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Despite their position as providers of tertiary education, universities sit beyond normalised discourses of education where qualifications, registration, and continuing professional development are concerned. In this case study, we explore how participation in an academic induction program (AIP) builds foundational andragogy knowledge and skills and fosters individual commitment to continuing professional development (PD) for the critical engagement, maintenance, and enhancement of quality teaching practices. Through a poststructuralist lens, we gathered triangulated evidence via surveys (n=32) and attendance data (n=190). Our findings indicate a positive correlation between AIP attendance and initial PD engagement but identifies a 35% decline in PD uptake six-month post-AIP. Survey responses indicate that while an AIP is a valuable tool for prompting initial engagement in learning and teaching PD, the role and function of teaching within universities needs to be elevated in order to support a career-long commitment to academic enhancement.
Keywords: Academic development, academic induction, learning and teaching, professional development, lecturer development
Introduction
Traditionally, the purpose of universities has been to create intellectual spaces of inquiry, where academics critique, innovate, and contribute to scholarly literature that extends the dominant ideologies of a society (Giroux, 2016). The traditional value of these intellectual spaces has been situated within the opportunities afforded to students to build their social and intellectual capital around particular discourses while developing essential knowledge and skills for particular professions (Inglis, 2016). The intellectual capital gained by students as they undertake a university degree is said to impact positively on their critical thinking skills and provide them with greater access to higher economic opportunities (Matricano, 2019). However, as government bodies, or agencies funded by them, have been positioned increasingly as the legislative authorities of higher education in neo-liberal 21st Century societies, discourses of consumerism, performance management and capitalism have come to dominate core university functions (Tinto, 2006). Appearing to be at odds, at least in part, with the traditional values and purpose of universities. Such neo-liberal ideologies shift the focus from intellectual advancement to product quality and control.
In the age of metric-driven, competency-focussed, evidence-based education systems, the ideological shift away from intellectual advancement has resulted in the zealous assessment of quantitative data to a measure of the success and quality of undergraduate programs as dependent on students' experiences and...