The Centre for Professional Development at the University of Auckland: towards creating networks of moral obligations

Addresses briefly five complex issues in higher education: professional development spanning all categories of staff; the role of a centre of professional development (CPD) in context; the philosophical framework and models within which a centre might operate; the role of a centre in strategic planning and policy formation, and the contribution that a CPD might make in assessing and enhancing quality. Develops four main arguments with regard to the CPD at the University of Auckland. The CPD should support continuous improvement, promote organizational learning, and provide policy and practical advice regarding the management of quality. It should conduct organizational research and development, primarily through international benchmarking. The CPD also needs to research the implications of information technology, especially in the reconstruction of teaching, research and organization. Above all it needs to understand its organizational role of helping to construct cultural networks of mutual moral obligations.