Training resources

Flexible, free, and user-friendly training modules which explore key issues encountered by women in higher education leadership and management. These training modules – which have been written for the programme by women in a wide range of Commonwealth countries – can be adopted or adapted for educational purposes anywhere in the world.

• Management Development for Women: A Facilitator's Handbook, by Margaret Rowland and June Gleeson (both Australian), is a fundamental guide to planning and running workshops for women in higher education leadership and management.

Download module (PDF, 1.1MB)

• Academic Leadership, by Sheryl Bond (Canadian), provides insights into the dearth of women leaders in the academy, identifies factors which nurture leadership potential and argues that women have not only the right but also an obligation to assume leadership positions in the university.

Download module (PDF, 1.4MB)

• Women's Studies as a Catalyst for the Advancement of Women in Higher Education, by Gwendoline Williams and Claudia Harvey (both Caribbean), aims to help create and strengthen a cadre of women leaders who, by their involvement in research, teaching, outreach and advocacy within the university system, will have the capacity to transform the currently male dominated patterns of gender relations within tertiary institutions.

Download module (PDF, 2.4MB)

• Managing Personal and Professional Roles, by Indira J Parikh (Indian), deals with the multiple roles that women play in society, and the often-expressed dilemma of managing all those roles and achieving a balanced life.

Download module (PDF, 1.6MB)

• Women and Research, by Ingrid Moses (Australian) argues that research prowess enables women to take their share of professorial positions and suggests strategies whereby women can improve their research capacity and hence their visibility.

Download module (PDF, 1.8MB)

• Women and Governance in Higher Education, by Maureen Atkinson and Angela Carryer (both British) highlights the relevance and importance of understanding and participating in university governance and assists women to develop their skills in committee and legislative work.

Download module (PDF, 1.4MB)

• Women and Mentoring in Higher Education, by Colleen Chesterman (Australian), looks at the particular relevance of mentoring for higher education and argues that women, through their relatively limited access to higher management, are particularly well suited to mentoring relationships. The module examines the value of mentoring from a variety of angles, proposes training for both mentors and mentees, and considers the relative benefits of formal and informal systems.

Download module (PDF, 0.3MB)

• Developing Management Skills, by Anne Gold (British), is designed to offer women who are, or who wish to become, leaders and managers in higher education the opportunity to develop some of the most useful and important management skills.

Download module (PDF, 0.2MB)

• A ninth module, entitled Introduction to Gender Mainstreaming Universities by Maithree Wickramasinghe (Sri Lankan) adds valuable insights into how to integrate gender concerns and issues in academic disciplines, departments and the university as a whole.

Download module (PDF, 2.0MB) 

Ancillary material

• Management development for women in higher education

Download material (PDF, 0.2MB)

• Case study - Successful women leaders in the South Asia context

Download material (PDF, 1.0MB)

• Cases

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