Career progression and pracademia: rethinking pathways for a ‘porous’ HE academy
5 – 6pm, Wednesday 11th December 2024
You are invited to the final online workshop in our Pracademia series.
Please feel welcome to share this invitation amongst your teams and wider institution. Anyone with an interest is welcome – you do not need to be a Head of Law to attend and it is completely free for CHULS members.
In this workshop, Dr Jill Dickinson (Leeds Beckett University) and Professor Steve Johnson (Leeds Trinity University) will present their research on the diversity of experiences, and perceptions, of academics with different characteristics and backgrounds, and highlight the contribution of those with dual experience as practitioners and academics, or ‘pracademics’. Findings from the analysis illustrate that, each year, around one third of new starters in academic positions in UK universities entered from employment outside of the higher education (HE) sector, and their characteristics, backgrounds and job roles are more varied than is suggested by the label ‘pracademic’. The research demonstrates how, by clinging to outdated notions of academic career progression that focus on doctorates, academic publications and grant acquisition, UK universities (including Law Schools) risk losing the potential benefits of a ‘porous academy’. The findings point to an urgent need for change, starting with fundamental reform of academic career pathways. During this interactive session, Dr Dickinson and Professor Johnson will invite members of the audience to engage in reflective discussions around how HE stakeholders might work together to identify, surface, and challenge some of the related issues, and collaboratively bring about meaningful change.
This workshop is the fifth in the series of the professional development workshops around the theme of Pracademia. Other topics have included The Power of Story-telling: Drawing on Pracademia for teaching, academic advising, and employability’ and ‘Valuing Pracademia: how can leaders support the professional development of Pracademics in university law schools?’