Fieldwork Coordinator as Academic Leader

Table of ContentsIntroduction.......................................................................................................1

Background to the Program..............................................................................1

A Note on Terminology.....................................................................................1

Learning Outcomes..........................................................................................2

Module Topics..................................................................................................2

Program Overview............................................................................................2Survey of Fieldwork Coordinators............................................................................4

Why Fieldwork Coordinators Are Academic Leaders.......................................4Program Philosophy and Learning Experiences........................................................9

Practical Activity.............................................................................................11

Required Reading..........................................................................................12Additional Resources...............................................................................................12

Websites.................................................................................................................12

Readings................................................................................................................12

References.....................................................................................................12

Fieldwork Coordinator as Academic Leader

Fieldwork Coordinator as Academic Leader

IntroductionHello and welcome to Fieldwork Coordinator as Academic Leader

In this first module of the Fieldwork Coordinator as Academic Leader you will become familiar with the program and broad learning outcomes, be introduced to the leadership development strategy and more specifically the experiential learning model, which includes: peer coaching, reflection on your leadership based on a 360° survey and the development and completion of an action learning project. Most importantly, however, you will have the opportunity to engage in a critical discussion on your perceptions of academic leadership within the changing university context and how this fits with broader leadership theory. Furthermore, you will be able to discuss the leadership of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) within the context of the changing tertiary environment and the relevance of building the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in fieldwork education. In the first module of the Academic Leadership for Fieldwork Coordinators Program you will have an opportunity to meet other participants as well as the Program Facilitators.

Background to the ProgramThis academic leadership program for fieldwork coordinators recognizes the crucial role of fieldwork coordinators in building good relationships with fieldwork partners, maintaining the university’s reputation, delivering well designed and effective fieldwork programs and providing excellent WIL opportunities for students. The program was developed from an Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) funded project for Leadership and Excellence in Learning and Teaching, commissioned in 2010. The program was designed based on a survey of fieldwork coordinators at the partner universities involved in the project (Curtin and Charles Sturt) (see page 3) and piloted in 2011 at both. The program and its resources have now been made available to the sector with the intention of supporting the development of fieldwork coordinators as academic leaders. Feedback from the pilots at Curtin and Charles Sturt Universities was excellent. The program presented here incorporates minor changes based on the pilot participants’ feedback. The project team would like to thank and acknowledge the pilot participants for their feedback and involvement in the project. For more information on the associated ALTC project please see the final report Leading Fieldwork: Fieldwork coordinators as academic leaders (http://academicleadership.curtin.edu.au/ALFCP/)

A Note on TerminologyDue to the varying nomenclature used to describe the same or similar roles within the university, it is necessary to define what is meant by fieldwork and fieldwork coordinator in this leadership development program. Fieldwork, described here, allows students to learn through direct implementation of their professional roles in real workplace settings. Workplaces, in this definition of fieldwork, are on or off-campus facilities. Fieldwork learning, a form of WIL, involves supervision to provide safeguards to ensure duty of care for clients and students. Fieldwork is also known as practicum, professional experience, internships, extra-mural placements, field education, sandwich course, service learning or clinical placements. A fieldwork coordinator, therefore, is an academic staff member who is responsible for the management and coordination of a fieldwork learning program which supports high quality student learning experiences. An important element of fieldwork coordination is fostering productive and reciprocal partnerships between fieldwork learning partners, the university and students.

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Fieldwork Coordinator as Academic Leader

Cooper et al. (2010, pp. 37-38) suggest that work integrated learning is characterised by seven key dimensions:

1. purpose which defines the model used2. context (or where the WIL occurs)3. nature of the integration of theory and practice4. design of the curriculum, learning outcomes, experiences and assessment5. how student learning is conceptualised and supported6. fostering of strong partnerships between the university and the workplace7. the supports provided to students and the workplace before, during and after learning

Learning OutcomesOn successful completion of this module participants will:

Understand the role of the fieldwork coordinator as an academic leader. Understand the concept of academic leadership in the context of fieldwork education. Recognise the importance of building the scholarship of teaching and learning in fieldwork

education.

Module TopicsThis module gives a general overview of the program and introduces the need for effective academic leadership and the importance of experiential learning as part of leadership development. Specifically, the module discusses why fieldwork coordinators are academic leaders, and the optimum means to assist learning in academic leaders with peer coaching, reflection and action learning projects as tools to enhance leadership capacity.

