Findings from interviews with mid-career academics in English and Australian universities elucidate how academics interpret and navigate complex institutional contexts in shaping academic jobs. The paper argues that how they do this is a function of what they notice and respond to as well as the mode of reflexivity they employ. Three core areas…

Career development is an essential component of graduate employability, particularly for students undertaking degree programs that are not aligned to a specific vocational outcome. For undergraduate career development to be effective, it should be embedded into the curriculum and involve the academic teaching staff. This approach enhances the…

While satisfaction, engagement and retention of academics has been widely discussed, there is less acknowledgement that a university must first convince high-quality academic talent of the benefits of joining their institution. This paper sought to identify the key factors that influence early-career and aspiring academics to choose employment…

This paper analyses the development of a collaborative relationship between one academic and one educational development professional (EDP). The paper aims to assist academics and EDPs to establish successful long-term collaborations. Improving the success of such collaborations is important because the adoption of technology enabled learning and…

Student supervision is a key factor underpinning the success of work-integrated learning programs. Supervisory responsibilities can be shared across a number of stakeholders including university staff and host/workplace supervisors. While there have been attempts to understand the roles played by each of these stakeholders, little research has…

This paper explores teachers' use of textbooks in the digital age. After discussing student expectancies and needs, textbook use and the affordances of modern technology, the paper reports the results of a small-scale pilot study involving eight higher education teachers in Australia who discuss the use of textbooks in higher education in the…

This paper builds on earlier work by the author to explore the international dimensions of a study of the changing roles and identities of professional staff in higher education (Whitchurch 2008a, b). It further develops the concept of the "blended professional," characterising individuals with identities drawn from both professional and…

Questionnaires administered to all 4,128 of the teaching staff at nine institutions of higher education in Australia and New Zealand received a 46 percent response rate. Significant differences between the work-related attitudes of staff at colleges and those at universities are attributed to institutional culture rather than demographic…

Studies of the perception of academic prestige in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom are examined. Reviewing the arts, science, and engineering, the studies consider faculty perceptions of how the public and students see the faculty's status and also makes comparisons with government and other professional occupations. (MSE)

A study examined the role perceptions and beliefs about learning of 20 lecturers in 10 schools at a large Australian university. It identified a perceptual framework within which teachers' intentions are formulated, and which drive the strategies they adopt. Responses focused on their concepts of the nature of learning, perceptions of the…

A three-phase study examined department chair stress as a multidimensional construct with links to multiple variables and consisting of three phases: American, Australian, and cross-cultural. In this study of the third-phase, researchers conducted cross-cultural comparisons of department chair stress factors, perceptions, and consequences using…