Academic Leadership

Academic Leadership: Fundamental Building Blocks

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6.4 Understanding Action Learning

(click the activity index number to take you back to the activities index)

For you to be an effective Integrator, it is important that you are able to reflect on and

learn from your observations and then initiate changes in response to what you have

learned. Action learning is a change process based on the systematic collection of data

and then the selection of a change action based on what the analysed data indicates

(Robbins, Millett, & Waters-Marsh, 2004). Action learning contrasts procedural

knowledge where we already know what to do, with the ambiguity of the typical action

learning problem chosen precisely because we need to explore what to do and perhaps

even learn new skills in order to solve the problem.

OBJECTIVE

To apply the action learning process in your role as

an Academic Coordinator.

The action learning process as described by Robbins et al. (2004) involves five

steps:

1. Diagnosis


2. Analysis


3. Feedback


4. Action


5. Evaluation
   The five steps are cyclical in nature. Each cycle further informs and moves the change
   initiative towards the final outcome. As an Academic Coordinator, innovation and
   change management are likely, at some stage, to be an important part of your work.
   You may be responding to an issue or simply have a good idea you want to implement
   because you think it will improve student learning outcomes. Action learning and
   research can assist you in identifying, implementing and evaluatinge change. The action
   learning process is characterised by:

• learning by doing


• creative and complex team problem-solving


• evaluation of the effect of action


• questioning and reflection.