This document discusses a study on academics' perceptions of professional learning (PL) for teaching. It provides context on the study, which used an anonymous electronic questionnaire sent to academics at 8 South African institutions. The study found that PL for teaching is currently seen as an "impossible luxury" by academics due to factors such as a lack of formal recognition for participation, limited resources and support, heavy workloads that hinder participation, and a focus on research over teaching. While some relevant PL opportunities are available, the everyday realities and priorities within institutions do not adequately value, incentivize, or make time for PL regarding teaching. The context and environment significantly impact academics' views that PL is a non-essential luxury

1. Professional learning of academics for their
teaching function: an “impossible luxury”
Nicoline Herman, Brenda Leibowitz, Eli Bitzer
Stellenbosch University

2. An “impossible luxury”
The words from a respondent in this research.
What did the person mean?
 something desirable that is not a necessity
 something expensive or hard to obtain
 a foolish or worthless form of self-indulgence
 free indulgence in the comforts and pleasures afforded
 products and services that are not considered essential
 products which tend to make life more pleasant
 a pleasure out of the ordinary allowed to oneself: the
luxury of an extra piece of cake

3. Background
 Part of umbrella NRF funded research project
 Phase 2 :
o anonymous electronic questionnaire
o all permanently employed academics
o 8 participating institutions
 Purposes:
o Locating patterns of belief about need for professional
learning (PL) for teaching
o Exploring uptake of PL for teaching
o Ascertaining perceptions as to contextual enablers
and constraints for PL for teaching

4. Professional learning (PL)
Drawing on various authors (Brew 2004; Opfer &
Pedder 2011; Kwakman 2003; Johnston 1998) I am
using the term professional learning when referring to
the “numerous activities which have to do with the
professional learning of academics in postcompulsory, tertiary or higher education” in stead of
the more generally used synonyms ‘staff
development’, ‘faculty development’, ‘educational
development’, ‘growth opportunities’, ‘professional
development’, ‘academic development’, ‘academic
professional development’, ‘lifelong learning’ or
‘continuous learning or development’

5. Background: Questionnaire
Adapted from questionnaire
developed by Prof Maria
Slowey with her permission
 4 sections
o Biographical details
o Teaching experience
o Activities undertaken as
part of PL for teaching
o Perceived enablers and
constraints for PL

6. This presentation =
SU responses on section 4
 5 questions
o
o
o
o
o
Formal recognition for participation in PL for teaching?
Availability of resources for PL for teaching?
Does workload hinder participation in PL for teaching?
Relevance of PL for teaching themes
Ease of finding information about PL for teaching
 Responded to 5 point Lickert scale
 Motivate responses = 120 pages of data
Focus = SU qualitative data from 5 questions

7. SU Questionnaire respondents

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238 self-selected respondents = 25% response rate
All 10 faculties represented
Equal division between male (51%) and female (49%)
More senior academics (60%), 61% doctorates
Years teaching at SU range <5 to >40
Profile represents that of SU as institution
Most rated themselves as good or excellent teachers (81%)
87% indicated interest/passion for teaching
Frequency of participation in PL = range from once or more a
term (12%) to never (20%)
Survey gave voice to wide selection of respondents

8. Professional learning of academics for their teaching function: an
“impossible luxury”
What is the role of context, for professional
learning to be seen as a luxury item?

9. Is there any formal recognition for participation in PL for
teaching at your institution?
o We are encouraged to develop our teaching methods but there is never
any formal recognition
I have never been encouraged to attend any PL for
teaching, on the contrary, colleagues have sometimes discouraged me to attend
o
There is recognition (awards) for "good teachers",
o
Engaging in PL for teaching is
done in your own capacity. I can attend as many courses as I wish to
but it never reflects in my performance appraisal
o Does not help my performance evaluation, only if it improves my student feedback
o
They pretend … they give recognition for teaching excellence, but in fact they only want more research
publications, i.e. they put good researchers on a pedestal while
investment in good teaching is
considered a waste of research time
o
… research and publications are valued more than teaching. It
is assumed that we can do this
[teaching] without paying attention to our classroom practice. I would have
liked to take up offers of further training, but the time pressures of teaching, supervision, admin and research has not yet
allowed me to pursue this particular interest

