The morphing of academic practice: unbundling and the rise of the para-academic
The morphing of academic practice: unbundling and the rise of the para-academic
Teaching, research and service are the three conventional elements of academic practice, recognised on an international basis. However, evidence suggests that academic practice is rapidly disaggregating, or ‘unbundling’, as a result of a variety of forces including the massification of national systems, the application of technology in teaching and increasing specialisation of academic roles to support a more centralised and performative culture. This article will present an analysis of these changes linked to the emergence of the ‘para-academic’: staff who specialise in one element of academic practice. This includes the ‘up-skilling’ of professional support staff and the ‘deskilling’ of academic staff. The implications of this change for the quality of the student experience and the sustainablity of academic citizenship are considered
59-73
Macfarlane, Bruce
3e2b9eb0-1772-4642-bb51-ab49cc5b748c
January 2011
Macfarlane, Bruce
3e2b9eb0-1772-4642-bb51-ab49cc5b748c
Macfarlane, Bruce
(2011)
The morphing of academic practice: unbundling and the rise of the para-academic.
Higher Education Quarterly, 65 (1), .
(doi:10.1111/j.1468-2273.2010.00467.x).
Abstract
Teaching, research and service are the three conventional elements of academic practice, recognised on an international basis. However, evidence suggests that academic practice is rapidly disaggregating, or ‘unbundling’, as a result of a variety of forces including the massification of national systems, the application of technology in teaching and increasing specialisation of academic roles to support a more centralised and performative culture. This article will present an analysis of these changes linked to the emergence of the ‘para-academic’: staff who specialise in one element of academic practice. This includes the ‘up-skilling’ of professional support staff and the ‘deskilling’ of academic staff. The implications of this change for the quality of the student experience and the sustainablity of academic citizenship are considered
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e-pub ahead of print date: 27 October 2010
Published date: January 2011
Organisations:
Southampton Education School
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Local EPrints ID: 373873
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/373873
ISSN: 0951-5224
PURE UUID: 90b79427-ae37-4638-b112-adef4195da91
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Date deposited: 29 Jan 2015 13:17
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 18:58
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Author:
Bruce Macfarlane
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