The theoretical foundations of a learning and teaching professional development practice typology in Australian universities

Introduction. Learning and teaching policies and professional development (PD) programs are evolving owing to economic, political and social changes that impact on the role of those who teach in Australian universities (Heinrich, 2015; Norton & Cakitaki, 2016; Penprase, 2018). This study implies that those who design and implement learning and teaching PD should have a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of academic PD, academic disciplinary context, and the unique nature of their institutional context. Understanding the motivations for uptake of learning and teaching PD amongst teaching academics is perhaps the key to ensuring that PD practices and strategies incorporate academics’ professional practice. Aims. This study maps PD practices in the extant literature and serves as a foundation towards identifying and developing future-appropriate strategies promoting PD uptake. The initial scoping review and resultant typology that include capacities and processes of large and small Australian universities is utilised to delineate the theoretical parameters and questions necessary to inform the identification and development of said strategies. Methods. The scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) method. The percentages of multidimensional attributes and how they fed into the typology were analysed using a Sankey Diagram (SD). Results. The typological clusters that emerged from the scoping literature review is presented as it is located within three dimensions of learning and teaching PD uptake by university academics, namely: i) motivations for university academics to engage with learning and teaching PD; ii) PD programs and practices that are evolving strategically to meet the needs of academic capabilities, thereby catering to the futures of students and their employment; iii) the location of learning and teaching PD practices within the professional practice of university academics. Discussion. The resultant typology justifies a theoretical framework to inform a mixed methods enquiry into identifying and developing possible strategies aimed at increasing uptake of PD opportunities.