University-run learning and teaching blogs

A benchmarking study

Abstract

Providing relevant information, professional development and just-in-time support to a diverse group of teaching staff is a challenge facing many modern universities. A ‘typical’ university instructor today is time-poor, relatively isolated and has a limited capacity to engage in professional development and/or community building. Moreover, most of the teaching in Australian universities is performed by sessional staff (May, Strachan, & Peetz, 2013; Rothengatter & Hil, 2013), who are often not remunerated for professional development. A contemporary approach by which universities seem to be addressing the above issues is the learning and teaching blog. Such publications are adopted by an increasing number of institutions in Australia and internationally, however, little has been documented about their practices. This benchmarking study presents a survey of 12 learning and teaching blogs from Australian and overseas institutions and seeks to shed light on common types of content and topics, as well as the purpose and authorship of such blogs. The findings can be used to inform planning and development of university-run learning and teaching blogs.