TBC Distinguished Guest Lecture Series II - Session 3 | Dr Helen King

Developing Expertise in Teaching in Higher Education

Whilst ‘excellence’ is important rhetoric in higher education and many other sectors, it is poorly defined in terms of the characteristics of an individual teacher. Criteria for excellence, for example, in national teaching awards, provide an indication but they are based on experience and assumptions rather than empirical evidence. Furthermore, by definition, excellence is a characteristic achievable by only a few (we can’t all be outstanding or above average). The notion of excellence, therefore, is not a strong motivator for individuals to improve their teaching nor a helpful guide for those supporting them in doing so. Conversely, the concept of expertise has a deep and broad theoretical and empirical foundation in a wide variety of professions and offers a fresh approach to considering the characteristics of high-performing practitioners. The acquisition and maintenance of expertise are considered as an ongoing process that is potentially available for all to engage with, rather than a static point to be reached by the few. This presentation will briefly outline the generic characteristics of expertise and then discuss what these might look like for teaching in higher education. A model will be presented that is based on empirical research, personal experience of educational development and extensive discussions with colleagues in the sector through workshops and conferences. This model proposes three overlapping elements of expertise: Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Artistry of Teaching, and Professional Learning. After the presentation, Q&A and discussion will critique this model, enable participants to make meaning of it in their personal context, and outline implications for teaching and professional development.

Speaker’s Bio

Dr Helen King
Deputy Director of Academic Practice
University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Professor Helen King’s career in educational development spans over two decades and has included leading roles in UK-wide learning and teaching enhancement projects and organisations, as an independent consultant collaborating with colleagues in the UK, USA and Australia, and institutional roles (currently, Deputy Director of Academic Practice at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK). She has broad interests across a range of learning, teaching and assessment themes but her particular passion is in supporting colleagues’ professional development. Her current research is exploring the characteristics of expertise in higher education teachers. She holds a Senior Fellowship of the Staff & Educational Development Association (SFSEDA), a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF), is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), and Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Queensland. Her work on expertise, together with contributions from a range of other colleagues has recently been published in the book Developing Expertise for Teaching in Higher Education: https://routledge.pub/DETHE

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