Understanding academic development: a case study at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).

Sinthunava, Kittiwan

INTRODUCTION

This research focuses on issues with the design and implementation of academic development at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) in Australia. Qualitative research methods have been utilised to collect data from 12 participants at UTS engaged either in policy development or in its implementation to achieve academic's career goals. Moreover, a number of literature reviews from relevant research in professional development and research using the term 'community of practices' have been analysed to provide the background for an understanding of academic development.

Understanding the environmental changes of academics' performance by adopting professional development policies of UTS has been the main focus of this study. Although there are some differences in the environmental changes in Higher Education between Australia and other countries, overall the impacts of change are nearly the same (Davies & Danahher 2014; Foley & Kaiser 2013; Kasworm 2012; Wahlgren & Geiger 2011; Chan 2010). Learning from the UTS experience will provide examples of practices appropriate for other universities.

Universities in the 21st century are changing rapidly and it is hard for academics to keep up. They will be able to survive if they respond positively to change. Ali (2012, p. 55) said 'the survival of today's universities depends on how they accept changes, how they can improve their practices and how they can increase their competitiveness.' It is important that a university's executive administrators understand the impacts of these environmental changes and develop appropriate strategies to assist their staff cope with the new environments (Kemmis, Heikkinen, Fransson, Aspfors & Edwards-Groves 2014). Many (most) academics understand the reason why the universities have to change, however, many of them do not want to change. The message from understanding the reasons to actually changing one's behaviour cannot be assumed. Ortenblad and Koris (2014) have explained some of the many reasons why universities need to change; the most important being the increased competition both from local and international universities. Students have more opportunities to look around before they make a decision to study at any particular university. It is accepted that many business schools and universities have to employ branding strategies and differentiate themselves to compete for student numbers and their tuition fees (Pesch et al. 2008). Moreover, a vast amount of educational information is available on the Internet and potential students can easily access this.

In increasing the competitive advantages for Australian universities, the concept of student as an important customer should not be the main focus of universities' administrators (Snyder 2007), similar to the study of Ortenblad and Koris (2014, p. 202) which noted that 'HEIs should not become customer-oriented' because 'the purpose of all Australian universities is to educate people, and universities are not businesses' (Reece 2004, p. 266). Thus, universities need to respond to the environmental changes by increasing their academic performance instead of relying on marketing strategies to create their reputation.

This article clarifies the processes of academic development at UTS and identifies the key success factors when implementing academic development strategies by interviewing key players, review of available documentation and personal observation.

WHAT IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?

Professional development (PD) in this study refers to any tools, techniques, policies and strategies of the university that involve improvement of academics' performance by increasing the quality of teaching and research to meet the requirements of the university. However, when writing about the meaning of PD, many studies have defined it differently, for example, the APA Dictionary of Psychology (VandenBos 2007) mentioned 'self-development' as the process to improve the quality of life based on the aspects of psychological research. Other studies by Bergsma (2008) noted that there are five main themes (personal growth, personal relationships, coping with stress, identity and miscellaneous), depending on the objectives or area of the self-development's studies.

In the context of teacher education, PD refers to activities and strategies to change the attitude and practices of teachers to support and help students' learning (Guskey 2002). These include the processes of improving professional skills and providing new knowledge to become more competent in their careers (Mosby, Inc. 2009). Typically, the major roles of higher education institutions are in developing appropriate skills for the advancement of the societies (Ortenblad & Koris 2014). 'PD is viewed as critical for success in a wide range of human endeavours, including education, business and human services' (Lauer et al. 2014, p. 207).

As a business concept, PD is focusing on employees' training and coaching to promote customer satisfaction for the benefit of the stakeholders (Aguinis & Kraiger 2009). In health care research, PD is considered as the collaborative relationship for improvement in the performance, development, learning, life experience and professional growth. Marzlin (2011) explains that PD can change professional practices in human services and improve patient outcomes.

According to the review of professional development literature, there are varying meanings for PD, however, most of them involve adult education and are designed for improving an individual's performance as well as promoting changes in their behaviour and skills (Lauer et al. 2014). Developing university academics can be seen as a part of the PD system (Aboalshamat, Hou & Strodl 2014). Moreover, facing the new educational environment, PD should be used as a core approach for improvement which university administrators should adopt to encourage change and achieve ongoing high performance in their academics.

