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This paper reports on responses of 645 students (N = 6540) on 4 University of London (UoL) distance learning courses to a variety of course components. Published research on best practice in student learning stresses the value of active learning and of student collaboration. By contrast, our respondents report that they regard more active individual learning components such as reflection and self-assessment exercises as less helpful than course content such as readings, and they rate peer engagement much less highly than individual learning. We discuss why these learning behaviours and preferences seem to be at odds with accepted best practice, and explore possible implications for design and operation of online learning.

Baume and Popovic describe three complementary and connected approaches to being scholarly in higher education--reflecting critically on practice, using the literature and contributing to the literature. Subsequent work reported here applies and tests the model in three settings--a meeting of the Southern Africa Universities Learning and Teaching Forum (SAULT); a seminar for senior staff in support of an institutional wide curriculum revision project at the National University of Lesotho; and a Professional Doctorate (EdD) seminar at London South Bank University. Reflecting critically on these experiences, the article explores some relationships between stages of the model, and thereby extends the model a little. More broadly the article suggests how an explicitly scholarly practice can permeate our work in universities. The article also tries to show a reflective and scholarly approach in action, and perhaps to demystify and even de-problematise a little the concept of scholarship.

This paper starts by sketching "International Journal for Academic Development (IJAD's)" first 20 years, its contents and concerns and staffing. Suggestions follow on future directions for both research and practice in academic development. These suggestions build in particular, but not exclusively, on reviews of and projections for academic development by my fellow founding "IJAD" editor Chris Knapper in this issue, Graham Gibbs (2013), and David Baume and Celia Popovic (2016). Some thoughts on the future of "IJAD" are added.

In this article, the authors use their own collective half century's experience of academic development to review the nature and evolution of the profession. They argue that, having risen from a peripheral and largely individual activity to a sometimes central and sometimes highly valued activity, academic development may achieve its apotheosis, as innovating in their practice and policy becomes central to every teacher, every course, every department, every school, every faculty and every university.

This paper reports on responses of 645 students (N = 6540) on 4 University of London (UoL) distance learning courses to a variety of course components. Published research on best practice in student learning stresses the value of active learning and of student collaboration. By contrast, our respondents report that they regard more active individual learning components such as reflection and self-assessment exercises as less helpful than course content such as readings, and they rate peer engagement much less highly than individual learning. We discuss why these learning behaviours and preferences seem to be at odds with accepted best practice, and explore possible implications for design and operation of online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper develops and illustrates a model for designing courses. The model gives explicit attention to educational considerations, principally to the importance of active, goal-directed student learning. It also explores economic considerations, principally how to make the best possible use of the time of the teacher in planning and running the course. The model concentrates on student learning activities and student learning hours, and on how staff time can best support these activities and hours. The resultant model is applied to the analysis and design of programmes, courses and modules. (Contains 1 figure.)

Higher education in the UK has seen a steady increase in the numbers of part-time teachers, yet the way in which they are inducted into teaching and the utilisation of their expertise are under-researched. This qualitative study of 33 part-time teachers from several universities suggests that their involvement in higher education should be considered from a fresh perspective, which differs from approaches to the enhancement of university teaching that rely upon simply educating individual teachers to do better by requiring their attendance at formally provided courses and events. While these approaches have their place, modern research on professional learning is increasingly pointing to the view that professional formation is an ecological process that is insufficiently served by the formal provision of learning opportunities. The ecological perspective, which emphasises the part played by the everyday workplace in professional formation, provides a challenge to leaders and managers regarding the development and implementation of institutional policy and practice.

In an attempt to gain a fuller understanding of the basis of grading, ten assessors each assessed two portfolios drawn from the course archive which had been produced by participants on a course in teaching in higher education. Assessors gave a grade or judgement on each of a portfolio's 75 portfolio elements, reasons for each judgement they made, and recorded any alternative judgement they had considered. There were substantial differences between the judgements made during the study and those made when the portfolios were originally assessed. This article explores the differences between the original and experimental assessments, and then analyses reasons given by assessors for the judgements made. Beyond these particulars, the paper suggests some fundamental and problematic issues about the conduct and the reform of assessment, and offers a process which can be used to investigate and improve the quality, in particular the reliability, of any summative assessment. (Contains 5 tables and 1 note.)

Analyzed the assessments of 53 portfolios used to evaluate participants in a development course for higher education teachers at the United Kingdom's Open University. Findings included a high reliability in assessment at the level of course outcomes, and that cumulation of component assessments is very likely to reduce the reliability of overall judgments. (EV)

Abstract Data are reported regarding the reliability of evaluations of portfolios constructed for the purpose of gaining accreditation as a teacher in UK higher education (HE). Whilst the reliability of [...]

Baume and Popovic describe three complementary and connected approaches to being scholarly in higher education – reflecting critically on practice, using the literature and contributing to the literature. Subsequent work reported here applies and tests the model in three settings – a meeting of the Southern Africa Universities Learning and Teaching Forum (SAULT); a seminar for senior staff in support of an institutional wide curriculum revision project at the National University of Lesotho; and a Professional Doctorate (EdD) seminar at London South Bank University. Reflecting critically on these experiences, the article explores some relationships between stages of the model, and thereby extends the model a little. More broadly the article suggests how an explicitly scholarly practice can permeate our work in universities. The article also tries to show a reflective and scholarly approach in action, and perhaps to demystify and even de-problematise a little the concept of scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper starts by sketchingInternational Journal for Academic Development(IJAD’s) first 20 years, its contents and concerns and staffing. Suggestions follow on future directions for both research and practice in academic development. These suggestions build in particular, but not exclusively, on reviews of and projections for academic development by my fellow foundingIJADeditor Chris Knapper in this issue, Graham Gibbs (2013), and David Baume and Celia Popovic (2016). Some thoughts on the future ofIJADare added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods of recording teaching experiences for career reviews are presented. Particular attention is given to recording assessments, the number of students on the course, the course designs, teaching proportions. Looking at problematic aspects of teaching is recommended.

There is a need for training and accreditation for United Kingdom university lecturers. Such a project requires funding and a change in attitudes at universities. Teaching tends not to be seen as a highly skilled activity in higher education, and research tends to attract more funds. Yet teaching does involve a high skill level once the work of a teacher is examined. The Staff and Educational Development Association has developed a scheme for voluntary accreditation.

The article offers the author's insights on the relationship between originality and education. He offers various definitions of originality which can be considered along a spectrum from personal or local to global and universal. He mentions that one way to relate originality on knowledge is through the role of originality in the development of new knowledge.

Introduces the articles that appeared in the November 2002 issue of 'The International Journal for Academic Development.' Focus on training and support of university teachers; Discussion of the importance of conceptions of teaching as well as methods of teaching; Steady growth of scholarly approaches to teaching and to academic development.

Editorial. Introduces a series of articles which focus on educational development practice. Disparate set of descriptions of academic development; Difficulty and the subtlety of the relationship between giver and receiver of feedback; Feedback from a teacher colleague; Staff development for part-time teachers; Academic developers' conception of their practice; Approaches to judging university teaching.

The author discusses his expectations of technology in the work of higher education, describes the proper place of technology and suggests what developers should do about technology. He explains the two related qualities of good technology and details how the technology being used match up to said suggested qualities. He also argues that the current huge emphasis on electronic-learning and learning technology may, on balance, be doing damage.

Editorial. Introduces the articles featured in the May 1998 issue of the 'International Journal for Academic Development.'