With academics struggling to find the balance between research and teaching, there is a
need to identify strategies that would assist academics in making the necessary changes
to manage their time. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a strength-based change process
based on the premise that academics are change agents who possess knowledge and
experience that can make a difference. This article proposes an AI methodological
framework for an academic development strategy focussing on integrating research into
teaching. Currently, few measures exist that focus on assisting academics in incorporating
research into their teaching and learning practices. The article aims to describe the
strategies used to initiate a process that builds on the positive experiences of academics
in teaching in an environment where academics may become overwhelmed when
focussing only on barriers. The process described focuses on the aims of the academic
development programme at each stage as well as the roles of the participants. The AI
approach is a novel framework that can be used to initiate research capacity building
among academics.Department of HE and Training approved lis
