Leadership in Higher Education

EDUC63291 Leadership in Higher Education 15 Semester 1 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Steven Jones Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Undefined ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 7.5 Participants are required to imagine themselves as ‘leaders’ at all levels within the sector, if they accept the underlying concept of the ‘leader’, and to engage with issues of international, national and local importance. The purpose of the unit is not to train new university leaders, but to enable a greater sense of ownership and understanding of what leadership involves among participants, and to engage with broader debates within the sector through the contested lens of ‘leading’. Almost everyone who works in a university holds a view about how their institution should be led. The purpose of this unit is to contextualise those individual opinions by providing participants with a fuller understanding of the socio-cultural and political environment in which universities are now operating and introducing them to literatures that enable a more informed perspective to be taken. The unit does not shy away from difficult or sensitive issues. Participants are required to imagine themselves as ‘leaders’ at all levels within the sector, if they accept the underlying concept of the ‘leader’, and to engage with issues of international, national and local importance. This includes reflecting on how universities are funded, how staff are employed, and how students are positioned. In each case, participants are invited to think critically about relevant policies and dominant discourses, and to decide how they would influence the issue were they in a leadership role. The purpose of the unit is not to train new university leaders, but to enable a greater sense of ownership and understanding of what leadership involves among participants, and to engage with broader debates within the sector through the contested lens of ‘leading’.  The unit aims to:challenge participants to think critically about university leadership, by whom it is undertaken, how, and for what purpose; introduce participants to relevant bodies of literature, including critical leadership theory, organisational studies, business management and academic identity, giving participants the ability to interpret local and national developments through an academically-informed, critical perspective;help participants to understand the English HE system within its wider context, thinking about how universities are led differently in different nations and across different contexts;provide opportunities for participants to reflect critically on their role and place within their university and within the wider HE sector, and to analyse their own experiences of leadership, both when ‘leading’ and being ‘led’;foster a critical understanding of issues relating to management, governance and the professional identity of university staff;better appreciate the structural architecture of HE in England, and develop a clear understanding of which individuals, groups and external agencies are responsible for which kind of leadership and/or oversight. The outcomes sought from this unit are those that enable participants to undertake their professional responsibilities in a diligent, informed and personally satisfying way. In terms of knowledge and understanding (KU1-KU3), participants become able to explain the roles and contributions of HE in contemporary societies and the models upon which HE systems are based and critically analyse the leadership approaches most likely to maximise success. Effective participants are also able to demonstrate the ability to engage in debates about key issues, such as who participates in HE, who benefits, and how funding models operate (IS1-IS3). This enables a reconceptualization of leadership in practice, and reflection by participants on their own practice and responsibilities within the university.By taking this unit participants can expect to develop broader academic skills including those relating to communication, teamwork and critical analysis. The unit will also engage students in the development of their key skills in self-awareness, reflection on normative values, and problem solving.<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-size:11.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-US;">As with all PGCert in HE units, successful completion also means being able to read a range of works, summarise arguments succinctly and understand key debates. The goal is then that participants are able to generate both the practical skills (PS1-PS3) and transferable skills and personal qualities (TS1-TS3) that will enable them to become more productive and contented members of university staff. Articulate what ‘leadership’ is in a critically informed way.Explain what ‘leadership’ means specifically in a HE context (at the national, institutional and local level).Identify and understand challenges of leadership in the context of contemporary English HE.  Debate key issues for university leaders in a sympathetic and informed way.Engage critically with relevant literature and other resources.Critically reflect on professional relationships, hierarchies and responsibilities within the university. <span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif",sans-serif;font-size:11.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-US;">Use unit reading and learning as a means to reflect on how ‘leadership’ can be undertaken in practice in a competent way.<span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif",sans-serif;font-size:11.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-US;">Identify, apply and reflect on approaches to collaborative work.<span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif",sans-serif;font-size:11.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-US;">Use critical leadership methods and debate to positively influence others. <span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif",sans-serif;font-size:11.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-US;">Develop conceptualisations of ‘leadership’ as a contested professional concept, including in ways that may influence possible leadership roles and professional development opportunities.<span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif",sans-serif;font-size:11.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-US;">Develop more nuanced understandings of leadership work and challenges, both in relation to one’s own leadership and that of others.<span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif",sans-serif;font-size:11.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-US;">Make productive connections with colleagues exploring similar ideas. Indicative curriculum content:Personal leadership – development of students, junior colleagues and other stakeholders via everyday interaction;Local leadership – academic or PS development at the department or School level, with a focus on intermediating institutional agenda with local identities and working practices;Institutional leadership – how universities are run, where power lies, and how that power is exercised;Sector leadership – who speaks on behalf of universities and how that message could be crafted and disseminated to repel attacks on the sector and promote an inclusive, positive vision;National leadership – how can universities be afforded, and which funding model offer the fairest way to resource the sector. Teaching takes the form of 3 x afternoon face-to-face sessions which include elements of traditional lectures, interactive seminars, small-group discussions and one-to-one tutorials.Other instruction and support are facilitated electronically, via podcasts, Blackboard activities and other relevant links. All content is designed to be interactive and challenging, with participants expected to engage in constructive discussion with one another throughout.These teaching and learning methods are consistent with others on PGCert in HE units and well established as being optimal for a programme on which almost all participants are members of staff. We generally teach on a mix of Wednesday and Friday afternoons to offer greater flexibility. 2 Written assignment (inc essay) 100% Feedback is given within 15 working days of submission. Note: the grading system used on this programme is Pass (P,100), Conditional Fail (CF,35) and Fail (F, 0). As numerical grades are not applied (those above being representative of the grade classification only) it is clearer to report that each element of coursework has to attain a Pass. Where one element is less than a Pass (i.e. a CF or F grade) then this is the overall outcome for the unit.  N Books:Back, L. (2016). Academic diary: Or why higher education still matters. MIT Press.Barnett, R. (2017). The ecological university: A feasible utopia. Routledge.Collini, S. (2012). What are universities for?. Penguin UK.Collini, S. (2017). Speaking of universities. Verso Books.Docherty, T. (2018). The new treason of the intellectuals: Can the University survive?. Manchester University Press.Giroux, H. A. (2014). Neoliberalism's war on higher education. Haymarket Books.Hooks, B. (2014). Teaching to transgress. Routledge.<p Lectures 8 0 142