1. Changing Academic Work: Developing the Learning University.
- Author
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Society for Research into Higher Education, Ltd., London (England)., Martin, Elaine, Martin, Elaine, and Society for Research into Higher Education, Ltd., London (England).
- Abstract
This book presents the results of a study that examined major changes in academic work in recent years and how staff in universities have experienced these changes, along with a discussion of how to increase learning at universities. Data were obtained from an international survey of 161 academic staff in Australia and the United Kingdom. Results indicated that academic staff felt undervalued, particularly as teachers, and they perceived a lack of vision and direction concerning the overall direction of their institutions. The book applies the literature on student learning and on learning organizations to key issues of change in universities, noting that stable organizations--such as traditional universities--cannot survive in an unstable environment, that organizations need to support change, and that academic staff must learn to take responsibility for its own learning and development. The book reviews four tensions, or paradoxes, that academic staff have to balance: the vision or direction set by academic leaders versus day-to-day teaching and work experiences; individualism versus the need to work collectively; accountability versus rewards; and valuing past achievements while preparing for the future. (Contains 99 references and an index.) (MDM)
- Published
- 1999