While 'broker' appears in academic development literature, the broker role is underexplored in it relative to other disciplines and its potential significance for academic developers (ADs). Synthesizing management and academic development literature, this conceptual article explains how ADs can foster trust as brokers. It delineates the broker…

I reflect on the significance of trust in Academic Development (AD) and outline strategies for cultivating it with other academics. Within many higher education institutions, the inherent uncertainty of the AD role necessitates intentional trust-building efforts. In this regard, conversations have been encouraged as trust-building tools. However,…

As academic developers, we rely on colleagues' trust to a considerable degree. In this study, we explore how a person-centred approach to academic development, grounded in relational pedagogy, both relies upon and builds trust between staff and an academic development team. We discuss empirical data -- from colleagues with whom we have worked --…

This paper considers the process of "professional becoming" for an academic developer as a complex transition towards epistemological plurality. This is a necessary step to appreciate and support the lived experiences of teachers across the spectrum of academic disciplines. Viewed through an ecological lens, the complexity of the…

This paper arose from the authors' experience of facilitating collective reflection on higher education teaching using the 'intercultural teaching process recall' (iTPR) method. Facilitators' contributions to the iTPR sessions were analysed empirically. There was considerable variation between facilitators, sessions and rounds. Individual…

Writing groups have been touted as a method for bolstering faculty productivity. Most research has focused on temporary groups and events rather than long-standing, cohesive groups. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors leading to the success of a writing group called Pawprint Scholars. Academic artifacts were collected, and…

This article assesses the basis of trust in academic development as it relates to the current standing of academic development as a profession against established, distinguishing criteria of professions. These are: (1) possession of an inwardly-defined, esoteric, and specialized body of knowledge and skills; (2) collective autonomy over the…

This study explores the experiences of international staff in Egypt and Trinidad who undertook a UK-based teaching development course provided by the London University who were validating and franchising the offshore courses they taught. Such transnational education (TNE) is a significant but under-researched area of Higher Education and…

Conversations between colleagues, significant for academic development, do not always take place centre stage. In fact, these serendipitous collaborations are often brief and fleeting, but can start a dialogue that has the potential to influence lives in academia and can lead to qualitatively different conceptions of learning and teaching. This…

Critical reflection is pivotal for enhancing practice in peer observation of teaching (POT). Our analysis of educators' reflections in a developmental POT program revealed a deficiency in the level of critical reflection. In this paper, we reflect on the reasons behind this shortfall and changes made to enhance the scaffolding of critical…

Academics in Higher Education are often expected both to teach and to research; this is a particular challenge for women both structurally and individually. Initiatives to address structural issues include AdvanceHE. Here, we focus on individual issues and report on the Programme for Women Achieving Excellence in Research, a theory-based…

Academics are constantly undergoing identity shifts in response to globalisation, marketisation and the impact of technology on academic work. This study investigates the impact of a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education (GCHE) on academic identity development in an Australian University. GCHE graduates and their educators were interviewed to…

This paper describes a multi-year project to inform academic development (AD) for instructors at a large university, as the result of a shift towards greater equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA) efforts. A variety of data were collected, along with extant literature focused on teaching and learning, to identify campus needs and…

In a mentoring constellation model, mentoring is conceptualized as a set of meaningful relationships with multiple mentors. Mentoring constellation models move away from hierarchical 'one-mentor to one-mentee' models; multiple mentors support different mentoring functions, without an expectation that one mentor has expertise in all areas.…

The character of professional development offered to those who teach in higher education is changing. There is a shift towards the adoption of more flexible, work-based, apprenticeship models, where experiential routes are increasingly valued. This paper seeks to understand the factors that impact engagement in academic professional development. A…