Spheres of Influence: Ventures and Visions in Educational Development*3-6 July, 2002 AbstractMinding our quality A's And E's whilst recognising and rewarding teaching excellenceBarbara Groombridge, Curtin University of Technology, Australia The quality of teaching and learning emerged as a significant international issue in higher education during the 1990s (Brennan & Shah, 2000). This led to the implementation of a plethora of quality control, assurance and enhancement schemes as institutions attempted to stay abreast of the demands from various stakeholders in a rapidly changing educational environment (Kember, 2000). More recently, the establishment by the Federal Government of the Australian University Quality Agency gives Australian universities a new impetus to review their quality management systems. Elton's distinction between quality A's (assurance, accountability, audit and assessment) and quality E's (empowerment, enthusiasm, expertise and excellence) provides a useful framework for reviewing the role of institutional quality initiatives (Elton, 1992). One such initiative was the implementation of the Innovative Teaching Practice Award (ITPA) program at Curtin University of Technology in 1998. The program aims to provide recognition and reward for outstanding performance by teachers, teaching teams and academic Schools and to promote and disseminate quality teaching practice across Curtin. The program has been evaluated to obtain feedback on the Award procedures and process and to inform further development of the ITPA program. This paper describes how a teaching award program can contribute to quality management in a large and complex institution, and how the process of preparing individual, team and school professional teaching portfolios can lead to institutional teaching development. We also discuss how the award criteria may be integrated with other (internal and external) quality assurance and enhancement initiatives and how the preparation of the Award portfolios can contribute to team building and the planning and review processes of program participants. Key words: Objectives, outcomes and activities: Barbara Groombridge manages Curtin's Leadership Program for senior staff and an executive development program to address equity issues in regard to women's employment in higher education across the Australian Technology Network. Barbara has 20 years teaching experience including at university level. She has a Master's of Science (Science Education) and is undertaking Phd research in the area of equity and access to higher degree study. Her research interests are in leadership, career development and lifelong learning. Martijntje Kulski is a senior lecturer who manages the Innovative Teaching Practice Award program at Curtin University. She has taught in range of university courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level and has extensive experience in academic staff development. She has a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and a Phd in Education in the area of Educational Administration and Policy Studies. Her research focuses on policies and practices that enhance the quality of university teaching and related professional development issues. Contact: Barbara Groombridge, email: B.Groombridge@curtin.edu.au |