Academic literacies and staff pedagogic development

Some recent approaches to enhancing students’ writing in higher education suggest moving towards a model in which writing specialists work alongside disciplinary specialists to embed developmental work on academic literacies into the curriculum. But what other opportunities might there be for promoting a deeper understanding of academic literacies among faculty who design and teach curricula in a range of disciplines? Drawing on her experience as an applied linguist working on a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCert HE), Dr Lazar addresses the following questions: - What is meant by academic literacies in this context, and why is a focus on academic literacies useful and important in improving the broader pedagogic practices of all staff who teach? - What are the challenges of integrating a focus on academic literacies into pedagogic development for staff? - How can PGCert HE courses include such a focus? What types of approaches might be beneficial? She will conclude by considering what implications such approaches might have more generally, both for writing units and educational developers in their work with faculty