STAFF-DEVELOPMENT BY STEALTH

An innovation in staff development in 1985 at Birmingham Polytechnic (now the University of Central England) led to the introduction of staff developers in all faculties. The faculty staff developers were ascribed a product-oriented model of practice. The model emphasises the delivery of material resources to enhance professional competence. To illuminate the model of practice implied by the innovation, a multiplicity of research methods were used, including participant observation. The faculty staff developers formed and promoted Faculty Learning Centres for which they had the support of the deans of faculties. Academic staff made mixed use of the facilities of the Faculty Learning Centres; on average they were satisfied with them, but they consulted the faculty staff developers very little. The author concludes that the product-oriented model of practice offers a limited contribution to the process of staff development. He prefers the eclectic model (Boud and McDonald 1981) which features negotiation between staff developer and client. This requires a broad range of expertise in the developers and carries implications for their selection, training and continuing support.