ERIC Number: EJ1044398
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1360-144X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The "Messy" Business of Academic Developers Leading Other Academic Developers: Critical Reflection on a Curriculum Realignment Exercise
Thomas, Sharon; Cordiner, Moira
International Journal for Academic Development, v19 n4 p293-304 2014
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 unstated assumptions about ADs working collaboratively and shocked to realise that ADs, like academics, resist change. Our interpretation of that "resistance" was a salutary reminder of the extent to which academic development work reflects broader social, political, and institutional contexts and discourses. Parallels between this context and ADs working with academics are drawn.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Educational Development, Alignment (Education), Curriculum Development, Change Agents, Group Dynamics, Resistance to Change, Teamwork, Attitudes, Universities, Higher Education
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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