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
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