INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, academic management will be considered from the viewpoint of two complementary roles: that of CEO or leader and manager of the organization, its people and resources, and that of the leading professional, focusing on the educational and pedagogical core of the LTO’s language teaching service. In fact, academic management faces in two directions: towards students and teachers on the one hand, and, on the other, towards the organizational systems and processes which make effective provision of teaching and learning possible. Such a dual viewpoint means that the academic manager is often called upon to reconcile two sets of interests: those concerned with the commercial success of the LTO, and those prioritizing its responsibilities as an educational provider.

The emphasis in this chapter is on quality management, beginning with clarity of the goals of the LTO, expressed in its mission statement (see Chapter 2, p. 40), and realized in the policy documents and guidelines which inform course planning and development, assessment and placement, and the teaching and learning which occurs in and out of the classroom. Facilitating the progress of the student/customer through their journey involves effectively managing resources, which range from consumables to the intangibles that are an important part of what makes the LTO special.

Ultimately, it is through organizing and managing integrated systems and processes, as summarized in Figure 8.1 on p. 202, that quality outcomes will be achieved. Devising agreed-upon key performance indicators (KPIs), which establish measurable goals, is an important part of effective academic management in particular, and of the overall management of the LTO.

ACADEMIC MANAGEMENT

What is involved in academic management? What, in brief, does an academic manager do? The work of the individuals described in the vignettes on pp. 202–4 illustrates both the range of institutions in which academic managers work, and the kinds of responsibilities which they carry.