{"id":58750,"date":"2015-11-30T18:47:41","date_gmt":"2015-11-30T16:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/how-academic-staff-development-can-contribute-to-changing-universities-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2015-11-30T18:47:41","modified_gmt":"2015-11-30T16:47:41","slug":"how-academic-staff-development-can-contribute-to-changing-universities-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/how-academic-staff-development-can-contribute-to-changing-universities-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"How academic staff development can contribute to changing universities | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"
Tertiary institutions in South Africa, like the University of Cape Town (pictured here), are in a state of flux and change.<\/span> Shutterstock<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It seems almost certain that South Africa\u2019s universities cannot return to \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d after the student protests that marked 2015. Some have asked what academics will learn from the protests and how they will – or won\u2019t – alter their practice in classrooms.<\/p>\n

Another question arises: how do those tasked with the role of being academic staff developers work in productive ways with university teachers to decolonise institutional cultures? This includes the knowledge drawn on in curricula and the ways in which teaching and student assessment happens.<\/p>\n

Historically, the project of academic development in South Africa has been to contribute to social justice . It has been successful in some contexts, significantly shifting aspects of teaching and learning. But it has clearly not led to the large scale change that was envisioned in policy documents developed in the years immediately after apartheid ended.<\/p>\n

This moment in the country\u2019s higher education history offers an important opportunity for both academics and academic developers to rethink how they understand the purposes of a university and how, as a sector, they go about their business<\/p>\n

Tough questions<\/h2>\n

Students and academics at the forefront of the movement to decolonise South African universities have drawn attention to structural and cultural factors the continue to exclude the majority from the knowledge project. There is a need for greater recognition of the fact that teaching and learning is not just about knowledge. In essence, it\u2019s an ontological project too – it\u2019s about an entire way of being. These are inextricably linked because of the country\u2019s long history of social and economic exclusion.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s against this backdrop that academic developers need to reconceptualise how they work with academic staff. For instance, they could encourage and help academics to create spaces for genuine and critical dialogue with students about knowledge, course design, teaching methods, assessment and ways of engaging with students. In many institutions there is an existing culture of eliciting feedback from students on teaching and courses. However, this often amounts to \u2018student satisfaction\u2019 surveys which don\u2019t ask the important questions or encourage dialogue.<\/p>\n

There is a tricky line to walk. Academic developers must respect individuals’ disciplinary expertise, but still ask searching questions about the kind of knowledge they are imparting. They could ask academics to consider the following:<\/p>\n