Academic development and support lessons from Council on Higher Education audit reports

Abstract

The offering of academic development and support services to academics and students is on rise as universities battle to meet higher education transformation agenda. Special focus is here given on what the audit reports of the South African Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education established on the relationship between academic development and teaching and learning. Audit reports from five South African universities were randomly selected for this literature review paper. The centrality of academic development and support initiatives focusing on university teaching staff came to the fore. The need for educational practitioners to assume strategic roles in curriculum design, design of university teaching and learning agenda, induction and academic support, defining the relevant institutional scope of academic development, policy clarity and implementation, teaching excellence, structural and manpower constrains were foregrounded.