Australia needs a professional body for higher education teachers, says Charles Sturt U VC Andrew Vann

An independent agency could, “take on the role of a learned society to support, inform and improve practice,” Professor Vann said at a Sydney ceremony honouring NSW recipients cited in the national awards for university teaching.

“Joining such a body would be a powerful signal of an individual’s commitment to professionalism in higher education teaching. It would demonstrate public acceptance by university academics of the mantle of responsibility and leadership for the future of the profession.

“It would demonstrate public acceptance by university academics of the mantle of responsibility and leadership for the future of the profession,” he said.

And a focus only on ever-improving teaching would make it a powerful voice. “Imagine how valuable it would be to have a professional body to speak to higher education reform, independent of the alleged rampaging greed of vice-chancellors? I think it might not say very different things, but perhaps it would not be quite so readily dismissed by politicians,” Professor Vann suggested.

Professor Vann suggested the UK Higher Education Academy could be a model, an idea the HEA might not encourage, given its expansion into Australia this year.