SISA4 - Homeopathy: a solution for excellence in researcher development?

Dr Richard Freeman, Programme Leader for Researcher Development, University College London

Among the tools used by a number of researcher developers are Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and the use of learning styles. Although there is sometimes acknowledgement of their weak theoretical underpinnings, such tools are often defended on the grounds of being "professionally accredited" and that some researchers find them useful. On that basis, homeopathy would seem to be a perfect candidate to add to the researcher developer's toolkit. An alternative approach would be for researcher developers to use tools that have a firm theoretical foundation with a robust evidence base, to ensure they have professional respect from academic colleagues. In this presentation, I will explore how researcher developers can make an appropriate evaluation of tools, and underlying theories, that are marketed to them. I will also emphasise the importance of researcher developers engaging in critical evaluation of their own practice.