As agreed, the school marketed the UniSA-PAL course through advertisements in the local papers and The Advertiser, although the time available for this was less than desirable due to the time taken by the formal approval processes within the University. In response, a high level of interest was immediately expressed by over 70 people and information sessions followed prior to the school’s selection process. The latter involved an interview and provision of written material, with some 24 applicants being selected from a pool of 35 prospective students. The selection process was aimed at establishing motivation as well as skill and general preparation levels. The more flexible arrangements provided for in the initial agreement were not used in 2002 but are being explored in 2003 in several of the schools, as mentioned below.
The implementation of the pilot during 2002 made it evident that the agreement had over-estimated what would be required in terms of the amount of induction and professional development support which the teaching staff at the school needed. While the agreement provided for up to a maximum of eight days professional development, the school’s UniSA-PAL coordinator106 has estimated that probably closer to two and half days were spent with staff of the University, some of it during induction and information sessions but also in meetings discussing arrangements for the second year of the pilot. As the transcripts of the interview tapes with the staff from both the University and the school reveal, the most significant form of support occurred through the paired ‘conversations’ between them, sometimes face to face, or by telephone, but frequently through email, with some of the academics indicating that they gained as much from this contact as they gave. This is discussed in greater detail below in section 6.6.