Contrasting views of induction

David Staniforth (1) , Tony Harland (2)

1 University of Sheffield [Sheffield]
2 University of Otago [Dunedin, Nouvelle-Zélande]

This article focuses on the induction experiences of new academic staff and the role of their head of department in this process. Respondents reflected on personal experiences and their narratives give a fine-grained account of the same event from two contrasting perspectives. We expected to find that the heads would be key figures in the induction process, but we discovered a more complex situation in which contributions were largely hidden or indirect. We encountered many contradictions as each party recalled events. Meaningful communication had been sporadic at best, and professional and personal relationships were left undeveloped. In all cases, there was little genuine understanding of the potential of induction, and this was particularly evident in the lack of personal action displayed by the new academics. Some heads had developed a deeper theoretical position on induction but few of their ideas were realized in practice. We propose that this was mainly due to the heads' lack of experience and because induction outcomes were not systematically evaluated.

Mots clés: contrasting views; heads of department; induction; new academics

David Staniforth, Tony Harland. Contrasting views of induction. Active Learning in Higher Education, 2006, 7 (2), pp.185-196. ⟨10.1177/1469787406064753⟩. ⟨hal-00571948⟩