Spheres of Influence: Ventures and Visions in Educational Development*

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

Abstract

Enhancing educational development for the 21st century: From the margin to the mainstream

Paul Helm, Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom
Ranald Macdonald, Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom

Recent initiatives in the UK have led to a rapid growth in the numbers of people who might see themselves, or are seen by others, as 'educational developers'. At Sheffield Hallam University those who might be thought of as the new 'breed' of educational developers include: secondees to the central Learning and Teaching Institute (LTI); e-learning co-ordinators: research assistants who support the University's Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) strategy; courseware developers; Teaching Fellowship holders; senior academics in Schools who manage their School's LTA Strategy; and the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic Development).

This seminar will outline the ways in which the new educational developers work with their established counterparts to bring about significant cultural and institutional change in learning and teaching. We will present the findings of a study on their perceptions of the role. Though an email questionnaire and a number of short interviews we asked four simple questions:

· What do you understand by 'educational development'? · What educational development activities are you carrying out and what will you be expected to do in the future? · How well do you see yourself prepared for the role, what support do you, or would you like to receive? · Do you see yourself doing more or less educational development in the future? If 'more', what will it replace? If 'less', what will it be replaced with?

Participants will be able to reflect on the fact that, whilst we are not quite in the situation where "we are all educational developers now", we have reached the stage in many UK universities where support for innovation and improvement in learning and teaching is central to policy-making and implementation.

Key words:
Change; Innovation; Future roles and responsibilities

Objectives, outcomes and activities:
Participants will be introduced to the increasingly diverse range of staff who see themselves as 'educational developers' and their varied experiences of the role.

Paul Helm has overall responsibility for enhancing the quality of learning teaching and assessment through the appropriate use of C&IT. As such he is Project Manager for the implementation of the university's Virtual Learning Environment and head of the e-learning support team.

Ranald Macdonald is a former Co-Chair of SEDA, and now a Vice-Chair. He is involved with many SEDA activities including convening their educational development research network. His educational development and research activities, particularly in the area of problem-based learning, have taken him to many countries and institutions. At Sheffield Hallam he is responsible for the development and implementation of the university's learning, teaching and assessment strategy.

Contact: Paul Helm, email: p.a.helm@shu.ac.uk