An academic leader encourages staff to engage in professional activities such as consulting activities and serving on committees of professional bodies for personal and professional development.
Purpose
The purpose of this practice is to broaden the scope of staff’s professional development. Engagement in professional activities increases staff exposure and enables staff to enhance their knowledge, skills and professional experience in their own academic disciplines by way of exchanging ideas and information with other professionals. Such professional development informs teaching.
Outcome
The outcome of employing this practice is promoting a culture of continuous improvement in teaching and learning by bringing in new knowledge, skills and experience from the profession. It may also help establish a network that facilitates other staff to participate in similar activities.