We will examine academic leadership and the role of fieldwork coordinators in the changing higher educational environment and introduce some concepts for aiding leadership development.

This program for fieldwork coordinators is about improving your effectiveness in your role and to become more self-aware that much of what you do can be considered leadership. In order to do this, you need to learn about various administrative processes, educational principles as well as leadership concepts and how these influence the people around you.

Program OverviewSome of you will find this exciting and quite invigorating, others will find it a bit confronting because you may realise you need to change some of your leadership behaviours. Change can be challenging, however, you will find the development strategies in this program, and the peer learning enabled through interacting with colleagues in the same role, helpful in easing you through the process. In the end, you will gain considerably by having a closer look at the following:

academic leadership and its relationship to fieldwork coordination interpersonal and intrapersonal communication team building change management and innovation in fieldwork conflict management coaching, mentoring and the development of students, staff and industry partners for

fieldwork influencing the performance of your colleagues and industry partners managing upwards fieldwork renewal and development academic policies and procedures, including risk management for fieldwork evaluating teaching and learning in fieldwork best practice in fieldwork assessment and moderation.

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Fieldwork Coordinator as Academic Leader

Significantly, the Academic Leadership for Fieldwork Coordinators Program is structured around six operational roles—Deliverer, Monitor, Developer, Broker, Innovator and Integrator—identified in the Integrated Competing Values Framework (ICVF) and each module explores one of these roles in relation to fieldwork coordination.

1. Deliverer - Delivering an effective fieldwork program. 2. Monitor - The role of quality in fieldwork programs.3. Developer - Developing fieldwork partners for student learning.4. Broker - Creating and sustaining fieldwork partners.5. Innovator - Innovation in fieldwork and managing change.6. Integrator - Personal leadership capabilities and their development.

The ICVF is the leadership framework that underpins the 360° leadership survey used in the program, which has been contextualised to reflect the fieldwork coordinator role and is widely used within Australian universities for leadership development. These operational roles, their interrelation, and the ICVF are discussed in detail later (page 6). An action learning project is part of the program, which provides an opportunity to apply the knowledge learnt in the program to your role and is developed in module seven that explores your 360° leadership survey results. An outline of the program components and their objective is provided below in Figure1.

Figure 1: Academic Leadership for Fieldwork Coordinators Program Structure

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Fieldwork Coordinator as Academic Leader

Survey of Fieldwork CoordinatorsThe project team involved in developing this program surveyed fieldwork coordinators at Curtin and Charles Sturt Universities based on the survey used by Scott et al. (2008). The data collected informed the design and development of the Academic Leadership for Fieldwork Coordinators Program. The online survey contained 22 overarching questions covering demographic information, major areas of focus, judging effective performance, influences shaping their role, leadership capabilities and support for their leadership development. 82 responses were recorded. Of those 82 responses, 67 were full responses to every question in the survey.

The majority of respondents were women (58.5%), from education and health science disciplines, and were employees of Curtin University (63%, and 37% from CSU). Significantly, most of the survey respondents had between 1-3 years of experience as a FC (31.7%), however, there was considerable experience in the group as 51% had 4 or more years experience. Furthermore, the majority of respondents were involved in undergraduate fieldwork (54.3%) and most estimated they spent between 10-20% of their time in fieldwork coordination.

The data provided a profile of fieldwork coordinators that is consistent with the literature on academic leadership and the realities of academic work in the 21st Century. Fieldwork coordinators are dedicated academic staff members who enjoy seeing their students grow and develop and the successful delivery of their fieldwork program. However, fieldwork coordinators find slow administrative processes, bureaucracy, a lack of recognition, reward and institutional support and the general workload a burden. Many also commented on the struggle to attain a work/life balance. Other issues that emerged for fieldwork coordinators were: competition for placements, the number of placements required and managing partnerships, which reflect the specific challenges of fieldwork coordination. Similarly, and consistent with the realities of fieldwork coordination, fieldwork coordinators also commented that managing student diversity, general student issues and student incivility were some of the most challenging aspects of the role.

