Opinion
The quality of university teaching is in the spotlight again as a priority for ATEC. Concerns that universities don’t teach well enough are not new and are regularly highlighted by student feedback. But making a foundation teaching qualification mandatory for university teaching is not a silver bullet.
Higher education courses must be contemporary. Courses are expected to cover foundational knowledge and skills, and also current application and research. Graduates expect their learning to be relevant to their careers and communities. Governments want graduates who will be professionals and leaders in the economy and society. Academic disciplines want to train the future discipline leaders. Many degrees also bring in external expertise from industry experts or practitioners to make links between study and future careers. There is a strong focus on currency.
Consequently, the Australian Higher Education Standards mandate that teachers must be experts in their field. They require that institutions record the qualifications of their teaching staff and only allow teachers to teach at one level below than their own education. At PhD level, where there is no higher level, most universities expect supervisors to have experience in supervision before being responsible for a PhD project. Higher education teachers are no strangers to professional qualifications.
Higher education institutions also need expertise in adult education to deliver high-quality courses. Current standards expect that teachers will be equipped for teaching in a higher education setting, but they do not mandate any particular qualification. So, why not mandate a teaching qualification?
The question should really be: what is the most effective way to lift teaching capability? Over the last decade we have seen seismic shifts in higher education teaching. Mass uptake of post-secondary study has seen universities shifting to large scale and many new providers coming into the sector. Institutions are committing to inclusive education and the success of diverse learners. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an irreversible shift to blended and online learning as work and life also moved to blended modes. Most recently, generative AI has dramatically disrupted old forms of assessment. Higher education students and teachers cannot afford to be stuck with outdated teaching.
When ATEC asked me to lead a national discussion about teaching capability, it was clear that stakeholders from all corners of higher education really do value and want to invest in good teaching. They are facing many challenges as described often in Future Campus and are juggling tough priorities. They need investment in teaching capability to produce quick wins.
Formal teaching qualifications can provide a strong foundation for teaching but in a highly dynamic environment they are simply not enough on their own. Widespread uptake would be slow. While I agree that higher education teachers need strong foundations in teaching, I think there is a more pressing challenge.
I believe that university teachers urgently need mandated and supported professional learning to cope with the challenges and change in front of them. Continuous professional learning is very well-accepted across many professional roles. There are already many models for delivering it inside universities – although current participation is often voluntary. Professional learning is flexible. It can be delivered ‘on the job’ as well as through structured learning.
In my view, higher education must invest more thoroughly in all forms of professional learning, but particularly ongoing professional learning – which is probably modular and always cutting-edge. That is why the Enhancing Professional Practice in Australian Higher Education Teaching Report recommended a new requirement for professional learning as well as a mandate for foundation learning – albeit one that can look beyond a single qualification type. We shouldn’t assume a single intervention is enough to address a complex problem. We need solutions that can adapt and change with the needs of students, teachers and stakeholders.