176 pages
244 x 170mm
March 2011

At a time of unprecedented cuts, academics in higher education live in a world seemingly directed by league tables, targets, widening participation, competition at regional, national and international levels, student loans, variable fees, technology renewal and an everincreasing staff-student ratio. Here is a counter to these external pressures. It enables readers to understand the context in which academic work is undertaken and offers practical guidance for those trying to make sense of their place in the HE world.

First it examines the changing landscape of higher education in the UK, where successive policy developments in education over the last twenty years have radically transformed the context in which university education is designed and organised. Then it identifies what is expected of an academic in this rapidly changing environment and offers practical ways of making teaching exciting, and assessing and evaluating students' work accurately and transparently.

Identity Crisis focuses on the responsibilities and opportunities of the 21st century academic, and will also interest service providers and administrators in HE. It will reinvigorate the practice of established employees as well as enthusing staff who are new to HE.