Transforming curricula: staff development linked to strategic initiatives

Abstract

The notion of academic staff development is a relatively new phenomenon for higher education. Prior to the 1960's, academics were generally hired and promoted on their content knowledge and research expertise alone, 'good teaching' was assumed to evolve as they taught. However, although staff development is now readily available to provide academic support, faculty (whether new to teaching, or experienced faculty in need of 'renewal') often resist such programs. This resistance is a challenge for institutions striving to improve the quality of teaching and learning. In this session, participants will consider the holistic framework developed to support our university wide shift for new curriculum development within an outcomes-based approach to student learning (OBASL). The clear link with the university's curriculum reform enables faculty to see relevance for their participation and the need to engage with curriculum renewal in a practical way (even at a research intensive university). Our approach encourages faculty to improve teaching and learning by considering the alignment of learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment. The development, implementation and evaluation of our program will be described; participants will relate to their own contexts.