Training and Accrediting Third-level Teachers

1. Training and Accrediting Third-level Teachers Some Concerns from a Devil’s Advocate

2. Devil’s Advocate A person who expresses a contentious opinion in order to provoke debate or test the strength of the opposing argument COD

3. Some Principles • Teaching is a (the?) core business of a College • Teaching is the creation and sustaining of an effective environment for learning • Teaching and learning are complex activities • Teachers need to be trained • Teacher training programmes need to be accredited

4. “The test for universities is, essentially, their readiness to mobilise the enormous talent at their disposal” Irish universities need to: • Review and appraise policies/practices etc with reference to national directions • Appraise the quality of their teaching and set standards • Broaden and enlarge student intake • Adopt more flexible teaching • Increase sale of services to international marketSkilbeck

5. Teacher Training – For Whom? • Postgraduate Teaching Assistants • Newly appointed academic staff • Experienced academic staff • Academic administrators • Support staff • Bureaucrats • Politicians

6. Postgraduate Teaching Assistants • Front-line teachers in universities • Teach the higher order skills • No research-teaching nexus • Training usually neglected • Underpaid with low status • Other priorities • But – the USA experience

7. Newly Appointed Academic Staff • Most common target for formal training • Voluntary or mandatory courses in UK & Australia • Courses generally too short in Ireland • But – lack of support for adequate courses • But –extreme pressures in early years • But –research the priority

8. Experienced Academic Staff • Strong influence on Departmental cultures • Experience = entrenched good or bad habits • Ongoing professional development rather than courses?

9. Academic Administrators • Why don’t Heads of Department come to these workshops? • Academic management is part of the learning environment • Out of touch with research into teaching and learning in HE • Management development virually non-existent

10. Support Staff • Some actually teach formally • Many influence the learning environment - Subject Librarians - Technical Officers - Administrators

11. Bureaucrats and Politicians • Many have had bad experiences at College • Instrumental view of education • Naïve and unrealistic funding Guidelines • Underestimate the work and resources needed to bring about reforms • Unaware of research into teaching and learning

12. Three Major Concerns • Increasing pressure on newly appointed academic staff • Status and funding of academic staff development in the Republic • Entrenched conservatism of Third-level institutions - management - unions - structures (eg promotion policies)

13. Accreditation • Necessary for professionalisation? • A premature concern or a driver for reform? • ILT membership welcome but temporary solution • Should not be left to Trainers’ Network or Teachers’ Council • Should be academics’ initiative

14. Where From Here? • Identify problems and issues • Prioritise - start with the young ones? - change structures and policies? • Commitment, commitment, commitment • Resources, resources, resources