Prof. em. Dr. Angela Brew

In the changing context of universities, traditional organisational structures for teaching and research problematize academic roles. The findings presented within the scope of this talk are based on surveys and interviews with teaching and research academics carried out by colleagues in Australia and England. This research has drawn attention to important academic work that is not captured when that work is described as either teaching or research. It appears that many academics, who are not necessarily research high flyers nor award-winning teachers, carry out important work, which contributes to the effective functioning of their universities. We refer to that work as academic artisanal work and the people who do it as academic artisans. In this seminar I will explain the characteristics of academic artisanal work and provide some examples of people we describe as academic artisans. I hope that we can discuss the applicability to academic work in Germany and the implications for higher education management and for future studies.

Angela Brew is Emeritus Professor at Macquarie University, Australia. She currently holds the Fritz Karson Visiting Professorship in the Professional School of Education at Humboldt University, Berlin. She is an elected Fellow of the UK's Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE), a Life Member of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) and holds a Senior Fellowship of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA). She was President of HERDSA from 1999-2003 and co-editor of the International Journal for Academic Development from 2000-2008. She was awarded a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) to enhance undergraduate engagement by involving them in research and inquiry. Angela Brew's research is focused on the nature of research and its relation to teaching, learning and scholarship, academic work and identity, and research-based learning and undergraduate research.