Strategic educational development: a national Swedish initiative to support change in higher education

Abstract

Conditions for teaching and learning in higher education are changing and, thereby, demand development in teaching practices and the student learning experience. This paper explores some issues and processes in relation to strategic change in higher education institutions (HEIs), with a focus on educational developers and their ability to contribute to the development of teaching and learning. It also describes a national Swedish initiative with the overall purpose to promote professional development of educational developers. This initiative was designed to enhance strategic perspectives, as well as scholarly knowledge formation, within the educational development 1 1. In this text ‘educational development’ is used synonymously with the terms academic development and faculty development. field. The initiative, its results and conclusions are considered relevant also to other higher education systems.