Leadership For Quality Teaching And Learning: The Role Of Voluntary Awards In Promoting Teaching Excelelnce.

Author(s):

Catherine Lomas ScottStephen Dinham Norman McCulla

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 01C, Quality in Teaching and Learning in Universities

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-10

09:15-10:45

Room:

B2 215

Chair:

Elinor Edvardsson Stiwne

Contribution

Increased emphasis is being placed in universities throughout Australia on the quality of teaching and learning as a pathway for demonstrating excellence and establishing the national and international credentials of the university. Demonstrations of quality teaching are also being linked more explicitly with performance management systems and the career path progression of individuals. Side by side with these developments a more collegial approach to identifying and celebrating quality teaching has taken place through voluntary award schemes recognising quality teaching. This is exemplified in New South Wales, Australia through the NSW Quality Teaching Awards and, nationally, by the Carrick Awards. There is little by way of current research that investigates the impact of these awards on the individual or institutionally. This paper reports on a sample of university-based recipients of the NSW Quality Teaching Award. The intention was to establish a picture of the impact of the award on the individual as well as the organizational cultures and contexts that influenced their work and which they in turn influenced. A key question centred on how leadership was being demonstrated in pursuit of a quality teaching agenda, by whom, and of the roles that both formal and informal structures within universities as well as award schemes play in that process. Overall, the findings of the study reflected the concerted effort that has been made to focus on quality teaching and learning in higher education in the Australian context. It underscored the value of voluntary participation and peer-assessed processes that build on collegial reflection on teaching practice taking place.

Method

In 2006, a study investigated the views of some 32 recipients of the NSW Quality Teaching Award selected at random in the main from the 2001, 2003 and 2005 cohorts. These represented all levels of education: pre-school, primary, secondary, TAFE and university . While other studies documented insights that had arisen from the NSW award as opportunities were available to do so, this was the first longitudinal study undertaken through which it was possible to compare and contrast views of recipients over periods of time. Seven university-based teachers were in the initial group studied in the first report . Each was invited to respond to a set of open-ended questions by way of individual telephone interviews that provided insights into the background and motivations for their nominations, the process of preparing and submitting peer-assessed professional learning portfolios and participating in peer-assessed site visits designed to validate good teaching practice. The outcomes of this study enabled the research team to compare and contrast the responses among the cohort of university teachers with the responses from teachers in other sectors of education, while this paper concentrates on their experiences and views.

Expected Outcomes

The study pointed to the importance of an alignment between the leadership, pressure and support that is exhibited by university authorities in support of quality teaching, (that is, the 'top-down’) and the on-the-ground, day-by-day distributive leadership that is exhibited by teachers themselves working with colleagues through conversations in small circles on issues of quality teaching important to them (the ‘bottom up”). The study also showed that the extrinsic value of the award insofar as career advancement is concerned was, at best, ambivalent. Nominating for awards is something that good teachers often do as a matter of course in benchmarking and renewing their practice. The intrinsic value of the award was clearly demonstrated to be high for the individual concerned. It is understandable that university and other employing authorities would want to showcase these awards as demonstrating good teaching practice, however.

References

Brock, P, (2002). ‘Towards establishing and implementing a Standards Framework in the NSW Quality Teaching Awards process: A Personal Perspective’, Unicorn, 28(1) pp. 10-15. DEST (2007): The Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Last visited 4 January 2008 at http://www.carrickinstitute.edu.au/carrick/go Dinham, S. (2002). 'NSW Quality Teaching Awards - Research, Rigour and Transparency', Unicorn, 28(1), pp. 5-9. Dinham, S. & Scott, C. (2003a). 'Benefits To Teachers Of The Professional Learning Portfolio: A Case Study', Teacher Development, 7(3), pp. 187-202. Dinham, S. & Scott, C. (2003b). 'Awards for Teaching Excellence: Intentions and Realities', Unicorn Online Refereed Article, No. 24, pp. 1-25. Halse C., Deane E., Hobson J. & Jones, G. (2007) “The research-teaching nexus: what do national teaching awards tell us?” Studies in Higher Education, 32 (6) pages 727 - 746 Jackson, M. (2006). 'Great classroom teaching and more : awards for outstanding teaching evaluated”. International Journal of Educational Management. 20 (4and 5) p.261-278 Lomas, L. and Kinchin, I. (2006) Developing a Peer Observation Program with University Teachers. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 18(3), 204-214. Last retreived 4 January 2008 at http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/pdf/IJTLHE118.pdf Markwell, M. (2003) (Ed). Improving Teaching and Learning in Universities. Business- Higher Education Roundtable News .Issue 18. Fitzroy, Melbourne. McCulla, N.; Hayne, T. & Stone, B. (2002). ‘Windows on the professional practice of accomplished teachers at work’, Unicorn, 28(1), pp. 16-20 McCulla, N., Dinham, S. and Scott, C (2007). “Stepping out from the crowd. Some findings from the NSW Quality Teaching Awards in seeking recognition for professional accomplishment”. Canberra. Australian College of Educators. Online refereed article (51). www.austccolled.com.au. McNaught, C. and Anwyl, J. (1993). Awards for teaching excellence in Australian universities. Research working paper 93 (1). Centre for the Study of Higher Education. University of Melbourne. Robinson, C. (2003): “Awards for teaching excellence: What the teachers say” in Markwell, M. (2003) (Ed). Improving Teaching and Learning in Universities. Business- Higher Education Roundtable News .Issue 18. Fitzroy, Melbourne. Scoufis, M. (2006). Pilot program of ‘External Peer Review of Teaching’ in Four Australian Universities. 2006-2008 research project funded by the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Last accessed 29 January 2007 at http://www.carrickinstitute.edu.au/carrick/webdav/site/carricksite/users/

Author Information

Catherine Lomas Scott

Huddersfield University

Education

Camberwell

Stephen Dinham

Australian Council for Educational Research

Norman McCulla

Macquarie University, Australia

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