This paper discusses a sustained effort to introduce and make richer educational development opportunities for colleagues in Slovakia: a community that has common experiences, needs, expectations, access to opportunity and social interactions that follow mutual interest. In this paper, I reflect on the challenges and lessons learnt over two…

This paper reports on a new version of the ISSOTL (International Society of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning)-based International Collaborative Writing Groups (ICWGs), which has a specific focus on public scholarship. In this study, we focus on the community-based elements of the ICWGs-Public, and in particular on community-based academic…

This paper describes a multi-year project to inform academic development (AD) for instructors at a large university, as the result of a shift towards greater equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA) efforts. A variety of data were collected, along with extant literature focused on teaching and learning, to identify campus needs and…

Informal academic conversations constitute a valuable addition to the repertoire of academic development initiatives. This article proposes that a Change Laboratory methodology may enhance the productivity of such conversations. Support for this proposal comes from a detailed analysis of participants' transformation of conversations on individual…

This paper explores the development of a special interest group bound by common interests, experiences, and access to opportunities in mobile learning as a model of a networked academic development community. With core members spanning eleven educational institutes across three continents, the Mobile Learning Special Interest Group (MLSIG) was…

This paper will challenge readers to consider their approach to supporting academics who are writing a teaching portfolio. What comes first? The literature, collecting evidence or something else? In this reflection on practice, I offer an approach that centralises practice as the core focus for starting this process. Grounded in theoretical…

Higher education has faced increased pressure to prove its quality through 'economic efficiency' and 'value for money', thrusting institutions into what researchers call an 'audit culture'. This study explores whether and how the audit culture has impacted educational developers in Canadian post-secondary institutions. Results include a summary of…

This article reviews studies that have addressed academic developers' professional identity, focusing on the period 1996-2020. Our intention was to evaluate and synthesise the claims made in this body of research in order to inform theory as well as the work in which developers are currently engaged. Thirty-four peer-reviewed papers were included…

We explore the role of trust in fostering equitable assessment practices in higher education, as navigated by academic developers. Trust emerges as foundational for embracing equity and inclusivity in assessment. Drawing on our personal experiences, the authors discuss the necessity of trust, factors supporting and undermining it, and strategies…

Academic development is a mammoth undertaking that requires collective effort from all stakeholders, extending beyond academic developers alone. As early career academics, we explore our experiences of academic development within our community of practice. Through a collaborative self-study, we reveal how our community of practice has bolstered…

The complex and ever-changing nature of the field of educational development has led to a scholarship of educational development (SoED) that is rich but also enigmatic. The authors outline four lenses through which SoED might be viewed, ultimately proposing a framework for SoED that empowers scholars to engage in a sophisticated negotiation…

In this study of trust in academic development, we propose a framework to build trust between developers and faculty. This framework was conceptualized while reflecting on a teaching and learning programme and analysing the strategies for building trust that were apparent in its design. Our findings reveal that trust is built and sustained by…

Global membership of the HEA fellowship scheme is increasing. Despite the focus by academic developers on supporting staff to achieve fellowship, there is limited research that examines whether it improves teaching and the learning experience. Our detailed survey of educators in the UK and Australia indicates perceptions of impact on individuals,…

This paper explores the nature of integrated networks of practice, and in particular, the important role of "hubs" within networks. Hubs are individuals or groups that energize cross-connections, improve knowledge flow, enhance learning across small clusters of expertise, and play critical roles in building and sustaining robust…

The pandemic forced universities to move rapidly to remote teaching, and Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) played a large role in ensuring that transition. We argue that the effectiveness of our work as academic developers lies in our style or approach as much as in any actions taken. This style of working -- holding lightly to expertise,…