Draws upon British experience, primarily over the past decade, with the appraisal of academic staff and initiatives to provide more coherent development opportunities at various stages in the career path. That background is presented as a basis for discussion of experiences and views about the need for, and ways of achieving, coherent and relevant…

This paper draws on the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education's survey of American college faculty, examining the extent to which graduates of higher-level institutions affect and are affected by lower-level institutions in which they find employment. Attention is given to roles performed, access to authority and rewards, and educational values.…

Growth contracts, described as faculty plans for personal and professional growth proposed by each member of the faculty, are examined. The rationale for growth contracts is explained and a list of some institutions using growth contracts or variations of the concept is provided. Growth contract advantages, the role of the evaluation committee or…

This study of a particular group of university professors examined the occupational roles of those who are most successful in their careers and recognized as "good professors" in university circles. Focus was on major role activities, outlook on university reform and higher education expansion, disciplinary and institutional…

The many forms of performance appraisal for faculty in Great Britain are examined. Advice and suggestions about appropriate training are offered, and conclusions are drawn about the kind of system that is most beneficial to the education service and to people employed in higher and further education institutions. Five chapters focus on:…

A study sought British medical students' perceptions of the most and least enjoyable and best- and worst-taught clerkships in their medical school experience and the characteristics associated with these clinical experiences. (MSE)

This book presents ideas about and approaches to human resource management (HRM) in British further education (FE) colleges. Introductory material includes author biographies and a preface (Brain) on human resource issues in FE. "Investors in People" (Chambers) considers how working toward recognition as an Investor in People (a British…

Professionalism and flexibility in learning are considered in five seminar papers. In "Recommendations for Learning," Donald Bligh offers 17 recommendations for learning, based on the final discussions of a seminar of the Society for Research into Higher Education. The principles of professionalism and flexibility are applied to course…

An attempt to adapt the U.S.-based IDEA (Instructional Development by Evaluation and Assessment) system to Great Britain is described. This widely-used method of faculty evaluation based on student ratings was pioneered by Kansas State University. Among the features of IDEA are the following: it relates student perceptions of teacher behavior to…

Historical information concerning Centres of Excellence in British Universities and the concept of excellence in relation to the roles and functions of the universities, the elements of excellence, and equality are considered. The term "centre of excellence" may be applied to an institution or department that has successfully specialized…

Faculty and staff development in higher education is examined from the viewpoint of two surveys on the training of university and polytechnic teachers in Great Britain. The study had two purposes: to investigate whatever policies have emerged from recent efforts at staff development, and to enable other policymakers and program planners to benefit…

Surveys of Australian (n=293) and British (n=103) college faculty in 1993 assessed reactions to structural changes in the university systems in those countries. The survey investigated perceptions of institutional culture, resources, advantages, status of women academics, the change process, role of research, workload, faculty evaluation, mission,…