In analysing the PD system at UTS, this study aims to address the following questions:

1. How have professional development policies changed the way that UTS operates?

2. What academic development processes have been implemented at UTS?

3. What are the implications of these academic development processes for the future of UTS?

Understanding which PD policies are embedded in practices at UTS in supporting academics to achieve their career goals will be of similar benefit for academics at other universities. By learning from the UTS experiences, these results will be used to assist academics who want to spend more time focusing on improving the quality of their teaching and research, and becoming successful in their careers.

METHODOLOGY

This study aims to reflect upon the experiences of professional development at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) after it became a university (1). A qualitative approach allows us to explore questions of PD; to examine the university's policies, strategic practices and processes; to understand the barriers to and facilitators of change; to discover the reasons for the success (or failure) of human resources development (Starks & Trinidad 2007), and to observe staff behaviour to obtain the desired results. The research was conducted with participants at UTS following Ethics and institutional approvals. Invitations to participate in the research were sent via email to 12 members of UTS staff, selected on the basis of their academic experiences and/or positions that are relevant to PD and human resources management. The invitations introduced the researcher and provided information about participant identification and recruitment. Copies of the research questions and the participation consent form were provided. All invited staff expressed their willingness to participate in the interviews. While scheduling for the interviews of 12 participants, documents and promotion criteria policies of the university were analysed and academics' behaviour observation had been done through the 'UTS learning 2014 workshop' during the first semester in 2014. At the conclusion of the interviews (which were recorded by consent), the researcher was satisfied with the consistency of the data and no further interviews or document analysis were required.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

The data from the interviews of the 12 academics, some of them in executive positions at UTS, were coded to find the similarities and differences for each question. Themes were created to represent the answers from each question. The review documents of the UTS human resources department including the promotion criteria and enterprise agreements had been analysed to find relative themes and cross-checked with the data from the interviews. The design of the research focused on an understanding of the PD processes and human resources management strategies at UTS. Since the 1950s, higher education in Australia has expanded, with more focus on academic development (Lee, Manathunga & Kandlbinder 2010; Grant el al. 2009; Marginson & Considine 2000; Sorcinelli, Austin, Eddy & Beach 2006). This study presents a set of reflections on several key factors that emerged from the interviews with academics and from document analysis at UTS. The purpose was to identify key success factors in how the UTS established and implemented PD across the university.

The first key success factor in bringing about the desired academic development in research and teaching is human resource management policies. The second factor, explored in interviews with participants, is informal mentoring systems. These have played a critical role in supporting individual academics successfully navigate the changes in culture, values and practices in their fields. The third factor which emerges from observations is access to information. There is a substantial amount of helpful information and documentation for academic development which is easily accessible electronically, and through workshops and policy papers. The final key success factor is the importance of equal opportunity in academic development at UTS. An example is the research results showing the lower performance of female academics at UTS. Following this the university has set up many policies including the professional development and support for women working at UTS provided by the Equity and Diversity Unit, the Research and Innovation Office, and the Graduate Research School and Faculties to assist each group of female academics to achieve their career goals. Each of these will be discussed in detail focussing on how to assist the change in academic behaviour at UTS.

Having a clear message for academic staff

The data from the interviews and documents analysed from the Human Resources (HR) Department at UTS confirmed that the university has provided clear information and processes for career development and provided a large number of workshops and training programs that will help academics to achieve their careers goals. One dean says:

   I actually make sure that they do those things because these
   (programs) are very important for them ... I think for early
   career researchers, it is really good for them ... for developing
   particular skills throughout their careers ... I encourage staff
   to participate and I think it is a very important part of their
   career development.

Every faculty has developed specific career development programs that will be appropriate for their disciplines but at the same time, academics can attend centrally provided workshops or training programs that they believe will also be beneficial to their careers. Academics have access to all the information about these development programs and they can apply or ask for more advice as well as funding support to allow them to participate in relevant conferences for their research. All the participants mentioned this and they all understand and appreciate the benefits of this support towards their career development. An interviewee in the HR department provided feedback obtained from academics about the leadership and program development organised by the university in 2014. The feedback indicated very high satisfaction, and that academics want these programs and workshops to continue in the future. The HR interviewee commenting on the results of the staff survey, noted:

   ... people are saying they have confidence in senior management ...
   a commitment at UTS to ongoing learning and development ... people
   are given sufficient guidance and training ... we have seen a real
   improvement in staff acknowledgment (of the) investment in
   leadership at UTS.

The HR interviewee explained that not only do the staff survey results show significant improvement in support for career development, but academics were also pleased with the suitability of the professional development and performance management programs on offer.

