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  • New papers on community of practice, CPD, and transnational collaboration by Dr Shailen Popat

    We are pleased to announce that we have two new papers published on our Education in Practice journal page by Dr Shailen Popat titled:

    ‘Reflections on Short CPD Training and Long-Term Mentoring Communities of Practice for Public Managers’.

    The paper explores the comparative benefits of short-term Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training and long-term mentoring Communities of Practice (CoPs) for city managers, drawing on two interlinked initiatives between the University of Birmingham and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). The first initiative involved a three-day CPD workshop in Accra, designed to co-develop a training framework for local government officers. The second was a transnational CoP hosted in Birmingham, which brought together Ghanaian city managers and academics for a week of collaborative learning and institutional exchange. Through these experiences, the essay examines how CPD offers structured, time-efficient learning while CoPs provide sustained, relational, and context-sensitive development. The essay argues that these approaches are not mutually exclusive but can be integrated into a hybrid model that leverages the strengths of both. CPD can serve as an entry point for skill acquisition and mindset shift, while CoPs can deepen learning, foster innovation, and inform future CPD design. The hybrid model is positioned as a dynamic and cyclical learning ecosystem that supports adaptive leadership and institutional transformation. The essay concludes by advocating for universities to play a central role in convening and sustaining such models, particularly in the context of global public sector reform. This reflection contributes to the discourse on professional education by demonstrating how academic institutions can bridge theory and practice through collaborative, international partnerships.

    The paper is of course not just relevant for public management, but contributes to the wider discussion around CPD and communities of practice, which is relevant for educational and staff developers, and colleagues in leadership roles looking to develop staff capabilities within departments, for example.

    Download

    To download the paper, please visit this link.

    ‘Strengthening Public Management through International Collaboration: The Ghana City Managers Community of Practice’

    This case study examines the development of a transnational CoP focused on public management and governance. A pivotal event in this development was the CPD that took place at the University of Birmingham in March 2025, involving Ghanaian public managers and academics. The initiative, supported by the UK’s International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), aimed to foster collaborative learning, capacity building, and the co-production of knowledge between Ghanaian and UK institutions. Drawing on the theoretical foundations of CoPs (Wenger, 1998) and collaborative governance (Ansell and Gash, 2007), the visit brought together senior officials from Ghana’s local government sector and academic leaders from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), alongside UK-based scholars and practitioners. The programme included plenary sessions, institutional visits, and strategic dialogues designed to integrate academic theory with practical governance experience. These engagements facilitated mutual learning and the co-design of training materials tailored to the Ghanaian context. The case study analyses the visit’s objectives, activities, and outcomes, drawing on qualitative evidence to assess its impact on institutional collaboration, policy development, and professional practice. It also considers the implications for future research and international partnerships in public administration. The findings underscore the value of CoPs as mechanisms for transnational knowledge exchange and highlight the role of universities as conveners of global public sector innovation.

    Download

    See and download paper here.

    See all issues

    View all articles and issues of Education in Practice here

  • Developing the whole academic: teaching and research in tandem

    Jamie Morris comments on PGTA development and the relationship between research and teaching

    A version of this blog post was first published on the University of Birmingham PGR Development blog.

    It is often acknowledged that the early stages of postgraduate researchers’ (PGRs) careers are vital in developing the fundamental attitudes and behaviours needed to succeed in the world of academia. This is certainly a view I hold, having worked in higher education for the last 10 years as both an academic and in my current role as an Educational Developer. In the current higher education climate, we are seeing the integration of a larger number of PGRs who teach, also known as Postgraduate Teaching Assistants (PGTAs), to deal with increasing student recruitment and growing class sizes which puts more emphasis on the importance of equipping them with the necessary tools and techniques to be able to teach and support learning effectively.

    Increasingly, it is recognised in pedagogical literature that teaching and research, often seen and treated as separate entities or spheres, can function symbiotically and inform one another. There are two clear benefits of research and teaching working in tandem. Firstly, some of the core principles around research can quite easily be applied when we think on and evaluate our teaching practices: learning through inquiry, thinking critically about our practice, experimenting, questioning assumptions about why we do things the way we do and most importantly, adopting an evidence-based approach to support the development of our practices. Secondly, discussing our own research openly in our teaching environments involves students as active producers of knowledge in the process.

