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Professional Standards and Values for University Teachers of Geography

There is an apocryphal story of an academic developer saying that the only distinguishing characteristic of university teachers as a profession is their total lack of professionalism. It is a tale I use regularly in my academic development work and it usually raises a wry smile among the academics with whom I work. But is it true, and indeed is the claim of university teachers to be professionals, as opposed to an occupational group, justified? As I write, in the United Kingdom the Higher Education Academy has produced a set of standards for university teachers and is consulting on these (HEA, 2006). There are similar debates around the world. In this editorial I want to look at aspects of this debate and at what professional standards and values might be applicable to university teachers of geography.