Spheres of Influence: Ventures and Visions in Educational Development*

3-6 July, 2002
The University of Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia

Abstract

Managing educational development projects

David Baume, The Open University, United Kingdom

An educational development project often involves at least two distinct kinds of novelty or originality. First, the project may be attempting to develop and/or disseminate some innovative educational process, practice or product. And, second, the project is probably trying to plan and mange this development and/or dissemination using new methods, with new groupings of people, in new and/or changing environments.

What do we know about project management methods that that will make it more likely that the project will achieve its goals for the development and dissemination of innovative educational processes, practices or products?

This workshop will draw on three main sources:

The authors' experience of supporting large educational development projects in the UK, and the guidance distilled out of that experience and captured in project briefing documents. Analysis of selected papers published in the International Journal for Academic Development (IJAD) over the last six year for lessons about the management of a wide variety of educational development projects with different focus and scale, and a chapter drawn from this analysis from a forthcoming book on managing educational development projects. The experiences of managing educational development projects of those participating in the workshop. Participants will be encouraged to test what they hear and their own current practices, and as appropriate to confirm their confidence in their current methods and to develop new methods.

Key words: Project management; Educational development; Effectiveness

Objectives, outcomes and activities: Participants will have tested a number of ideas and practices in the management of educational development projects, and will have increased the repertoire of techniques available to them to manage educational development projects. To achieve these outcomes they will:

Hear, read and critique ideas about the management of educational development projects;
Explain, share and test their own views on the topic; and
Begin to explore how they can adapt or adopt in their own practice particularly attractive ideas from those that they have encountered in the workshop.

David Baume taught in higher education for twenty years before becoming a staff and educational developer. He is researching the assessment of higher education teachers. David chaired the UK Staff and Educational Development Association from 1990 to 1995. He is a founding editor of the International Journal for Academic Development. David worked most recently at the UK Open University. He is a member of Council of the UK Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

Contact: David Baume, email: a.d.baume@open.ac.uk and baume@compuserve.com