Overall, there was evidence that fieldwork coordinators tended to focus on the operational aspects of their leadership role above strategic issues. Fieldwork coordinators welcomed the prospect of a tailored leadership development program and clearly recognised the need for, and importance of, a more integrated approach to their differing functions. It was clear from responses that there was a dearth of professional development opportunities for academic staff in this role. The majority of respondents (regardless of their level of experience) had not been exposed to any of the typical professional development opportunities provided to academic leaders. The priorities they identified for their own professional development were time management, leadership development, networking, assessment and moderation, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

As the role of fieldwork coordinator has less direct authority or control over resources and industry partners, people in these positions need to be particularly deft at ‘leading through influence’. Therefore their personal and interpersonal skills, networking, relationship management and conflict management are critical.

Why Fieldwork Coordinators Are Academic LeadersAcademic programs with fieldwork components involve a complex web of partnerships with diverse groups. Effective partnerships involve employers, students, academics, higher education managers, professional bodies and broker agencies such as career offices and external placement groups (Orrell, 2004). The management of such programs requires both transactional and transformative leadership skills which emphasise learning and optimal outcomes for all parties involved (transformative and transactional leadership will be explored in the module titled “Delivering an Effective Fieldwork Program.”

The requirement of leadership for fieldwork coordinators is strongly supported by Patrick et al. (2009) in a national scoping study of WIL. They identified that effective fieldwork practices are critical to ensure worthwhile learning experiences for students and a ‘stakeholder integrated approach’ to the planning and conduct of fieldwork. Further, effective practices are based on formalised, sustainable relations and a common understanding of the procedures and commitment required by all parties

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involved in high quality fieldwork placements. This outcome stems from strong WIL design as an integral part of the curriculum. Patrick et al. (2009) also note that good fieldwork education programs are underpinned by sound pedagogy, the use of valid and reliable assessment methods and processes, and evaluation of and management for quality fieldwork experiences. It is clear that effective fieldwork coordinators must communicate and coordinate effectively with industry partners to support and develop models of industry engagement that produce efficient fieldwork processes for students.

There has been little written on academic leadership particularly in relation to fieldwork coordinators. There is much debate in the higher education sector about the extent to which broader management and leadership theory is applicable to the higher education context and in recent years there has been increasing research into what constitutes academic leadership (see, for example, the special issue of Leadership 5(3), 2009). Generally speaking academic leadership is seen to be similar to general leadership, however, the specificities of academic work culture demands and an understanding of academic ways of working (for example, academic research promotes autonomous work practices and academic loyalty is often discipline based) for successful leadership in higher education. Work undertaken by the UK Leadership Foundation for Higher Education aligns with findings of an Australian report by Scott et al. (2008). Scott’s team identified a leadership succession crisis in Australian higher education, and an urgent need to improve the leadership development at many levels of universities. This report was timely and suggests the core focus of leadership in the current, volatile context of higher education needs to be on achieving effective change management and implementation (Scott et al., 2008, p. v).

The study identified a number of change forces in higher education which dictate the need for good academic leadership including:

opening up of access and a resulting diversified student body changes in funding pressure to generate new sources of income a trend towards user-pays rapid growth in the higher education export market growing competition the challenge of maintaining standards with the changing nature of the student cohort students seeing themselves as consumers paid employment patterns of students for survival (average student works 14.8 hrs per week) changing characteristics of students, for example, Generation Y.

For universities to remain competitive they need excellent leadership at all levels of the organisation. Fieldwork coordinators have been the least well recognised for their role in determining whether change is effected. Fieldwork coordinators are critical to engage with the change agenda, as they focus efforts and work with industry partners and staff to make the desired change work in practice (Scott et al., 2008, p. xvii). With the employment sector requiring greater graduate employability (Oliver, 2008), there has been an increased emphasis on work integrated learning, and more specifically fieldwork, within curricula as a mechanism to provide increased employability skills.

Some of the challenges to being an effective leader in higher education are related to working within a collegial context where academic freedom is highly prized. Some of the comments from participants in the leadership capability project demonstrate these tensions:

“In universities, as a result of the academic value of collegiality, you have to operate more from moral authority than in business where positional authority has weight. So a lot of fine leadership is about winning followers and leading through influence.” (Scott et al., 2008, p. 6)

“An academic culture is a difficult environment to work within initiating and implementing change. Some will push consensus – something which can be a force for no change – whereas others will push academic independence and say ‘I’m not obliged to get on the change bus.’ As a leader, this makes engaging staff with required change, a major challenge.” (Scott et al., 2008, p. 42)

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Many of the same challenges apply to working with industry partners as fieldwork coordinators do not have line management authority over partners, yet desperately need their support to provide placements for students. The role, therefore, requires leadership to influence and negotiate with partners.

