Critical issues in learning and teaching: the ideal academic and implications for leadership

This article was published in a special issue of TEXT journal:
Special Issue Number 16: Strengthening learning and teaching leadership in the creative arts
Edited by Barbara de la Harpe, Thembi Mason and Donna Lee Brien


In recent years, the mention of critical issues in learning and teaching in the creative arts has prompted discussion about widening participation, quality assurance, academic workloads and the research-driven higher education environment. While these critical issues are much discussed, they are rarely viewed through the lens of the practicing academic. This article considers what is required of the creative arts academic in order to meet the complex demands of the role. These demands most often include research, teaching, creative practice, service and administrative work, but may also include leadership. Drawing together current discourse on higher education learning and teaching, research, creative practice and policy, this article concludes by asking
whether it is possible to fulfil the various demands made upon academics, or whether this ideal is a work of fiction.