Exploring the value and impact of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for university educators’ teaching practice

University educators are expected to demonstrate “pedagogical content expertise”, which draws upon the notion of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching disciplinary content effectively. Currently, there is limited knowledge about the use of PCK as a framework for capturing and developing the professional knowledge required for high-quality teaching in the context of university education. The proposed project aims to investigate, capture and develop university educators’ PCK across a range of different subject areas and, in doing so, examine how this process improves their professional practice for high-quality teaching. The value of this project lies in making explicit what is usually tacit; specifically, the planning for, reasoning behind, and
enactment of university educators’ pedagogical decision making in teaching discipline-specific content. This explicit decision-making process can support both their ongoing professional learning and practice and be communicated amongst educators within the disciplines for collective improvement and advancement of
students’ learning.