Abstract

Developing leaders and leadership are key factors to improve learning and teaching in higher education. Even though
the formal academic leadership roles’ effect on the teaching process is covered by abundant literature, few of them
talked about the non- formal academic leadership roles’ impact. In this paper, I undertake a qualitative descriptive study
of my non-formal academic leadership roles and how they affected the process of teaching and learning in one of the
Bahraini private higher education institutions. I have adopted a holistic approach towards my own experience within
higher education non-formal leadership roles in a number of areas: (1) Design and redesign of learning activities, (2)
Support teaching and learning, (3) Assessment and Feedback, (4) Creating a convenient learning environments, and
(5) Continuing Professional Development. This qualitative descriptive study was to investigate how academics with nonformal
leadership positions understand, describe and develop their leadership in ways consistent with advancing and
improving learning and teaching in higher education. It used the reflective account of professional practice, and two
case studies to reveal importance non-formal academic leadership roles play in affecting faculty members within higher
education.