Fieldwork coordinators were not surveyed by Scott et al. (2008) (possibly an indication of their lack of visibility as academic leaders!). However, the ten most important influences (ranked in order) on the roles of course coordinators or program heads (which is the most closely aligned role and also impact on fieldwork coordinators) identified in the study were:

1. Decreased government funding.2. Balancing work and family life.3. Managing pressure for continuous change.4. Slow administrative processes.5. Handling unexpected events.6. Finding and retaining high quality staff.7. Growing pressure to generate new income.8. Rapid changes in technology.9. Dealing with local university cultures.10. Greater government reporting and scrutiny.

With the exception of clarifying strategic directions, these influences were the same for all key university leadership roles (Course Coordinator, Head of School, Dean of Teaching and Learning, Director of Teaching and Learning, PVC/DVC Academic/Education). The fieldwork coordinator has an additional layer to deal with in that almost all of the influences which affect the higher education environment can be applied to industry partners, thereby creating a very complex environment in which to lead.

Leadership ModelsIn this program, we conceptualise leadership from two perspectives: the Academic Leadership Capability Framework (Scott et al., 2008) which considers the capabilities required for effective leadership and the Integrated Competing Values Framework (ICVF) (Vilkinas & Cartans, 2009) which considers the various roles needed for effective leadership and the integrations between each of the roles. There are many different theories on leadership, models and styles. Daniel Goleman, an international expert on leadership, has found that the more leadership styles a leader demonstrates, the more likely they are to create a positive climate and a high performance group (Goleman, 2000).

Academic Leadership Capability FrameworkScott et al. (2008) identified key capabilities and competencies required for effective academic leadership in a conceptual framework as shown in the figure below. Competence includes: relevant skills and knowledge that are delivered to a set standard in a specific context; ability to deliver/perform; performance; ability to deliver set tasks in specific and relatively predictable situations; a focus on the present; and working productively and efficiently in situations that are stable. Capability, however, includes: the ability to figure out when and when not to deploy these competencies and a capacity to refine, update and develop them; ability to learn; creativity; ability to deliver new approaches in complex, uncertain situations; a focus on the future; working productively with instability and change.

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Figure 2: Academic Leadership Capability Framework

Scott et al. (2008) suggests all five dimensions are necessary for effective leadership performance. Personal and interpersonal capabilities focus around emotional intelligence and being able to manage one’s emotional reactions to uncertainty and discomfort.

Personal Capabilities include; commitment to teaching and learning excellence and wanting to achieve the best outcome (leading by example and taking responsibility for fieldwork activities and outcomes, being determined, pitching in when things are not working out as anticipated); self regulation (deferring judgement and not jumping in too quickly to resolve a problem, understanding one’s personal strengths and limitations, being willing to learn from mistakes, bouncing back from adversity, maintaining a good work-life balance, remaining calm under pressure, and decisiveness (being willing to take hard decisions, confident to take calculated risks, tolerating ambiguity and having integrity).

Interpersonal Capabilities include; attributes of empathising and working productively with students, staff and industry partners from a wide range of backgrounds, listening to differing points of view before making a decision, developing and contributing positively to teams, being transparent and honest in dealings with others, and influencing people’s behaviour and decisions in effective ways (working with very senior people including internal and external stakeholders without being intimidated, motivating others to achieve positive outcomes, working constructively with people who are ‘resistors’ or are over enthusiastic, developing and using networks of colleagues to solve problems, and giving and receiving constructive feedback to/from work colleagues and others).

Cognitive Capabilities include; a leader’s capacity to diagnose accurately what is happening and taking action, recognising how seemingly unconnected activities are linked, recognising patterns in complex situations, identifying from a mass of information the core issue or opportunity in any situation, developing strategy (identifying and acting on an opportunity for a new direction, assessing consequences of alternative courses of action, using previous experience to figure out what’s going on when the unexpected occurs, thinking creatively and laterally, having clear, justified and achievable directions, seeing the best way to respond to a difficult situation, identifying what the human as well as technical or administrative dimensions are, setting and justifying daily work priorities, determining whether the problem is worth addressing in detail and then having the ability to match an appropriate course of action to this diagnosis), flexibility and responsiveness (making sense of and learning from experience, adjusting a plan of action in response to issues which arise during implementation of a course of action, knowing that there is never a fixed set of steps for solving workplace problems).

