There is plenty of experience of the strong tendency to revert to whatever is the familiar model. These certificate courses are new learning models for many participants, they are likely to be unusual, and the replacement of models can be a difficult process. If there is a problem, it is more likely to be institutional than personal - the Head of Department is the key player. There may be the right rhetoric coming from top management, but the reality of funding is that Heads can do so much better from research. At UNL, despite the public affirmations, there is a measurable shift in the culture towards research.
New appointments are now often young researchers rather than experienced teachers.
The key is to be able to research the teaching of one's discipline. It will be essential to have this represented in the 1996 research assessment exercise. The University Centre for Complementary Learning, with a professorial appointment. In the natural sciences and engineering the amount of money they will be able to recover will be so much less than from other means, they will not think pedagogic research will be worthwhile. The UNL course was designed for 15 - 20 participants, but there has been such a cutback in new staff appointments, it might only be 3 or 4 this year.