Professor Mary Gallagher:

It is a tricky question. I do not like the idea of adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. That might develop but it would depend. It cannot be a bad thing that people would be required, if they do not do so spontaneously, to understand what they are supposed to be doing and what this is all about. Many people think that teaching is a doddle and that anyone can teach. They think that if one knows a subject that one can teach it but there is much more to teaching. It is a bit like nursing. Most vocations or professions are about experience with reflection so to be encouraged to reflect would be more important to me. I would be worried about the qualification becoming a box ticking exercise. We are absolutely plagued with it and such an approach has subsumed our culture to a certain point. I promised myself that I would not say the following but I am going to do so. About three years ago I applied to be promoted from an associate professor to a full professor. Earlier Dr. Foley said, in a rather throwaway remark, that research is what secures promotion and he is right.