Is There a Need for Foundation Programs?

A problematic feature of teaching in universities is that it can occur with little public scrutiny and with little benefit from educational theory and research. In the absence of any systematic and appropriate training in pedagogy, university teaching remains guided largely by university traditions and legalistic institutional policies. Institutional policies are developed to address such concerns as maintenance of educational standards, ethical practice, egalitarianism and accountability. These are important concerns, but are rarely grounded explicitly in educational theory or justified with research evidence.

University policies and traditions often support practices that have been reified by common practice and justified as 'professional judgement', 'wisdom of experience', maintenance of 'standards', and 'rigour' and 'fairness to all students'. Britzman (1991) in her book Practice Makes Practice argues quite cogently about the inherent danger for all levels of teaching to value the development of expertise based on experience alone. The risk is that poor practice becomes entrenched and justified by tacit acceptance and 'codes of practice'.

In 1992, Ramsden, in his book entitled Learning to Teach in Higher Education, noted:

I believe that teaching is one of the most delightful and exciting of all human activities when it is done well and is one of the most humiliating and tedious when it is done poorly (Ramsden, 1992).

He also argued that

For too long we have relied in higher education on teaching that is essentially an amateur affair.

Yet he pointed out that in all other spheres it was expected that

"..professionals retain a theoretical knowledge on which to base their activities."

We believe that Ramsden was well advised to make this claim and that the amateurish approach he notes can still be found in place in most universities. Concurrently, however, there has been a steady growth in programs to induct and prepare new academics for their teaching responsibilities and to improve the practice of established academics.