Becoming A More Critical, Autonomous, Reflective Learner

PRILHE Project - Lecturer’s Toolkit
Chapter 4: Implementing Critical Autonomous Reflective Learning
4.1 Staff Development
Universities across Europe are changing institutions. With new and diverse groups of students entering higher education and the
requirement for new skills in the knowledge economy there is a need for teaching staff to reflect upon and change their teaching
methods to take into account the new demands upon higher education. It is important that staff development programmes try to
raise awareness of Critical Autonomous Reflective Learning in order to develop a new level of consciousness within higher
education and to help staff to become ‘reflective educators’ and institutions to become ‘reflective institutions’. Staff development
is essential ‘to initiate and sustain change’ (Bilham et al, 1989: 4). Similarly Marriott stresses the importance of staff development:
In a community such as a university, and in a community that wishes to remain identifiably a university, staff development
broadly and flexibly conceived has to be one of the key responses to the imperatives of surviving, adapting and
evolving
(1988: 101).
Staff development events are important for raising awareness of issues, reflecting upon and improving practice and looking at new
ways of working. It is important to offer staff development to not only full-time lecturers but all teaching staff such as part-time
lecturers, and teaching assistants such as PhD students. It is also important to ensure that staff development events are not only
attended by those who are sympathetic towards teaching adult students. Ideas and practices identified at staff development events
also need to be embedded within departmental and institutional cultures and structures.
Examples for staff development to promote the Critical Autonomous
Reflective learning of non-traditional adult students.
Awareness of learning
theories on adults
Research on non-traditional
adults in HE
The Adult Learner in HE
Why adults return to learn
and problems and issues
Promoting awareness
of institutional, national
and European policies
on lifelong learning
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Becoming A More Critical, Autonomous, Reflective Learner