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What is an Education Focussed Academic?

This term Education Focussed Academic (EFA) originated in Australia and is used to denote academic staff members who focus on the practice and scholarship of teaching and learning.

EFAs are part of the Education career track and are recognised as experts in education and for more than just the amount of teaching they do. Education Focussed academics contribute to educational practice, the teaching and learning environment, and to pedagogical research or scholarship within their field.

Graphic depicting the 3 strands of the Education Focussed Academic

Excellence in Teaching- an EFA should be a scholarly teacher, using evidence-based teaching practices and keeping up with advances in teaching practices within their own discipline.

Supporting teaching excellence in others- EFAs should support colleagues within their department to develop their own teaching practice and be recognised as having expertise in this area. For example, by supporting the trial and evaluation of a new teaching method e.g., a flipped classroom approach or in class polling techniques.

Engaging in education research or the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)- Reflection is a key process in one's own teaching practice and EFAs should engage in SoTL based on their own classroom experiences, or contribute to the wider field of discipline-based education research (DBER).