What do we mean by innovative teaching? A phenomenographic study of academics’ perspectives

Denholm, Clare

Abstract

Innovative teaching is a pervasive term in UK higher education discourse, particularly in strategy and marketing, yet ‘innovation’ is a contested term (Smith, 2011; Wolff, 2008). Educators are frequently encouraged to engage in innovative teaching, but what this looks like in practice and whether there is a shared understanding in the context of higher education is less clear. If innovative teaching is currently seen as a strategic aim by many universities, then realising this aim requires an understanding of what educators perceive innovative teaching to mean for their practice. By challenging the assumption there is a shared understanding of what innovative teaching means to practitioners this thesis aims to redress the lack of discussion and academic voice on this issue.

This study uses a phenomenographic approach to explore the qualitatively different ways educators perceive and understand innovative teaching. Thirteen academics representing a variety of disciplines and teaching experience at a UK higher education institution were interviewed. Analysis using phenomenographic principles led to the development of a compound outcome space with four qualitatively different ways of experiencing innovative teaching underpinned by three qualitatively different ways of experiencing the novelty aspect of innovative teaching. The salient characteristics of each perspective are discussed along with the critical differences and relationships between them.

The findings of this research contribute new knowledge on academics’ perceptions of innovative teaching, providing insights to inform discussion and strategy regarding innovative teaching both within institutions and in the wider HE community. The concept of a compound outcome space is an original presentation of phenomenographic findings and is a contribution to relatively small body of literature on the methodological detail of phenomenographic analysis. Innovative teaching is an area of current prominence and discussion in the higher education sector, and I present this thesis as a contribution to a limited body of literature on the subject offering insights to further the debate.

Citation

Denholm, C. What do we mean by innovative teaching? A phenomenographic study of academics’ perspectives. (Thesis). University of the West of England. Retrieved from https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9979458

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Sep 14, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 3, 2023
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9979458
• Award Date: Mar 3, 2023