We need each other: academic development work as necessary reciprocity

Togetherness is fundamental to establishing strong foundations in academic development practice. It links with such prominent themes in the literature as belonging, community, identities, and networks. These connections, when people interact, ideas intersect, and materials enable, form lasting impressions and ultimately lead to the development of a person and their work. Yet, within these themes of being together, growing together, and finding belonging through knowing together, a crucial element for effective learning is often tacit or implied. This is the notion of reciprocity. Reciprocity requires more than turning up or being present. It calls for investment and mutually beneficial exchange. Reciprocity seeks to mirror positive actions with positive actions, rewarding kindness, care, and helpfulness. In conceptualising reciprocity, we draw from work on Indigenous ways of knowing and being and learn from Aboriginal ways of approaching teaching and learning. Kennedy et al. (2018, 2019) describe Jindoala, an Aboriginal academic development program that brings authenticity to co-creating curricula with community to embed Aboriginal Knowledges and perspectives. The process of this co-creation follows an Aboriginal approach for conducting business, including three valued protocols of respect, responsibility, and reciprocity. In the Yuin nation, located on the south-east coast of Australia, the Aboriginal word for reciprocity is ‘ngapartji ngapartji’, which means ‘give and take’ (Kennedy et al., 2018, p. 6). The act of giving and taking, to and from each other and the community, is essential for proper business in order to show respect for all and commitment to the people and communities with whom you engage. ‘Ngapartji ngapartji’ magnifies our interconnectedness. Academic development work requires necessary reciprocity. Academic development is neither a one-way exchange nor didactic practice. The academic developer needs faculty to engage and respond through openness and authenticity to assist in designing meaningful programs and create responsive learning environments. Faculty need academic developers to understand their diverse contexts and contributions and be willing to shape what academic developers offer to their own unique needs. Indeed, Bilous et al. (2018) emphasise the importance of adopting ‘an ethics of reciprocity’ (p. 169) when engaging with international partners to ‘co-create’ curriculum and resources. Furthermore, faculty require active and honest engagement from each other to shape identities, gain a sense of belonging, identify and join communities, and grow in their academic practice. In the editorial of a recent special issue of IJAD on ‘Conversations on Learning and Teaching’, Pleschová et al. (2021) highlight the importance of reciprocity, respect, and common practices and values when faculty members engage in ‘significant conversations’ (Roxå & Mårtensson, 2009, 2015) with each other or academic developers. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT 2022, VOL. 27, NO. 3, 217–220 https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2022.2118476