ERIC Number: EJ974309
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1360-144X
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Available Date: N/A
Authenticity in Academic Development: The Myth of Neutrality
Rathbun, Gail; Turner, Nancy
International Journal for Academic Development, v17 n3 p231-242 2012
Academic developers are often positioned as intermediaries who wield value-neutral tools--languages, models, and techniques--in service of decidedly non-neutral institutional goals. We challenge the value of perpetuating the ideal of the neutrality of academic developers and their tools by examining the ways in which our resources and approaches produce imbalances of control, power, and authority in a consulting relationship. We suggest that the values embedded within the practices of academic development lead developers, and the people they help, to act inauthentically. By recognizing the improbability of neutrality in academic development work, the authors seek to open the way to constructive reflection, intentional practice, and ethical consulting choices. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Power Structure, Values, Ethics, Misconceptions, Observation, Faculty Development, Interprofessional Relationship, Interpersonal Communication, College Faculty, Instructional Development, Consultants, Consultation Programs, Classroom Observation Techniques, Faculty Evaluation
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Author Affiliations: N/A