Early-career academic support at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: towards a scholarship of teaching

As the demand for, and access to, higher education increases rapidly around the globe and exponentially on the African Continent, higher education institutions are under immense pressure to recruit skilled professionals who are equally proficient in disciplinary knowledge and pedagogic skills. Institutions also have an obligation to provide professional development opportunities to enhance teaching capacity. This article, based on a survey of early-career academics (ECAs) at a South African university, examines the induction experiences of a group of new recruits to gain insights into their teaching capabilities and professional development experiences. The article finds that, consistent with international trends, at least half of the population sampled are 2nd career academics with an average age of 37. Notwithstanding their relative unfamiliarity with academic organisational culture, most respondents reported medium to high levels of confidence in their own teaching capabilities. This confidence signals the prevalence of the apprenticeship of observation as the dominant model of professional development. We argue that if the support for ECAs is to be meaningful and effective, support programmes must serve to adequately socialise academics into the prevalent organisational culture while simultaneously disrupting rituals of academic performance through a scholarship of teaching.