The mapping of pedagogic frailty: A concept in which connectedness is everything

Abstract

When attempting to support the enhancement of university teaching, there is a tendency for institutions to focus on individual attributes of the learning environment. Such an itemized analysis of teaching practice neglects the integrated nature and complexity of the system. In addition, the ways in which university teachers interact with the academic environment are personal and idiosyncratic. In an attempt to support the simultaneous focus on key dimensions of the teaching environment, the concept of pedagogic frailty is introduced. The content and structure of academics’ personal interpretations of these dimensions will either facilitate or hinder the development of connections between the elements of the model at the personal and/or inter-personal level. Where the formation of connections is hindered, the system is in a state of pedagogic frailty which results in a loss of adaptability and the conservation of traditional systems, even when they are seen as unfit for purpose. The mapping of pedagogic frailty provides an ideal frame for the development of personal narratives about teaching and an arena to support meaningful dialogue about the values that underpin teaching at university.