Meaning and scope of educational

development: a conceptual
framework grounded in practice

Prof. Mariane Frenay

Universit catholique de Louvain
UNESCO Chair of University Teaching and Learning
 A Framework for

Understanding educational/academic development

Building communities of practice and scholarship

Developing initial and continuing education for

developers
Evaluating and enhancing development practice
and organizational structures
 The Core Dimensions

Educational development
context and mission

Evaluation of impact of Guiding principles, values

educational development and ethics of practice

Conceptual framework:
meaning and scope of
educational development

Expertise of educational Educational development

developers units
Educational Development Context & Mission

Context driven by
National and political priorities in higher education
Disciplines
Institutional policies

Dual mission
To enhance teaching and learning capacity in
academic communities
To advocate for the quality of teaching and learning
 Guiding Principles, Values and Ethics of Practice

A commitment to . . .

Working in our local contexts

Using and generating evidence-based knowledge

Maintaining a focus on learning

Respecting collegiality
 Guiding Principles, Values and Ethics of Practice

Ethics of educational development imply

Articulating clear roles

Critically examining the knowledge we apply

Respecting the perspectives of colleagues

Maintaining confidentiality

Contributing to development of practice and

scholarship
Educational Development Units

Units that vary in terms of

Organisational structure
Institutional mandate : research & service
Institutional positioning
Role of educational developers
Strategies for educational development
Target audiences
 Expertise of Educational Developers

Understanding teaching and learning

Understanding academic culture
Knowledge about leadership
Change agent
Vision for the teaching mission of the
university
Project management and support

It is crucial to develop this expertise and to

network at local, national and international level.
Evaluation of Educational Development Impact

Three challenges

Provide evidence of the impact on learning and

teaching capacity
Expanding educational development scholarship
Implementing external reviews of educational
development units and programs
 Taylor, K.L., & Rege-Colet, N .(2010). Making the shift from faculty development to educational development: A
conceptual framework grounded in practice. In A. Saroyan & M. Frenay (Eds.), Building Teaching Capacities in
Higher Education: A Comprehensive International Model (pp. 139-167). Sterling, VA : Stylus.
 A common International Trend:
Change of Focus

From a unique set of strategies (training and individual

support) to a wide range of strategies (mentoring,
consultations, observations)

From individual to collective

From answering individual needs to collective ones (e.g.
supporting curricula)

From course design to curriculum/programmes and policies

From a field of practice to research and scholarship of

educational development
 Explanations for this actual trend?

Contextual influences
Quality and cost effectiveness: doing more with
less
Accountability and accreditation
Curriculum reform (e.g. European Higher
Education Area, Bologna process)
Press for change (ICT, more students, more
diverse, more mobile)

Shift from teaching to learning

Focus on students and on active learning
Alignment of curriculum and course design (e.g.
competencies, outcomes-based assessment)
 Key Issues for
Educational Development Units
Positioning
The institutional positioning (articulation between
central and local)
The institutional mandate (service and research)
Thinking integratively and acting distributively
To be close to academic and disciplinary cultures, but
keeping also an common/institutional vision on teaching
and learning
Role of educational developers
Articulating
To articulate strategies for educational development for
different target audiences at different stages of their
careers
To articulate developmental and summative funtions
Aligning policies, procedures and practices
 Key Issues for
Educational Developers
Deepening and enlarging expertise
Teaching and learning processes
Understanding academic cultures and identities
Knowledge about leadership and change
Enacting research-based practice
On university teaching and learning
On educational development
Networking
Community of practices (educational developers, within
an institution, and between institutions, nationally and
internationally)
Justifying the impact of their actions
Towards university policy-makers (accountability)
Towards teachers (learning)
Valuing and advocating quality teaching
Challenges for Educational
Development

Credibility
Rooted in strong theoretical and
research foundations
Strong scholarly communities
To ascertain relevance and efficacy
Sustainability
Mid-term and long-term structures to
answer long term needs and changes
Building Teaching Capacity
in Universities

CONTEXTS
National - Political - Institutional - Disciplinary

EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

MISSION
MISSION

Practice Evaluation

FOUNDATIONS
Theories - Principles
With Appreciation
To the sponsors of our Mobility Project:
European Commission DG Education and Culture
Human Resources and Social Development Canada
To our Mobility Project colleagues:
Alenoush Saroyan
Denis Bdard,
David Kirby
Mieke Clement
Anette Kolmos
Jean-Jacques Paul
Nicole Rege-Colet
Lynn K. Taylor