10. Does your institution provide resources for PL for
teaching?
o
resources are really ones that focus on support for
teaching and learning such as the Annual teaching and learning conference, lecturer
The
support with teaching matters such as WebCT, assessment support. The FINLO initiative is also very helpful
in this regard as well as the lunchtime discussions
o There are lots of courses, learning opportunities and
conferences to attend
o Central unit which coordinates university teaching arranges workshop, conferences, etc. which
provide a range of opportunities for such engagement and are done at the university’s expense
will release departmental funds for well-motivated activities
o Always a budget fight
o
The opportunities might be there but the faculty focuses on research and therefore does not
necessarily create space in terms of time and workload
o
Department Head

11. Does your workload hinder your participation in PL for
teaching opportunities?
o
… there are too many
responsibilities etc.
o
Most academics in my faculty have a workload
o
responsibilities … at the same time, like teaching, research, management
that exceeds 50h per week
I do my best for the students and enjoy teaching, I just do not have the time to attend courses for
teaching. The little time I have I try and spend on research since ultimately publication output is what leads to
promotion
o I feel I can develop my teaching skills and techniques better, and my students
will benefit, but I would rather spend the time on publications as I feel this
will benefit my career and professional reputation as a researcher
o
I am much more interested in doing research and contract work to supplement my, rather low, university
salary than attending courses on teaching for days at a time where you do not really learn anything useful.
I am paid extra to do it I would
o I don’t have the energy to read for my own education when I am done teaching and supervising
If
masters students
o I struggle to find a balance between research and teaching commitments and sometimes feel if I
could at least just prepare for class, it has to be sufficient
o We have to do research and write articles although the students are our
clients
o … question of priority - I make the time available for this because I value it highly
(and feel it is primary to all my other roles/responsibilities in the academic environment)
o I feel a good researcher and presenter of research projects is a good teacher.
Rather concentrate on the teaching (guiding) of postgraduate students and researchers

12. Relevance of themes presented during PL for teaching
opportunities
o Mathematics can indeed be quite different from other disciplines in many regards, so I
think that this is almost inevitable. E.g., we don’t have group discussions in class or let
our students write essays.
o Accounting cannot be compared with other disciplines, e.g. History/ Human
Science, etc.
o Teaching is pretty much the same over all disciplines
o Learning for teaching seems to be independent of discipline in my experience
o
I only want to teach to the students... not necessarily want to be bored by the in depth research and methodologies
.
Interested in practical application
o Educational theory is underemphasised
o The discussions are normally of a generic nature and it is almost always possible to
apply it to my own field
o I've attended numerous courses which were overly generic and totally irrelevant to what
I need/do. I have had to learn by doing, for the most part.
o Obviously topics are not always directly applicable, and some people will moan about this, but really it
depends on attitude - whether you are willing to be innovative

13. Ease of finding information about PL for teaching at
institution
o
o
o
centre for teaching and learning, they are
always willing to help
We do get emails and I know we have a vice dean in charge of
teaching so that is an obvious place to start
Such opportunities are generally well advertised and given good
institutional coverage. Having been involved in some activities you then become
Can contact our
attuned to others
o I do not know even where to start looking for
such opportunities
o I access all my teaching support from textbook
support resources or I generate it myself

14. Context of SU academics for PL
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Resources are available – mostly central
Mostly easy to find information about PL opportunities
Mixed messages about what is important
Research-teaching nexus exist
Opportunity cost attached
No formal recognition, waste of time, encouraged but not
valued
No incentives /regard / reward for participation in PL
Not planned into time and workload
Individual wellness and balance not taken into account
Personal attitude
If this is how respondents describe their context – then this is
their everyday reality

15. "If men define
situations as
real, they are real
in their
consequences"
WI Thomas 1923

16. “Reality is in the context of the
beholder”
Jason Silva 2012

17. Reality of everyday life
• Reality is constructed from ‘something’ – from
the life-world of our everyday life (Schutz &
Luckmann 1973)
• Humans have the ability to be aware of their
life-world (environment) and themselves
which emerge as their context (Berger &
Luckmann 1966)

18. Conclusions?
The environment (context) has a significant impact
on what humans think is going to happen and how
we choose to act
Currently the SU context is not perceived as
enabling for PL for teaching
PL is indeed a luxury!

19. Way forward…
Professional learning of academics for their teaching
function: an “impossible luxury”

20. Way forward…
Professional learning of academics for
their teaching function: a necessity