The Politics of University Teacher Education: A Wooden Horse in Academia?

This paper examines the relatively neglected field of the 'training' of university academics in the area of teacher education. Changes in higher education, with reference to both the New Zealand and UK scenes, are explained in relation to neo-liberal reforms and economic rationalism. The world of adult teacher education is investigated prior to examining the more precise contexts of university teaching, with particular attention given to professionalisation and the teaching profession. Current trends in university teacher education are identified, highlighting its contradictory nature, amid heightened student expectations and greater demands for research outputs by managers. The issue of quality of university teaching is at a crossroads - is it to be accepted explicitly as problematic or smuggled in as a wooden horse?