Interviewees from across the university believe UTS gives a clear message to all academics (and non-academics) about the opportunities available to them to develop themselves and achieve successful careers. All of them recognised the opportunities to learn and participate in professional development programs organised both in Australia and overseas. There was a consistent acknowledgement that UTS provided regular professional training programs both in conducting good research and in delivering excellent teaching.

Having an effective mentoring system

Analysis of the interviewee data showed the importance to successful academics of an effective mentoring system. In earlier years UTS did not have any formal mentoring system and its importance was not recognised. However, reflecting on their careers as academics, the interviewees realised that mentoring played a critical role in their career achievements. More interestingly, all of those interviewed had in their early careers, without being conscious of it at the time, been mentored by a senior academic member. As one Professor noted:

   The mentor system is really the best way ... you have to listen to
   people, your senior and experienced people ... when I was an early
   career person, we did not call it that, without any doubt my PhD
   supervisor and (another senior person) were my mentors ... I was
   doing a lot of the hard work for them, putting all the things
   together and helping, time consuming thing, getting grants together.
   I was being mentored by them. Now it was not called that back
   then. It was not formally said that this is the young early career
   mentor research system. But that it is exactly what it was, that
   these guys were ... learning and looking at how these more
   experienced people or successful people, how they go about doing
   their research, getting grants. In fact, as he was my PhD
   supervisor, so I am sure, I also learnt a lot by the way he
   supervised my thesis ...

Learning from experienced academics is one of the most effective ways to improve and develop professional careers. All identify mentoring as one of the key success factors for their careers. As another senior academic said:

   When I started my career, I didn't have any mentoring, but what I
   had was an 'informal mentoring system', I had that support through
   a feminist network, and it was a good mentoring system ... Now, I
   am in the process of developing benchmarks, and training staff to
   engage in these discussions ... It is very important for career
   development ... I am just about to appoint a new (senior staff
   member) in research who is going to develop a far more formal
   network of mentoring in the faculty. I think it will be very
   important, especially for research development for people in that
   stage of their careers. We fund conference travel, fund
   professional development across both professional and academic
   staff. Making time is very important; finding that time for people
   to talk. When people are going for jobs externally, even though I
   don't want to lose them, I will help them to arrange their CV ... I
   take mentoring as part of my job seriously.

Interview data showed that it is not only at UTS where a mentoring system is one of the key success factors for professional development. Other universities in the Sydney region now also provide a good mentoring system especially for early career researchers and middle career researchers to help them achieve their career goals.

Having access to important information

UTS has provided a wide range of professional development programs for academics and non-academics at every level of their careers. However, these programs will be of little use if academics across the university cannot readily access the information. Having a high quality Information Communication Technology (ICT) system is essential to allow academics to access the necessary information for their professional development.

At UTS, all academics (other staff and students) have excellent access to the information that will help them in their professional development. When people start working at UTS, there are many orientation programs to prepare them to understand and acknowledge their rights and responsibilities at the university.

Important information is always available online at the university website and everyone can access this information online anytime and anywhere they want to. Moreover, to make sure that everyone can effectively contact and network both inside faculties and outside faculties, UTS has a stable, reliable and robust email system which allows all members of the UTS community to search for other academics' information and contact them. Access to appropriate information is readily available through an intuitive intranet, 'staff connect'.

A strategic manager noted that UTS has set as a priority the maintenance of an effective two-way communication system to ensure that all important university information is readily provided to UTS academics and nonacademics. Any feedback or questions will be sent to the right people to manage and resolve. During the development of the intranet and web system, academics and non-academics were encouraged to share and contribute their ideas and needs.

Having an equal opportunity for being successful

In addition to the data from interviews, information has also been obtained from personal observation and participation in academic activities for six months in the UTS workplace. The UTS culture is one of supporting professional development, and providing an equal opportunity to every member of its very diverse group of academics. The university sends a very clear and strong message to its academics in this regard.

The university's Equity and Diversity Unit provides support in many areas, organising workshops, for example, for early-career women researchers or women returning to the workplace after periods of child-rearing etc. This unit has the responsibility of ensuring an equal opportunity for academics to help assist them in achieving their career aspirations. As stated by a very senior staff member:

   Women in research ... what particular things do we need to do to
   support them? When UTS initiated its women in research strategy ...
   there was a lot of communication and conversation with women in
   research to find out what are their needs. Through that process, a
   'women in research' strategy was developed and (many of the
   initiatives) run through the Equity and Diversity unit.

