Latest SEDA Publication: Our Days Are Numbered: Metrics, Managerialism, and Academic Development by Professor Veronica Bamber
Posted on: Wednesday 25 November 2020
SEDA are thrilled to announce
details of an important and timely new publication which is essential reading
to anyone who works in Higher Education whether they be educational developers,
academics or professional services staff.
Our Days Are Numbered: Metrics,
Managerialism, and Academic Development by Professor Veronica Bamber
Much energy has been expended on
metrics – whether that is critique, analysis, reporting or providing responses
to red flags. One thing is clear: metrics are not universally loved, but
neither are they going to disappear. This SEDA Paper, by Professor Roni
Bamber, is the first to bring together a comprehensive literature review,
empirical work and case studies from guest contributors, to examine the
effects, intended or otherwise, that the greater use of metrics is having on
the work of academic developers.
Drawing on her long history of
leading academic development centres, and research expertise in evaluating such
provision, Roni sketches a ‘nested pyramid of dependencies’ to illustrate how
metrics data works at every level in an institution. Added to this is data from
a wide-ranging survey of academic developers that shows how the nature (and,
unsurprisingly, the quantity) of the work is changing. Case studies exemplify
potential strategies for shaping metrics-related work productively.
Weaving together findings from
the survey, established frameworks from the literature, and examples of actual
practice, Roni provides ten key findings that, whilst they do not gloss over
the problematic nature of metrics, make a strong case for learning to live with
them. Glimmers of hope exist, and reside in the space that academic development
can bring to bear by ensuring the voluminous data now available is used
constructively, informed by our values and our contextual understanding. With
academic practice changing at pace, this SEDA Paper makes a valuable
contribution to understanding how best to deal with the resultant demands for
measuring the effectiveness of new practices.
Cost
SEDA Members - £20
Non – SEDA Members - £24
A copy of this will be sent to
all named institutional contacts.
You can buy your copy here
Hear
Roni speak on this subject at the SEDA Winter
Festival on Tuesday 15th December 2020 @ 1pm - book
your tickets here
