Continued growth, increasing complexity: Examining the evolving role of the Canadian educational developer

Abstract

The improvement of teaching and learning in the Canadian post-secondary sector has grown in importance over the past fifty years as seen by the rise of the field of educational development. Educational Developers (EDs) can now be found at almost every publicly-funded college and university in the country and are increasingly integral to institutions of higher learning. However, as EDs engage in such a variety of multi-level support, it is difficult to precisely define their role. This paper will examine the role of the Canadian ED and how it has grown in complexity through an overview of the field of Canadian educational development, environmental influences on EDs, how their work is enacted, current challenges, as well as present and future directions of the role. A greater understanding of EDs will enable institutions to make effective use of these individuals, and to offer them the tailored support they require to excel.

Titles, experience, identities, and time: How the early career stage is defined by educational developers

“…However, the stages are not framed as fixed and/or linear, and the exploration stage may be experienced in major or minor ways throughout one's career. Laskar (2021) captures the significance of the exploratory stage when they claim, "although the role [of ED] is becoming of increasing importance and requires a high degree of flexibility, training and pathways into the profession are unclear" (p. 4). Translated to practice, many EDs enter the profession, as understood in Super's (1990) terms, without developing their self-concept in relation to the field in a way that might be gained from engagement in formal education or training.…”

“…"Entry into the field did not a developer make." (McDonald, 2010, p. 42) Higher education systems have become more complex (Boughey & McKenna, 2021;Clegg, 2009;Marginson, 2016;Trow, 2010) and the role of educational developers (ED) has evolved alongside (Chism, 1998(Chism, , 2011Gibbs, 2013;Laskar, 2021). The increasing number of areas of specialization continue to fragment what is still a developing field of practice and scholarship.…”