Despite its primary function in the delivery of undergraduate and post-graduate programs, together with its role in generating new knowledge through research, the university is also a workplace for the academic staff and others who function within it. Historically, universities, in their role as employer, have a poor record in providing appropriate professional development programs for their employees and, especially, academics, many of whom have no formal qualifications in education. The massive shift in the pedagogy of higher education from a teacher-centered approach to one that is more student-centered and flexible, largely driven by the increasing use of new communication and information technologies, has further emphasized the need for effective academic development programs. This article describes an attempt at Australia's largest university to provide academics with direct experience of learning in a formal online learning environment in order to better prepare them to teach in similar environments. (Contains 1 table.)