At Roskilde University we have developed a staff training programme in educational leadership. The objectives are three-fold. A. to qualify the educational leaders in leadership; B. to create a good and strong framework around the institution's study programmes (degrees) and C. to prepare the leaders to actively work with staff motivation and quality enhancement of teaching for student learning. The programme provides the participants with both knowledge about learning and teaching, and with a forum for peer reflection and sharing of experiences of how best to navigate the known and unknown waters between many stakeholders and to navigate between regulations and opportunities, management and vision. An important goal of the programme is to facilitate the building of communities of practice (Wenger, 1998 & 2000) by sharing knowledge and engaging the participants in reflexive and innovative dialogues about their practice as leaders. The great challenge for the Heads of Studies is to motivate and manage the teachers, who are also researchers, as well as providing opportunities for developing contiguous teaching activities that lead to deep learning (Gibbs et.al, 2008). In the roundtable we will discuss how to develop educational leadership for improved student learning outcome – what is needed?
Gibbs G., Knapper C. & Piccinin, S. (2008), Disciplinary and Contextually Appropriate Approaches to Leadership of Teaching in Research-Intensive Academic Departments in Higher Education in Higher Education Quarterly, vol. 62, no. 4, Oct 2008, pp 416-436
Wenger, E. (2000) Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems Organization May 2000 vol. 7 (2), pp 225-24
Wenger, E. (1998), Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press
