Monday, March 26, 2012
Changing nature of lecturing in Higher Education
Many of us are realising that when you are employed in an under-resourced institution we end of taking on several roles that we were not aware we "signed on" for. We are teachers, multi-media specialists, instructional designers to name a few. But is it unrealistic to expect this of us? Are our roles changing as society changes or are we simply being exploited. Can we afford to take stock and rebel or will we be left behind in a world where there is high unemployment and others are more than willing to migrate and accept the conditions we choose to reject. Moreover, the skills required of us and skills we can take with us wherever we go so it becomes part of our repertoire of skills. Should this be an incentive? These are questions we must ponder on as higher educaton embraces more technology.
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Being new to this side of academia this was a bit of a culture shock for me. My Ph.D. supervisor warned me about this when he realised I was prone to work on a single task at a time while others suffer. Now that I have joined UWI as Faculty I have a better appreciation for the need to develop several skills concurrently.
ReplyDeleteAs we fulfill different roles it would be unrealistic to expect of ourselves and of others to be expert at all immediately. The realistic expectation would be for us to work consistently at improving upon all our roles. I found it overwhelming at times but I believe that the community of practioners within the UWI can be a support system through formal and informal mentorship and creating opportunities for us to share and learn from each other.
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ReplyDeleteIt is inevitable in today's fast changing environment, that new skills will be required to meet the teaching-learning demands of the Higher Education Institutes and the respective accreditation bodies. What is perhaps most important is that in our expanded roles as Teachers that quality teaching-learning is not sacrificed for "administrative" duties. There will be occasions when we will have to push back to ensure our mandate as teachers and the expectations of our students are maintained.
ReplyDeleteGood point Wayne and another thing to consider is how we fit in research and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning( SOTL) in the mix.
ReplyDeleteAgreeably, lecturers should have a clear focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning, but it is always useful to equip oneself with the requisite skills that facilitates the teaching and learning process. For example, the ability to set-up technology like a multi-media projector or perhaps even troubleshoot simple connection problems, could act as a time-saving measure during instruction. As a facilitator, understanding the available resources and how to use those resources, particularly in this digital age, can serve as an asset to pedagogy. What is more, is having a basic understanding of some the administrative processes in one's institution, lends to a more student-centered approach, even outside the classroom, even at the risk of appearing to be "all-knowing". In my estimation, no one is asking that a lecturer take on the full gamut of administrative duties, except in cases where they are nominated and selected to serve as Head of Department or Dean (which also give credence to my suggestions), but having general knowledge of the administrative and other "non-pedagogical" operations could limit handicaps and make for a more facilitating facilitator.
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