A Virtual Sabbatical: A Pioneering Case Study

Easteal, P.; Westmarland, N.

Abstract

International exchange is an important aspect of academic life. Thus, international sabbaticals are, in general, seen as a measure of research collaboration, networking, and international standing. There are, however, a few groups who are likely to be disadvantaged by such criteria even though they may be implicit, that is, those for whom international travel is problematic. Using reflective learning, the researchers conducted a virtual sabbatical for six months as a metaphorical “ramp”—that is, a way of making international sabbaticals accessible to more people. We now present a case study of this action research project, which answers the following questions. How does the concept of a virtual sabbatical fit holistically within the context of higher education? How can the aims of the sabbatical be fulfilled in a virtual context? What are the problems and successes of the virtual sabbatical?

Citation

Easteal, P., & Westmarland, N. (2010). A Virtual Sabbatical: A Pioneering Case Study. Innovative Higher Education, 35(5), 297-311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-010-9153-9

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Aug 6, 2010
• Publication Date: Aug 6, 2010
• Deposit Date: Aug 6, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 7, 2012
• Journal: Innovative Higher Education
• Print ISSN: 0742-5627
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-1758
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 297-311
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-010-9153-9
• Keywords: Sabbatical, Virtual, Online technology, Action research, Case study
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1550053
• Publisher URL: http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/sass/EastealandWestmarland2010InnovativeHigherEducationarticle.pdf