From the PVC

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) Professor Jane Long

Some of the most memorable – and, hopefully, satisfying – experiences in an academic career are those ‘firsts’ which happen when we shift from the role of student to become a teacher: when we deliver our first lecture, or guide a group as a novice tutor, or face for the first time the challenge of devising a new curriculum.

Each year since 2000, groups of doctoral students at UWA have had the opportunity to develop their skills in these contexts under the mantle of the Postgraduate Teaching Internship Scheme. While postgraduate students undertaking teaching is hardly novel, this highly successful UWA scheme distinguishes itself through its combination of well-structured and diverse teaching experience within an Intern’s own area of disciplinary research; engagement in extended, paid professional development in teaching and learning which addresses explicitly the foundations of pedagogy in higher education; and participation in small projects and presentations designed to introduce Interns to the scholarship of teaching at the beginning of an academic career.

There is no doubt that the Postgraduate Teaching Internship Scheme is demanding: usually undertaken in the second year of candidature alongside the continuing work of PhD research, students’ commitment across the year requires astute time management. It is a challenge usually met: the Internship cohort has completion times that are comparable to those of the broader research student cohort – as we should expect, given the prevalence of teaching by postgraduates in sessional staff roles outside the parameters of the Scheme. Whatever the challenges, the rewards of the Scheme have also proven to be considerable since its inception. As well as the intrinsic satisfaction of teaching in a context which is well-supported and which fosters good practice from the outset, participants develop detailed Academic Portfolios, and may if they choose pursue conference presentation and publication in the area of their teaching project, thereby contributing to their burgeoning CVs. Indeed, a review of the Scheme in 2004 revealed the extent to which Interns’ systematic teaching and professional development had been a significant factor in their subsequent success in gaining academic positions.

More broadly in the sector, by 2009 there is a great deal of discussion concerning the need for much more systematic training and preparation of sessional staff within Australian universities. The recent Bradley review of higher education, the Australian Learning and Teaching Council’s projects, and the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA), have all in different ways focused on this subject, recognising the increasing significance of sessional staff in the academic workforce, accompanied by calls to ensure high standards within Australian higher education. As one of the opportunities provided in the area by UWA, the Scheme’s innovation and success has been recognised by a national teaching program award, and it has been included as part of AUQA’s national Good Practice database. In respect of UWA’s internationally leading position in this field, too, it is interesting to note that it was only in January 2007 that Harvard University’s ‘Compact to Enhance Teaching and Learning’ produced by its Faculty of Arts and Sciences, included a recommendation to focus on the systematic development of teaching skills and pedagogical understanding among its PhD students.

As Chair of UWA’s Postgraduate Internship Committee, I can attest to the ongoing work of improvement that underpins the Scheme. Remaining responsive to the changing needs of both students and the sector is one factor underscoring the relevance of the Internships. The Internship Scheme, while just one element in UWA’s activities to support good quality teaching and learning, is undoubtedly a powerful one. The enduring impact of the Scheme is evident in the longer-term outcomes for Interns themselves, and a testament to the collaborative effort of a wide array of staff who contribute to it each year.