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TEN YEARS OF NATIONAL TEACHING FELLOWSHIPS: FOUR STORIES FROM EDUCATIONInstitute of Education, University of London,Professor of Higher Education, 2005-10. Afterretiring from Brighton, I was appointed to theInstitute’s new chair of HE management. One of mymain responsibilities was as Course Director of theInstitute’s highly successful MBA in Higher EducationManagement, which began under the leadership ofProfessors Michael Shattock and Gareth Williams in2002 (Watson, 2009a).Green Templeton College, Oxford,Principal, 2010. Green Templeton is formallyOxford’s newest College, formed in 2008 throughthe merger of Green College, with its strongtraditions in medicine, health, and education, andTempleton, the foundation stone of Oxford’s work inbusiness and management. It has approximately 500students, all post-graduate, and focuses on issues ofhuman welfare. One of my main tasks is to ensurethat the College adds value to their academicexperience.In addition to conventional teaching and researchsupervision I regard my developmental work withgroups across the sector in the UK and abroad as aform of teaching. I have found widespread interest onthe part of institutions and groups in the outcomes ofmy research and development activities on lifelonglearning, academic frameworks, professionalformation, widening participation, communityengagement, ethical standards in governance, andleadership and management (Watson and Taylor,1998; Schuller and Watson, 2009). It has also been aprivilege to serve on national and international bodiesseeking to improve higher education: the Council forNational Academic Awards; the Funding Councils;the ESRC Teaching and Learning Programme; theInstitute for Teaching and Learning (fore-runner ofthe Higher Education Academy); the Paul HamlynNational Commission on Education; and especiallythe Dearing Committee of Inquiry into HigherEducation (Watson and Amoah, 2007).This story may appear to some readers as moreabout management than about teaching and learningin HE. I would argue that it is not. Academicleadership and management is a necessary (but ofcourse not sufficient) condition of effective learningand teaching, especially in the complex relationshipsthat characterise higher education. I learned thislesson through meta-analysis of a substantial body ofevaluation work on the ‘natural experiment’ of theOxford Polytechnic Modular Course: studentsappreciated charismatic and inspirational teaching, butthey also needed sound organisation and trust in thesystem. Somewhat later I published with Jean Bocock(then of the union NATFHE): Managing the UniversityCurriculum: making common cause (Bocock andWatson, 1994). At that stage this was a highlycontroversial proposal, and Jean and I were attackedaccordingly. Subsequently, I would suggest, it hasbecome an orthodoxy, as well as a widely recognisedsource of professional obligation.23
DISCUSSIONS IN EDUCATION SERIESMy latest book is on university morale (Watson2009b). Why is so much discourse aboutcontemporary higher education structured around(real and imagined) unhappiness? What should we bedoing about it? Reflection on how and why we cameto be in the business is a good start at the answer.ReferencesBines, H. and Watson, D. (1992) Developing professionaleducation. Maidenhead: SRHE/Open University Press.Bocock, J. and Watson, D. (Eds) (1994) Managing theuniversity curriculum: making common cause. Maidenhead:SRHE/Open University Press.Bourner, T., Katz, T. and Watson, D. (2000) New directionsin professional higher education. Maidenhead: SRHE/OpenUniversity Press.Schuller, T. and Watson, D. (2009) Learning through life:report of the inquiry into the future of lifelong learning.Leicester: NIACE.Watson, D. (1989) Managing the modular course:perspectives from Oxford Polytechnic. Maidenhead:SRHE/Open University Press.Watson, D. (1990) Managing strategy. Maidenhead: OpenUniversity Press.Watson, D. (2007a) Academic identities and the story ofinstitutions. In R. Barnett and R. Di Napoli (Eds) Changingidentities in higher education, London: Routledge, p 175-81.Watson, D. (2007b) Managing civic and communityengagement. Maidenhead: Open University Press.Watson, D. (2008) Historical methods applied to highereducation polices and practices. London: TLRP.http://www.tlrp.org/capacity/rm/wt/watson [accessed 16March 2011]Watson, D. (2009a) Can we teach higher educationmanagement? In V. Bamber, P. Trowler, and M. SaundersEnhancing teaching and learning in higher education: theory,cases, practices. Maidenhead: Open University Press,p 113-120.Watson, D. (2009b) The question of morale; managinghappiness and unhappiness in university life. Maidenhead:McGraw-Hill/Open University Press.Watson, D. and Taylor, R. (1998) Lifelong learning and theuniversity. London: Falmer Press.Watson, D. and Amoah, M. (2007) The Dearing Report: tenyears on. London: Bedford Way Papers.24
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