Exploring the Role of Academic Development in Supporting Tertiary Educators’ Well-Being: The Case of Online Consultations at UniSA

Abstract

In this practice report, we posit that academic development encompasses more than improving and developing courses; it offers a space for tertiary educators to develop professionally, personally, and improve their well-being. The report is focussed on an initiative of a Teaching Innovation Unit to offer individual consultations to tertiary educators as a way of supporting well-being while building professional knowledge and capacity. Preliminary findings based on evaluation data suggest that the consultations were indeed a valued resource for educators. Moving forward, we propose that our assertion of the value of the consultations can be tested by applying well-being models and frameworks, such as Ryff and Keyes’ (1995) scale and Wheatley’s (2022) workplace well-being framework.

Keywords

• academic development
• educator wellbeing
• online consultations