Do initial training courses have an impact on university teaching? The evidence from two evaluative studies of one course

Initial training courses for teachers in higher education are now widesprea d in many countries and about to be given increased importance in the UK by the new Institute for Teaching and Learning but there appears to have been virtually no research into their effectiveness. This paper summarizes evid ence from two evaluative studies of the initial training course at Oxford B rookes University, UK, and concludes that some claims can be made for the c ourse's effectiveness.