Continuing Professional Development in Higher Education

It is argued that Humboldt’s original definition of ‘scholarship’ ( Wissenschaft), as well as Humboldt’s concept of the purpose of a university, continue to be relevant — with appropriate adaptations. They should be extended to include not only a unity between the practice of teaching and learning and research into teaching and learning, but also an overall unity of teaching and research, i.e. disciplinary as well as generic teaching and learning, together with disciplinary research and research into teaching and learning: all in the service of scholarship ( Wissenschaft). This should be accompanied by appropriate academic staff development and training, framed on the basis of evaluated experience and going well beyond Humboldt, leading to a postgraduate qualification.