Part-time teachers in the 21st century workforce: identifying, supporting and sustaining professional development

Higher Education is very different from how it was when academics now on the verge of retirement joined the profession forty years ago (eg UUK 2010). One of the main differences is the increased proportion of academic and teaching staff working on non-standard contracts in universities, employed primarily as teachers rather than as researchers. Part-time teachers are, in any case, not a homogenous group. They may include postgraduates leading seminars; sessional staff; practitioners who combine expertise in other spheres such as healthcare, creative/ performing arts and law; retired academics. This paper draws on research data and empirical work conducted in the UK and Australasia about the experiences of part-time teachers, their perceived and actual professional development needs. This work includes whole-institution structures and a consideration of strategies to integrate part-timers for those who work with them: fulltime academics, academic developers, students and organisational leaders.

This paper addresses three questions. What characterises effective interventions? Can Higher Education continue to offer high quality learning and teaching alongside research, while using increasing numbers of part-time teachers and if so, how can this be achieved? Finally, what of ethical considerations? Is there a risk that interventions aimed specifically at part-time teachers’ current role make it harder for them to become, if they wish, fulltime teachers and researchers?