"They're happy, but have they genuinely improved?"
A complex question for academics
and academic developers

This paper is a joint presentation by an engineering academic new to teaching and a newly-appointed academic developer coordinating a teaching induction program in a regional university. The presentation is built around the question, "They're happy, but have they genuinely improved?" as it applies to both teaching contexts. The first part of the question opens up issues of accountability as we consider the 'they' who must be happy the multiple people and agencies who place expectations and demands on our work. In the second part of the question, our focus is on 'genuine improvement' and the challenges in defining and demonstrating such improvement. The paper offers our attempts to unravel these complex issues of accountability and effectiveness in the contemporary academic workplace.