Unlocking the Value in Accredited Professional Academic Development Programmes through a Process of Academic Reflection

The attitudes and perceptions of participants in accredited academic development programmes in South Africa is not well documented in the literature. Consequently, there has been a lack of awareness, within the domain of the higher education discipline, of the personal journey and insights of such participants as pertain to their development and experience of these programmes. Whilst some investigations have been undertaken on the attitudes of participants in general academic development initiatives, limited research has been undertaken with respect to those of participants in accredited programmes. The participant-authors in this self-reflection study are both academics, one of whom has commercial and academic experience, whilst the other has academic experience spanning over twenty years. It emerged from the study that the participants experienced a shift in attitude as they progressed through the programme, enabling them to overcome their initial reluctance. The study found that the catalysts for this change in attitude were the accredited nature of the programme, the acceptance of academic development as a process of change, the satisfaction of relationships built amongst academic peers, and the development of writing skills. These findings suggest that, notwithstanding initial hesitation and reluctance, other academics may similarly elicit value from an accredited academic development programme.