Blended Professionals: Stirred but not shaken

The changing Higher Education landscape has had a significant effect on the role of
academic and professional staff and profound effect on professional identity.
We set the scene for by reporting on findings from a recent focussed research project
on the development needs of staff working in higher education with responsibility for
student ambassadors, mentors and mentoring programmes. This work builds on
previous research into the development, training and accreditation needs of widening
participation practitioner (Hudson & Pooley, 2006).
An online survey of practitioners was used to gather data on both the previous
learning and training that practitioners had received and to identify their future
training needs. In addition the survey also explored respondents’’ professional
identity and impact of location within their institutional setting. The survey revealed a
string demand for current informal learning activities to be recognised and accredited.
These findings were supported by practitioner focus groups which also explored the
issue of professional identity in more depth.
These niche professionals working in multi-functional teams working on what
Whitchurch (2008) describes as “institutional projects” are blurring the boundaries
between previously well defined academic and professional domains leading to the
creation of a “third space.”