Generic and Role-specific Competencies include; learning and teaching knowledge (understanding how to develop an effective fieldwork program, having a high level of current knowledge of what engages university students in productive learning, understanding how to design and conduct an evaluation of fieldwork programs, understanding how to successfully implement a new fieldwork initiative, being on top of current developments in teaching and learning, knowing how to identify and disseminate good learning and management practice across the area); understanding university operations (risk management and litigation, industrial relations issues and processes, helping staff learn to deliver necessary changes effectively, chairing meetings effectively, sound administrative and resource management skills), good self organisation skills (managing one’s own professional learning and development, using IT effectively to communicate and perform key work functions, organise work and effective time management, present effectively to a range of different groups).

Integrated Competing Values Framework (ICVF)The ICVF (Vilkinas & Cartans 2001, 2006) is shown in Figure 3, illustrates the behavioural complexity of the fieldwork coordinator role. Tension between a people and task focus is always present in the fieldwork coordinator role as is tension between an internal and external focus. As a result of these pressures, five of the six operational roles emerge which are necessary for effective leadership

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(Deliverer, Monitor, Developer, Broker and Innovator) and the leader needs to determine how and when to use a given role and the extent to which each of the roles is used and competes with other roles (this is the behavioural complexity of the model). Central to the model is the Integrator role, which involves critical thinking and reflective practice in order to monitor movement and application of the five operational roles; the Integrator function has been described as the “control room.” For example, fieldwork coordinators need to manage the competing priorities of caring for and dealing with students with personal difficulties (Developer) whilst trying to ensure that students complete their fieldwork placements in a timely manner (Deliverer) due to the pressure of limited placements and competition for placements. In subsequent modules, the ICVF is contextualised to the role of the fieldwork coordinator to allow exploration of the leadership responsibilities of this role. Participants will have an opportunity to assess their leadership profile using the ICVF (through an online 360° leadership survey) and develop further their strengths and reduce weaknesses.

Figure 3: The Integrated Competing Values Framework and the Fieldwork Coordinator In exploring the ICVF further, in relation to the fieldwork coordinator role, a variety of key responsibilities can be applied to each operational role. These responsibilities will inform the leadership development program’s structure and are utilised to build case studies to engage participants in exploring their role, thereby contextualising the model to fieldwork coordination. For example:

1. Deliverer - requires the development of a system to manage student fieldwork placements, managing paperwork and compliance issues, unit outlines, and communication strategies to ensure the program runs efficiently. It also requires initiatives to manage the risk and legal issues associated with a fieldwork program.

2. Monitor - involves collecting and collating relevant fieldwork data to continuously improve the quality of work integrated learning, for example, placement numbers, monitoring trends in numbers, placement availability, collecting feedback on students, educators, placement quality, evaluating the fieldwork program and models of education, moderation of fieldwork assessment and ensuring inter-rater reliability and understanding competency based evaluation.

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3. Developer - will include issues such as providing training and support for educators in the field around coaching, supervision and fair and equitable assessment of students, alignment of assessment practices of student learning on placements between university and industry.

4. Broker - requires development of strategic partnerships with agencies, accreditation and professional bodies, fieldwork educators, and Head of School/Department. The interplay of these key stakeholders requires negotiation and networking skills to build and sustain the fieldwork program.

5. Innovator - will focus on considering changes to professional practice and how this influences fieldwork education. These changes, along with increasing enrolments and competition for placements require innovative and new approaches to models of fieldwork education.

6. Integrator - involves reflecting on practice, taking a critical perspective on one's own leadership role and one’s movement between the operational roles, and involving others such as peer coaches, critical friends or colleagues in one's ongoing development as a fieldwork coordinator.