    It is crucial in this case that we see the development of research and teaching skills as part of the same pathway. This is reflected in descriptor 4.5 Teaching and learning of Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework (RDF) 2025 and in Advance HE’s Professional Standards Framework (PSF), where the core dimensions for effective and inclusive teaching practices include associations between these two interrelated spheres. Both frameworks support core professional values that promote engagement with continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities to develop your practices. The principle of inclusive teaching is also central to both frameworks, with an emphasis placed on recognising effective approaches within your context, and using this knowledge to effectively guide and support all learners.

    Research-intensive learning and teaching (RILT) is an established approach which was adopted by the University of Birmingham some time ago and remains a core method in many subject disciplines. Research by Hadjianastasis (2018) indicates the following dimensions of RILT:

    • Dimension 1: it requires a shift from an often-divisive vision of these two dimensions of our practice as separate and often in competition with each other.
    • Dimension 2: designing curricula based on past principles (such as research-informed or research-based learning) to allow students to learn through a process of critical enquiry, enabling them to change mindset from that of passive ‘receivers’ of ‘knowledge’ to active pursuers and creators of it. 
    • Dimension 3: the boundaries between staff and students may be blurred, as learning and advancement of knowledge may occur in mutually beneficial fashion.
    • Dimension 4: staff and students may end up co-creating new knowledge, and reap the recognition and benefits which may result from this, such as publication or research success.

    These dimensions are pertinent as they embody established principles around learning, such as the shift away from students as passive recipients of knowledge, to active producers of it. It also places the importance of teaching as a scholarly activity that can influence the way we think about pedagogy and research.

    There is an increasing amount of evidence which demonstrates that engaging with both accredited and non-accredited CPD as a PGTA can enhance teaching practices and future career prospects. A study by members of our Educational Development team, Els Van Geyte and Marios Hadjianastasis (2021), highlights the impact of such CPD on PGTA confidence, understanding of HE pedagogy, teaching quality, and career development, with accredited CPD having longer-term impact such as continued engagement with learning and teaching-related CPD and publications in pedagogical journals. The study also positions some of the fundamental skills associated with research, such as reflection, critical thinking and communication, as central aspects of effective teaching, and emphasises an enhancement-based approach to teaching, with critical evaluation and the use of appropriate learning and teaching methods, as a core principle. Principally, the article shifts the notion of teaching from a perceived ‘distraction’ from research to a pathway to deeper academic engagement.

    I’d therefore like to finish this post with a call to action: start your teaching development journey as soon as possible! Over the years we have seen countless examples of academics who have flourished and benefited greatly from early-career teaching CPD, both in a teaching and research capacity. I would also encourage supervisors, mentors and any other experienced colleagues to get involved as closely as possible with the teaching development of their PGRs and encourage the adoption of an attitude that places teaching and research in a symbiotic relationship. This is not ignorant of the fact that we operate in a climate where research is often valued over teaching due to its prestige and perceived financial worth. However, by removing the barriers between the two we may begin to facilitate an environment which develops successful, rounded academics for contemporary higher education institutions.

    The Educational Development Team offers a range of accredited and non-accredited CPD pathways for PGTAs, including the Introduction to Learning and Teaching programme (self-paced online CPD – non-accredited), the Introduction to Academic Practice for Doctoral Researchers (20 credit Masters Level Module – accredited to Descriptor 1: Associate Fellow of Advance HE), and the Beacon Professional Recognition Scheme (accredited, experiential route to Associate Fellowship and Fellowship of Advance HE).

    References
    • Hadjianastasis, M. (2019) Research-intensive learning and teaching. University of Birmingham. Available at: https://canvas.bham.ac.uk/courses/39296 (Accessed: 24 September 2025).
    • Van Geyte, E. and Hadjianastasis, M. (2021) ‘Quality and qualifications: the value of centralised teaching courses for postgraduates who teach’, International Journal for Academic Development, 27 (1), pp. 4–16. doi: 10.1080/1360144X.2020.1863810.

  • Welcome to the Education in Practice Network

    Welcome to the Education in Practice Network!

    This website is the home of the University of Birmingham’s Education in Practice Network. This is our platform for communication, sharing practice and disseminating the good work of practitioners at the University of Birmingham.

    On this website you will find details of our upcoming events and network meetings (under Development), as well as the current and past issues of our journal Education in Practice.

    Make sure you subscribe to our network to receive updates of meetings, our latest case studies and articles, and other events.