The university has not only set up the programs and units to help and support academic members who might come from under-represented groups, but it also provides extensive training through its leadership program for executive academics across the university to help them understand and mentor their young academics to assist them achieve their career goals. The new environment for higher education in Australia and worldwide has become more competitive. All academics need to put in more effort; building on their strengths to maintain the reputation of the university. Having academics achieve their individual professional development goals will bring great success to the university. A very senior academic member commented:

   You have to be much more strategic and much more deliberate about
   the way you plan an academic career than in the past. As a
   university, it is our responsibility to make sure that everybody in
   the university knows what the benchmarks are ... We need to make
   sure that supervisors have very concrete and specific discussions
   with people who have not achieved that level yet ... people doing
   research ... are generally self-motivated ... so you need to be
   very clear about what we are expecting. I want to make sure that
   all of our staff have the support and expectations, so they perform
   at a level where they can get a job in any university in the world,
   that is our job ... I want to make UTS so exciting that no one wants
   to leave, but I want to make sure that all our academics in their
   early careers could get a job anywhere in the world. That is the
   aim. I want to make sure they don't get stuck ... without a choice.

UTS has been working very hard during the last decade to promote professional development through their policies, and to develop and implement practices appropriate for each faculty, by seeking out information from experts, both from within and from outside the university. The university executives understand the importance of career development and take their responsibility seriously. The experiences related by many academics who have been working at UTS for more than 30 years confirm that UTS engages in very many programs that will support and encourage academic members to become successful in their careers. Academics commented that the UTS culture makes it a great place to work and develop a professional career in Australia.

DISCUSSION

Academic development is not a new idea for the university. It has been practised since the university was established. It might be given different names, such as human resource development, professional development, early career researcher development, community of practices, etc. However, the expectation of the development is the same, and is especially important as the higher educational environment is undergoing rapid transformation and is becoming much more competitive.

The in-depth interviews provided many insights into the complex nature of the academy within UTS and Australia. A deep reflection on the history and current situation for early career academics at UTS has allowed the researcher to understand the big picture of higher education in Australia. The four key success factors that emerged from the experiences of successful older academics will be very advantageous to learn and apply for young academics who want to achieve the same successes in their careers.

The four key success factors comprise (1) the establishment of a concrete policy for professional development and support for its implementation for all academics; (2) the provision of both formal and informal mentoring systems to assist all academics in achieving their career development goals; (3) building an effective two-way communication system that allows everyone access to the important information and also simplifies academics contact and networking, and (4) enhancing the strong organisational culture of equal opportunity and ensuring it permeates the whole university.

The four key success factors have been embedded in the university policies and the Vice-Chancellor and executive administrators are committed to them. Universities are now more competitive and students more mobile. Societal expectations have already changed, expecting more from the universities. Academics must understand, and prepare to be part of, this changed environment. It is up to the academics themselves to develop and achieve their career goals using the opportunities created by the university. The reputation and community standing of the university and its graduates are in the hands of the academics, and it is only by ongoing development that they meet and exceed the expectations and requirements of students and society.

CONCLUSION

This study focuses on how academic development has been successfully implemented at UTS. It is important to understand the UTS strategies (when 25 years ago, it was a new and small university) to become a competitive and well-known university in Australia and beyond. There are many experiences of successful academics to share and use as exemplars for other universities. There are many policies and strategies of the university to be used as a good model for other universities. The UTS organisational culture, with its core value on equal opportunity, is the main factor which supports a sharing and collaborative workplace. The senior executive communicates a clear message of its expectations. Academics know their rights and accept their responsibilities. The university invests heavily in supportive technologies. The strong leadership that UTS offers their academics is one that many learning institutions should observe and practise to ensure their own great success.

Professional development policies have changed the way that UTS operates. The University Council and its senior executive administrators have promoted the professional development policies and their associated development programs. UTS has launched many career development strategies and has budgeted to enhance academic performance both in research and teaching. It is evident that support for these policies extends throughout the university. Without the academic development processes, UTS might not have been able to reach such a higher standard so quickly given the competition in the higher education industry. Thinking about the future of UTS, the results show that the strong leadership role has had a very strong influence on the success of the university. If the UTS leaders and its senior executive continue to recognise the importance of academic development as at present, then the future of UTS is bright.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships programme provided by the Australian government. I would like to acknowledge the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), Phranakhon Rajabhat University, Thailand, for supporting this project. I am grateful to Professor Nicky Solomon and Professor Tony Moon who provided so much in the way of enthusiasm and sage advice. I would also like to thank each of the participants for sharing their experiences and working with me on the project.

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Kittiwan Sinthunava

Phranakhon Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand

(1) It was an Institute of Technology up to 1987, becoming a university in 1988 and then incorporating other colleges in 1990.