused positions and contribute to a culture of excellence in teaching. We put this approach forward as a model for institutions wanting to improve teaching quality, implement or enhance teaching-focused career paths or review existing models.

Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Advancing Scholarship and Research in Higher Education, 5(1), p. 1-24
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 3901 Curriculum and pedagogy
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: tbd
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

Files in This Item:
2 files
File Description SizeFormat 
openpublished/BuildingLoch2024JournalArticle.pdfPublished Version659.17 kBAdobe PDF
Download Adobe
View/Open
Show full item record
Google Media

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


This item is licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons