Transitions:The role of SoTL in practitioner to academic/pracademic transitions

Keywords: identity; practitioner; business; sensemaking; practice; SoTL

Abstract: All business schools employ practitioners who have made the move into academia. However the literature on this transition illustrates that the move is not unproblematic for these individuals (Baxter, 2011). The move has implications for both the values and purpose of such individuals who may have to effect a considerable shift in both, in order to fit in and feel both useful and agentive in the new role. This paper explores this transition, particularly focusing on the role of the scholarship of teaching and learning in enhancing the new academic identity. It adopts a sociocultural sensemaking view of identity (Abolifia, 2010), and draws on 25 semi structured interviews with individuals who have made this transition, in order to find out: What kind of learning, both formal and informal do they feel has been important within their transition ? What effect has their engagement with SoTL had on their academic/pracademic identities ?