Continuing Professional Development of Academic Teachers through Self-initiated Learning

An innovative course for the Continuing Professional Development of Academic Teachers, which obtained teacher accreditation by the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), is described and evaluated. It depended on five principles: it was experiential, problem-based, research-based, open and at a distance. Evaluations were carried out as a case study by one of the course members (LS), through a questionnaire given to all course members, and by an institutional quality assessment. There are also reports by the external examiner and by the Re-Accreditation team of SEDA. As a result, the director (LE) concluded that the course was highly appropriate for academic staff who wish to base their approach to teaching and learning on action research, as was indeed the case for all those who enrolled on the course, but may well be too onerous for others.