Some of the underlying concepts that will be explored in the program to support these operational roles include:

1. The ICVF as a leadership model to inform practice.2. Communicating with emotional intelligence.3. Managing performance and coaching.4. Understanding individuals and teams and managing change. 5. Conflict management and negotiation.6. Understanding key relationships and networking.7. The pedagogy of WIL.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Fieldwork EducationIn order to provide high quality fieldwork programs and to improve the level of recognition for fieldwork coordinators within higher education, it is important to adopt a scholarly approach to fieldwork education. This not only provides the basis for a strong rationale for any fieldwork initiative, but it provides a clear mechanism for evaluating interventions and disseminating and communicating the success or otherwise of initiatives to the broader community. Vardi and Quin (2011) argue that the scholarship of teaching and learning provides a mechanism for demonstrating scope of influence and responsibility (local, national and international), levels of performance, outputs, quality and impact of work and thereby reputation and recognition. These factors, combined with publications and grants arising from the scholarship of teaching and learning in fieldwork are important in the context of being competitive for promotion.

Fieldwork is an increasingly important element of the design of curricula. Therefore, an evidence-based approach to designing, implementing and evaluating the models, processes and outcomes of fieldwork are critical to ensuring the pedagogical robustness of fieldwork programs and to provide the evidence of their effectiveness. Fieldwork coordinators are ideally positioned to lead the scholarship of teaching and learning in relation to their programs.

Journals where research into fieldwork initiatives—and the leadership of fieldwork—might be published can be found on the Curtin University Building Academic Leadership Capability website. Support to publish on the scholarship of teaching and learning may be available. As a starting point contact the area within your university responsible for teaching and learning for advice.

Program Philosophy and Learning ExperiencesThe approach used in this program is grounded in leadership development theory and practice. Scott et al. (2008) identified that academic leaders have a preference for practice based learning. Academic leaders expressed a preference for the following:

learning on the job being involved in informal mentoring/coaching

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undertaking self-guided reading on leadership participating in higher education leadership seminars participating in leadership development programs which are custom-tailored to their needs participating in annual performance reviews participating in 360° feedback based on known leadership capabilities.

This program utilises all of these concepts (with the exception of higher education leadership seminars) and will provide you with an opportunity to embed experiential learning principles in your leadership development journey. Throughout the program, a case-based and problem-based learning approach is used which will allow you to critically reflect on the issues and apply the theory underpinning leadership development. By reflecting on learning experiences, making conclusions, and incorporating the learning outcomes into your daily work practice you will hopefully find the development experience rewarding. In other words, this learning will assist you to create new applications in your role as fieldwork coordinator. This will be accomplished, in part, by goal setting, group discussions, and working closely with strategic learning partners or 'peer coaches.' These peers will be responsible for providing coaching or learning support for you as you work towards implementing some of the key learning materials within this module. You will 'coach and provide learning support' in return, thus gaining some valuable skills in coaching and mentoring.

Why involve others in your leadership development journey? The importance of learning independently and with others is best described by these two quotations:

"Learning is the essential fuel for the leader, the source of high octane energy that keeps up the momentum by continually sparking new understanding, new ideas, and new challenges. It is absolutely indispensable under today's conditions of rapid change and complexity. Very simply, those who do not learn do not long survive as leaders" (Bennis & Nanus, 1985).

"Leaders are not made by corporate courses, any more than they are made by their college courses, but by experience. Therefore, it is not devices, such as 'career path planning' or training courses, that are needed, but an organization's commitment to providing its potential leaders with opportunities to learn through experience in an environment that permits growth and change" (Bennis, 1989).

The importance of learning through experience, reflected in the above comments, can be reinforced by examining experiential learning theory. Kolb (1984) describes an experiential learning cycle that can help one to understand how to get the most out of one's learning. This model serves as a framework for the learning that one will experience in this program.

The Experiential Learning Model is a four-stage cycle that involves:1. Having an experience.2. Reflecting upon that experience.3. Making conclusions from the reflection and the experience.4. Creating a new application for subsequent experiences.

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Figure 3: The Experiential Learning Model 

It is a useful model that to follow to help you maximise your learning in this program and your ongoing development as a leader. As you work through the experiences in this program and apply them to your work setting, take time to reflect on them. This can be done more strategically by noting key learning outcomes and questions in a reflective journal or personal blog. It is recommended that you identify a colleague who has the potential to act as a peer coach or critical friend unless there is a formal mentoring program at your university. The information you gather in you reflective journal can be used in consultation with your peer coach to help you deepen your understanding of administrative, leadership or management issues. The conclusions that are derived from this process can then be applied back into the workplace. For information on peer coaching please see the Required Reading for this module.

