This study explores the establishment of communities of practice within teaching and learning centres (TLC) as strategies for advancing faculty development in higher education, examining their implementation in the US and Europe, with a specific focus on Italy. Utilising organisational benchmarking, we employed an explanatory, comparative, and…

The influence of non-formal professional learning in higher education remains a relatively under-researched area. This paper aims to contribute to the literature by exploring the impact of an implementation of non-formal professional learning operating at an Irish university since April 2017. The initiative--called "The Sipping…

Academic blogs are international, extramural, outside of institutional structure, obligation, and audit. Their algorithms allow quantitative investigation, but qualitative research on blog practice is rare. This paper offers qualitative insight into academic blog pedagogy using "DoctoralWriting" as a case study. Here,…

Supervision is one of the most important determinants of a successful doctoral process. However, there have been few large-scale survey studies on the development of PhD supervisors. In this study, doctoral supervisors' perceptions of their supervisory competence, professional development activities and professional support from the research…

The global pandemic has led to an explosion of open learning opportunities for academics to connect, share and develop ideas together. This paper presents a collaborative autoethnographic case study on the educational leadership approaches enacted and experienced in the voluntary Creativity for Learning in Higher Education (#creativeHE) community.…

The supervision of doctoral students has been evolving in the last decade. Supervisors supervise students on campus or at a distance and supervision takes place in formal or informal environments with the latter occurring more often through online encounters. This context of supervision has changed supervisory practices and students' own…

Whilst doctoral supervision online has become almost routine, the COVID19 pandemic significantly changed research supervision. Supervisors were distanced from colleagues and co-supervisors, with less opportunity for the informal and unplanned conversations through which supervisory challenges may be shared and mentoring take place. An accredited…

Academic communities of practice (ACoPs) are formed in collaboration with professionals from industry and the community with the aim of providing innovative solutions to real-world problems. There are no adequate frameworks and clear support structures for managing academic communities of practice (ACoP). The main aim of this paper is to develop…

The literature indicates that collaborative activities can support professional learning (PL) for academics teaching in higher education (HE). Nevertheless, limited approaches for collegial PL exist that can be embedded in the day-to-day work of busy academics. This paper reports on an evidence-based approach to practice that was undertaken to…

Peer Assisted Leaning (PAL) programmes have been shown to enhance learner confidence and have an overall positive effect on learner comprehension, particularly in subjects traditionally perceived as difficult. This research describes the findings of a three-cycle Action Research study into the perceived benefits of implementing such a programme…

Learning from experience is integral to professional development, with the processes by which it is expected and enabled, varying depending on context and discipline. There is general consensus that it does not just happen. Rather learning from experience is a deliberate act. In higher education, much attention is given to reflective practice and…

Assessment is a central feature of teaching and learning. It is both complex and challenging in ordinary times, and these aspects are magnified in an online learning environment. Given its central role, it is crucial that its design and purpose is rigorous and robust. This paper presents justification for using interactive oral assessment as an…

This preliminary study aims to understand how social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence in the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI) might explain online interactions on a discussion forum in a 10-week course. Online questionnaires were used to report students' levels of social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence.…

In this case study research, we examine online supervision and engagements in a blended education doctorate (EdD) programme through a lens of relational trust. Interviews with supervisors and EdD graduates enabled us to examine practices and strategies used to cultivate relationships and learning alliances that supported doctoral candidates in…

This article focuses on online research group supervision in an online doctoral programme. The analysis of interviews with 10 graduates supervised online in research groups of 4-6 students during the dissertation process highlighted how supervisors structured and supported individual and group research development and progress, leading to…