Author: Celia Popovic
In its broadest sense, Educational Development is the support and promotion of evidence based teaching and learning practices in Higher Education (HE) or Post Secondary Education (PSE). Educational Development is often described as an emerging profession. The implication is that it is not yet fully formed as an academic or professional field. Many who have spent their careers in the field may well disagree.
One way to understand the work is to ask those who are in the field to talk about their work. The videos below do just that.
Erika Kustra, Windsor University, Canada, Director Centre for Teaching and Learning - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUtVHRRST1o
Helen King, UWE, Bristol, UK - Necessity is the mother of professional development
Isabeau Iqbal, University of British Columbia, Canada - https://youtu.be/_ismDbX_Rv8
Jovan Groen, University of Ottawa, Canada - https://youtu.be/KAdXmPX7z1E
Educational Development, Faculty Development or Academic Development?
As Fraser et al (2016) explain, different terms are used for broadly the same activity in different countries and institutions. In the UK and Commonwealth countries, Educational or Academic development are predominant while in the US Faculty Development is more common. Those who contest the titles tend to focus on the activity and question whether it is the individuals who teach (the academics or faculty) or the actions (education) that is developed. In the UK, Academic development is often preferred to educational development when the developers are tasked with the whole gambit of an academic's role.
Some educational development centres focus only on teaching while others consider the whole academic role including administration and research. Interestingly, post graduate (specifically doctoral) supervision often falls between teaching and research with some supervisors reluctant to see themselves as 'teachers' which is implied by 'teaching' when working with their graduate students. Some commentators, such as Kathryn Sutherland suggest that we should think more broadly about our role, and widen the focus from teaching and learning (Sutherland, 2018).
Educational development centres have a wide array of titles which seek to convey not only activity but sometimes values too. The Teaching Commons at York University, Toronto, for example, was named with an intent to convey a sense of joint ownership with the whole community. That this is a centre which seeks to engage all who teach rather than being seen as a 'naughty step' where failing instructors are sent to see the error of their ways.
Areas of influence vary too, often reflecting the priorities and values of the senior management team. Developers with long careers are likely to have stories of centres rising and falling in line with changes in senior management. It is not uncommon for one senior manager, a Pro-Vice Chancellor or Vice Provost for example, to decide that teaching should be put at the centre of their mission for the institution, to invest in a centre, employ developers, fund events and activities; only for the work to be disbanded when their replacement arrives with different priorities.
The positioning of a centre can make a difference in terms of influence. Some institutions do not have centres at all, instead educational development is provided at a faculty or department level. This brings advantages and challenges. As an educational developer in a medical school I was able to hone my knowledge of medical education, without being a medic. My knowledge of the culture, expectations and tradition of medical school and medical education helped me to build credibility and trust with colleagues. Alternatively, when working in a centre I was able to gain access to committees and individuals tasked with teaching and learning issues and was able to influence policy that would not otherwise have been possible.
Educational developers are sometimes classified as 'academic' and as 'staff' or 'academic related. I have held positions in all three categories. Without a doubt, my job was easier when I was (and am) academic. Unfortunately, it is not always up to us as individuals to determine the category of our role. As an academic I did the same job as I did as academic related, the expectations were largely the same (to support colleagues but also to engage with and contribute to research) but the rewards and perceptions were different.
Educational Developer vs Instructional Designer
In many, but not all, contexts, educational development refers to pedagogy and teaching methods, instructional design refers to online teaching. This is a very rough and ready distinction, since many educational developers incorporate technology in their work and instructional designers need to be aware of pedagogy and teaching methods. In my own career there were times when I was called an educational developer but my work was largely that of an instructional designer, and there have been times when I have been given funding for an instructional designer when what I was looking for was an educational developer.
The recent need to move teaching online (Spring 2020) has increased focus on the distinction between these two roles. The distinction seems to be more acute in the US where instructional design has been supported for many years with college and university courses from diploma to masters. Educational development on the other hand has not given rise to the same level of credentials. This, in part, may be one of the reasons why educational development is so often misunderstood. See the final section for advice for those seeking courses and support.
Where do educational developers come from?
David Green and Deandra Little's work on developers' identity and career paths is illuminating, as it shines a light on diverse backgrounds. Until recently most developers entered development as a second or even third career. Many were academics first, or in a profession such as nursing or law, then found their way to development often through their own development experiences, or a wish to address the lack of teaching support. More recently we are seeing graduates entering the field direct from their graduate studies, or even Bachelor degrees.
Questions to consider:
Why is Educational Development so contentious?
Who are the key beneficiaries of educational development?
How might the profession raise awareness of our role and value to post secondary education?
Is Educational Development an academic or a service role?
Resources and References
Baume, D. and Popovic, C. (2016) Advancing Practice in Academic Development, Routledge, 2016.
Cherrington, S., Macaskill, A., Salmon, R., Boniface, S., Shep, S., Flutey, J. 2018. Developing a pan-university professional learning community. International Journal for Academic Development 23, 298–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2017.1399271
Fraser, K., Gosling, D. and Sorcinelli, M.D. (2010) Conceptualizing evolving models of educational development, https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.397
Gibbs, G. (2013). Reflections on the changing nature of educational development. International Journal for Academic Development 18:1, 4 – 14.
Green, D. A. and Little, D. (2015) Family Portrait: a profile of educational developers around the world, International Journal of Academic Development, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2015.1046875
Hamilton, B. & Graniero, P.A. (2012) Disruptive cartography in academic development, International Journal for Academic Development, 17:3, 243-258. DOI: 10.1080/1360144X.2012.700894
Harland, T., & Staniforth, D. (2008). A family of strangers: The fragmented nature of academic development. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(6), 669-678.
SEDA Webinar - Looking to the future of Educational Development
Sutherland, K. (2018) Holistic academic development: Is it time to think more broadly about the academic development project?, International Journal of Academic Development, 2018. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1360144X.2018.1524571
To Improve the Academy - Volume 37 Issue 1 - Special Issue: The One Thing: Perspectives on Educational Development.
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