Capturing dissonance in university teacher education environments

In response to policy developments in higher education in the UK, the Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE--now merged in the Higher Education Academy) was established in 1999 to provide a national framework for teaching and learning at tertiary level. This article considers the training environment of novice lecturers within the ILTHE framework and identifies areas of tensions within it. Activity systems theory is used as a broad framework for apprehending this environment. Praxis-related, epistemological, structural and ideological dissonances are identified. Suggestions to advance change in this area are formulated in the light of the main findings. The limitations afforded by the activity systems approach are also discussed.