Over recent years we have pursued the theme of the public intellectual with a range of university staff. Our session records our explorations of the different dimensions under which the notion of the public intellectual can be understood. We have tried to list its compromises its futures and its tensions within an institute of research led higher education. The central concern has been with the academics’ voice and their identity as experienced both by the individual and the community. Lecturers’ responsibilities for the teaching and learning they deliver have been examined in terms of disciplinary responsibilities epistemological foundations and career aspirations.
Given the following conditions:
- An increasing target driven environment
- An increasing emphasis on performance management
- Increasing numbers of students
- The intellectual authority of the higher education system given social media
- The evolution of HEIs and their changing role in and responsibilities to society
Our question is: how does a lecturer in higher education retain their intellectual integrity?
