In the wake of the Bologna process, many European universities are undergoing comprehensive educational reform. Our attention in this paper is focused on how a medical university came to terms with the challenges presented therein. We wished to explore how educators identify, understand and deal with opportunities for change at a medical…

The paper provides an analysis of the concepts of agency, compliance, and resistance, drawing on evidence provided in the Belgian, Norwegian, and Polish cases in this Special Issue, as well as the Canadian context. Using the Cultural Historical Activity Theory framework as a lens, it highlights conditions that foster agency, those that may invoke…

This commentary explores the role that academic developers (ADs) play in universities. Three case studies illustrate the roles that ADs may enact as agents of change. They reflect an emergent shift from acting as the institutional teaching and learning "'expert" (i.e. agent of change) to a more adaptive, collaborative partnership…

Academic developers (ADs) often participate in the implementation of programmes or reforms in higher education. Sometimes they agree with these and sometimes they disagree. This paper discusses possible agentic positions during a genuine policy implementation--the National Qualification Framework at a Norwegian university. Through reflexive…

Little has been written about academic developers (ADs) working in teams leading other ADs. This paper chronicles the experience of a group of ADs in one Australian university working on a curriculum realignment exercise. Unexpectedly the dominant theme in participants' reflections was group dynamics, not the process. We were confronted by…

There is limited research into the effectiveness of non-accredited foundational courses for new academic staff. An ongoing issue is that of attention and anxiety overload in the critical first period of employment when the challenges of establishing oneself in a new collegial environment are most acute. Approaches to addressing this issue may be…

Rather than a rational, technical activity, evaluation reflects the socio-political dynamics of the evaluative context. This presents a challenge for universities and the individuals within them, who may assume that plans or policies for evaluation will result in straightforward outcomes. This small-scale study in one institution looks at the…

Drawing on cartography, urban design and visual data modelling, we consider how people navigate, or fail to navigate, the mental, physical and social spaces of knowledge communities. Cartographically inspired critical thinking offers opportunities to re-examine the assumptions and formal maps of post-secondary institutions, visualizing…

While there are increasing numbers of fixed-term researchers internationally, their experiences are relatively under-examined. As a result, I argue their developmental needs are not well understood and rarely addressed. This study--a cross-case analysis of social science researchers in two universities in the UK--builds on the few existing…

The ability to reflect is a precondition for professional growth. Pedagogical courses for academic staff provide opportunities to support the development of university teachers' reflective skills and habits of reflection. The present paper discusses the impact of using reflective activities for making meaning of one's teaching practice through an…

This paper reports research in five European universities, in four countries between 2004 and 2008. The research explored and compared institutional contexts for academic development and the interpretations and reflections of a number of academic developers on the organizational position and role of academic development, and of "developers". A…

While collaborative action research is an empowering approach to developing academic practice, it also presents a number of challenges regarding the purpose, nature and consequences of academic development. This research note raises questions and issues concerning how action research exposes new academics to the conflicts and tensions of the…

Two areas of growing importance for academic developers are: first, their involvement in the development of institutional and faculty learning and teaching strategies; and second, how to engage students in academic development activity at institutional, department and discipline levels. This paper explores both interests by considering how…

Academic developers work in a political space between university decision-makers and the academic community, a gap that Marginson and Considine (2000) showed is becoming increasingly wide. In this essay, the author suggests that academic developers might learn from the notion of "deliberation", a notion that has been used extensively in recent…

The Division of Information and Academic Services (DIAS) is a large service division (over 400 staff) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). In 2002 it supported a novel one-month rotation of roles by the three department directors. The rotation was conceived as an important professional development opportunity for each of the directors and…