Gaither (2004) in his review of academic leadership asserts that experience and observation is critical for learning about leadership. He views leadership development as a continuous learning experience requiring ample opportunities to practice with the 'right to fail' as part of the development process. 

We trust that you will take on board these principles of the experiential learning cycle with your peer coach/es. By implementing the learning process from this program with reflective practice and peer coaching, you can expect positive changes in your leadership and management style.

Practical Activity1. Consider your role as FC and identify three things which are great about your role

and three things which you find challenging. Discuss these with three other people in the group.

2. Work in groups of 5. Each one of you is to select one of the roles within the Integrated Competing Values Framework. List the variety of tasks which you believe the FC would undertake for each role. Share these with each other and add other suggestions. Discuss the proportion of your time that is spent in each of the roles and whether you believe this needs reviewing.

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Experience

Debriefing

Concluding

Application

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Required ReadingBryman, A. (2007). Effective leadership in higher education: a literature review. Studies

in Higher Education. 32 (6): 693-710.

Ladyshewsky, R. (2003). Peer coaching and professional development: A learning support strategy for students at the Graduate School of Business, Curtin University.

Ladyshewsky, R. (2006). Peer coaching: a constructivist methodology for enhancing critical thinking in post-graduate business education. Higher Education Research and Development, 25, 67-84.

Scott, G., Coates, H., & Anderson, M. (2008). Learning leaders in times of change: Academic leadership capabilities for Australian higher education . University of Western Sydney and the Australian Council for Educational Research. (Executive Summary)

Additional ResourcesWebsitesHERDSA Guides (http://www.herdsa.org.au/index.php?page_id=139) provide useful ideas and information on many aspects of teaching and learning. Written by experts in specific fields, they are short, inexpensive and easy to read.

ReadingsScott, G. (2003). Learning principals: Leadership capability and learning research in the NSW

Department of Education and Training. University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) Quality Development Unit.

Bell, M. (2005). Peer observation partnerships in higher education. The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, Milperra, NSW.

Peer observation of teaching is a truly effective process for ongoing change and development in higher education teaching. This guide aims to support higher education teachers through a program of skills, knowledge and ideas development to meet their own developmental aims within their immediate teaching environment. The guide explains how peer observation partnerships work, explores theoretical frameworks and related concepts and provides a guide to the whole process of peer observation of teaching including observation techniques, post observation discussion, feedback and critical reflection.

ReferencesBennis, W. (1989). On becoming a leader. Reading, UK: Addison-Wesley.

Bennis, W., & Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: The strategies for taking charge. New York, NY: Perennial Library.

Cooper, L., Orrell, J., & Bowden, M. (2010). Work integrated learning: A guide to effective practice. Oxon, UK: Routledge

Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, (Mar-Apr), 78-90.

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Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Gaither, G. (2004). Developing leadership skills in academia. Academic Leadership 2(1). http://www.academicleadership.org/authors/Gerald_H_Gaither.shtml

Oliver, B. (2008). Graduate employability as a standard of success in teaching and learning. Proceedings of the Australian Universities Quality Forum, 86-91.

Orrell, J. (2004). Work-integrated learning programmes: Management and educational quality. Proceedings the Australian Universities Quality Forum 2004, Flinders University, Adelaide. (pp. 76-80).

Patrick, C., Peach, D., Pocknee, C., Webb, F., Fletcher, M., & Pretto, G. (2009). The WIL [Work integrated learning] report: A national scoping study. Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Final Report. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology. Available online at: www.altc.edu.au and www.acen.edu.au

Scott, G., Coates, H., & Anderson, M. (2008). Learning leaders in times of change: Academic leadership capabilities for Australian higher education. University of Western Sydney and Australian Council for Educational Research.

Vardi, I., & Quin, R. (2011). Promotion and the scholarship of teaching and learning, Higher Education Research & Development, 30(1), 39-49.

Vilkinas, T., & Cartan, G. (2006). The integrated competing values framework: Its special configuration. Journal of Management Development 25, 505-185.

Vilkinas, T., & Cartan, G. (2001). The behavioural control room for managers: The integrator role. Leadership and Organisation Development Journal 22(4), 175-185.

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