The contributors to this volume are academics working directly or indirectly with teaching and learning centers and professional communities, serving in the capacity of educational developer, researcher, or specialist; unit manager or director; or senior administrator. Drawing on survey and interview data, individual experience or perspective, and familiarity with the educational literature, they offer a context to understand and appreciate how the field of educational development, developer practice, and individual pathways have evolved, further highlighting what territory remains to be explored and uncovered. Over the last fifty years, educational development has evolved from an informal set of instructional improvement activities championed by individuals to a scholarly field of study and practice that aims to advance teaching and learning at the individual, institutional and (more recently) sector levels. During this time, educational development work has moved from the fringes to the mainstream of the higher education landscape, bringing to the community a diverse group of dedicated academic professionals. This volume draws on their experience and insight to provide an invaluable guide to future challenges and issues.
This is the 122nd volume of the Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly report series New Directions for Teaching and Learning, which offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving college teaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and the latest findings of educational and psychological researchers.
Table of Contents:
FOREWORD (Christopher Knapper). EDITORS' NOTES (Jeanette McDonald, Denise Stockley).
SECTION ONE: CONTEXT.
1. Pathways Toward Improving Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: International Context and Background (Karron G. Lewis)
This chapter provides an overview of educational development from a cross-cultural perspective, offering a framework to situate subsequent chapters.
2. Educational Developers: The Multiple Structures and Influences That Support Our Work (Mary Deane Sorcinelli, Ann E. Austin)
Based on a survey of Canadian and American educational developers, this chapter highlights aspects of developer career paths and shapers of their development work, practices, and priorities.
3. Charting Pathways into the Field of Educational Development (Jeanette McDonald)
This chapter traces the interrelated trajectories of Canadian developers embedded within the fi eld, highlighting critical factors, chance events, and defi ning moments that facilitated their entry into and identifi cation with the profession of educational development.
SECTION TWO: PRACTICE.
4. Conceptualizing Evolving Models of Educational Development (Kym Fraser, David Gosling, Mary Deane Sorcinelli)
This chapter presents a framework for understanding the multitude of models and approaches that characterize and direct development activities at the individual, institutional, and sector levels.
5. Understanding the Disciplines Within the Context of Educational Development (K. Lynn Taylor)
Building capacity to work collaboratively with disciplinary colleagues requires educational development specialists to move from "knowing about" to "knowing in" the disciplines. This chapter constitutes a basis for refl ecting on how to operate effectively in the disciplines while at the same time honoring their own.
6. Moving from the Periphery to the Center of the Academy: Faculty Developers as Leaders of Change (Debra Dawson, Joy Mighty, Judy Britnell)
A model of change management is presented, with examples illustrating the steps associated with the model and the leadership role educational developers serve in effecting change in higher education settings.
SECTION THREE: REFLECTIONS.
7. Assessing the Impact of Educational Development Through the Lens of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (Carolyn Hoessler, Judy Britnell, Denise Stockley)
Taking a scholarly approach, assessment and impact of educational development work on a continuum is presented with descriptive examples and practical suggestions.
8. Value Commitments and Ambivalence in Educational Development (David Gosling)
Educational development is a value-laden endeavor. This chapter explores the intersection of individual, institutional, and community values, and the sometimes ch allenging position in which it places developers in their professional lives.
9. Unheard Voices Among Faculty Developers (Joy Mighty, Mathew L. Ouellett, Christine A. Stanley)
This fi nal chapter asks us to consider whose voices in faculty development circles and beyond are unheard and the consequences of this silence for the profession and higher education more broadly if action is not taken.
INDEX.
About the Author :
Jeanette McDonald has worked in educational development for more than ten years, first at the University of Guelph and now at Wilfrid Laurier University. Currently she is the manager of educational development in the Office of Teaching Support Services. She is the co-leader of the Pathways Initiative.
Denise Stockley joined the Center for Teaching and Learning at Queen's University in 2001. She is the associate director and also an associate professor of education. She is the co-leader of the Pathways Initiative.
