The impact of teacher beliefs on flexible learning innovation: some practices and possibilities for academic developers

Abstract

It has long been acknowledged that the beliefs of university teachers can have a significant impact on the success of flexible learning innovations in tertiary settings (Errington 1985, 2001; McDiarmid, 1990; Pajares, 1992; Calderhead, 1996; Richardson, 1996; Hofer & Pintrich, 1997; Tatto, 1998). The infrastructure for the adoption or rejection of such innovation exists as much at the level of beliefs as it does on any physical resources plane. The consequence of this assumption is that what teachers believe is possible within their learning arenas, and what they actually manage to do/achieve, are factors subject to a range of beliefs, central to which are beliefs about teaching & learning per se. This paper discusses the impact of teacher beliefs on flexible notions of learning and teaching; extricates the issues and challenges facing academic developers and, finally, explores practical ways by which the author and colleagues are currently attempting to address these challenges with their own staff.