Rapid change in higher education (HE) has lead to a reappraisal and debate about the role and "mission" of the university and the university teacher. In the diversification of the HE sector, it is possible to see a shift away from the "advancement of knowledge" as the primary purpose of the HE sector as a whole. This article…

Higher education (HE) professionals generally work in an information and communication technologies (ICT) rich environment. There are expectations that the existence of ICT benefits them, their students, and the overall learning environment. This paper investigates and debates the complex interplay between two aspects of HE that have witnessed…

Being a professional stems not only from external regulatory and eligibility guidelines, but also from an individual's willingness to internalise and apply the values and insight gained during their training. Increasingly, professionals are expected to undertake ongoing education and training that is now seen as an integral component of…

In this article, the author offers a personal view on the meaning of "teaching excellence" in higher education which makes connections with the particular historical moment people are living through--which has been variously described as "post-traditional", "postmodern", or "reflexive modernity". The author…

In highlighting a gulf between inclusive policy intentions inherent in the advent of mass higher education in the UK and the lived experiences of students and staff, this paper aims to stimulate critical debate about the impact of this changed environment upon traditional personal tutoring relationships. In drawing upon qualitative research with a…

This article presents the author's response to Karlsson (2007) who pointed out that the author's original article that appeared in the "Points for Debate" section of "Teaching in Higher Education" (Greenbank 2006) did not discuss the concept of service as comprehensively as teaching and research. Karlsson's paper--together with the work of…

Asserts that two great problems of learning confront humanity: (1) learning about the universe and (2) learning how to live wisely. The article further asserts that the first problem was solved with the creation of modern science, but the second problem has not yet been solved. The article suggests that to solve the second problem we need to learn…

The paper draws on an extensive literature search about the 'research-teaching nexus', insights from interviewing twelve university history lecturers about student progress in undergraduate degrees, and ideas about the role of disciplines in student learning to argue (i) that the educational goal for students of 'becoming a practising historian'…

Describes a collaborative action research project at the University of Glasgow (Scotland) which utilized class debates in an international management class to develop students' ability to assess their own and each other's learning. Evaluation suggests the debates enabled students to develop a critical view of the topics and acquire…

This article talks about a meeting on "Higher Education in Recessionary Times" on March 24, 2010, which was hosted by the Society for Higher Education Research Policy Network. Although the meeting did take place in the context of an expected General Election, and on budget day, there was a general sense on the day that whoever won the…

This article is a response to Greenbank's (2006) "The academic's role: the need for a re-evaluation?" It is also a contribution to the ongoing debate about the need to develop a broader view of scholarship and the different activities related to it such as "teaching", "research" and "service to the community". Arguments related to current research…

This article theorises findings from a research project investigating gender equity in Commonwealth higher education. The study interrogated enablers and impediments to gender equity in South Africa, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Tanzania. The focus of inquiry was access, curriculum transformation and staff development. This article examines one…

The educational equivalent of the reality show is the reflective assignment, often associated with the linked contents of a teaching "portfolio." This form of assessment is now increasingly common in higher education and examples can be found in subjects such as nursing or teacher education. Students are asked to reflect on their workplace…

This article aims to stimulate debate about the nature of field courses in higher education. We use a colloquium format that allows each of us to reflect on the philosophy of field course teaching and our writing endeavours to establish a dialogue between the authors and leave the reader with a sense of curiosity. It starts with a position paper…

Postgraduate supervision, until recently, was regarded as an extension of research rather than as a form of teaching. Research students were assumed to be "always/already" autonomous scholars at the beginning of their candidature. So too, postgraduate supervisors were assumed to be "always/already" effective at supervising once they had endured…