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This paper outlines evidence-based practice in the context of professionalism, and highlights the contribution evidence-based practice can make to the professional practice of higher education course managers. Implications of the changing HE landscape for the status of academics as professionals are reviewed, and evidence-based practice is proposed as a solution for both enhanced course management and to remedy perceived deprofessionalisation. Finally, questions regarding researching professional practice within one's own institution are addressed.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the literature with regard to the course leader in small and specialist higher education in the UK. Design/methodology/approach: First, the role of the course leader is explored, followed by an evaluation of the barriers to effective course management. This is then followed by a discussion of mitigating solutions to the barriers identified. Course leadership is then reviewed in the context of small and specialist higher education. Finally, areas for future research are suggested. Findings: Course leadership in the UK is a role with wide ranging responsibilities, but is under-appreciated by the higher education sector. Various barriers have been identified, and some solutions proposed, in the literature, but problems remain. Originality/value: Course leadership is an underappreciated area with little academic literature available, even though issues have been reported since the 1990s. This paper critically evaluates and summarises the issues, and shows that they are still current. It also proposes solutions and areas of further research so that issues can be resolved for betterment of the higher education sector.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how presuppositional interviews can develop reflexive transparency in grounded theory methodologies. Grounded Theory aims to generate understanding of a given socio-psychological process using a systematic methodology for gathering, analysing and interpreting data. As the researcher is intrinsic to this process, reflexivity is an essential tool to explore and challenge the researcher unknown presuppositions that influence the research process and findings. Reflexivity in practice is challenging as it aims at identifying unknown influences which are by nature, hidden. In this paper, we demonstrate how presuppositional interviews can be applied to Classic and Constructivist grounded theory, and to qualitative research in general. We illustrate this process with two practical case studies, demonstrating how the presuppositional interview can be utilised to enhance transparent reflexive practice. We suggest the presuppositional interview enables higher levels of reflexivity and subsequent positive impact on praxis and the research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presuppositional interview in qualitative research requires the researcher to be interviewed about their thoughts, assumptions, and presumptions about their research. Its purpose is to recognise the impact of our thoughts, feelings, and actions in the ways in which we, as the researcher, exist in the research process. In earlier papers, we have discussed the purpose of the presuppositional interview, however, there is little attention in the literature about the person who interviews the researcher about their research, the presuppositional interviewer. The purpose of this paper is to discuss this unique role because the function and conversational structure differs from other types of interviewing. We propose the role of the presuppositional interviewer role is a reflexive advocate, as their engagement is intentionally directed toward supporting the researcher to develop insights about themselves, in the context of their research. The interviewer has no part in the interpretation. Instead, they are engaging in an activity which promotes the need to support and celebrate curiosity, but that remains in the domain of the researcher. To achieve this, we discuss the role and purpose of the presuppositional interviewer and offer practical guidance as to how to interview with presuppositional purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]