Structured professional development for academic developers: A collaborative approach

ABSTRACT

This paper shares the experience of a group of academic developers’ engagement in collaboratively working towards the completion of an online open-access professional development (PD) course designed to support higher education teachers to engage with a new professional development framework. Committee members of the Educational Developers in Ireland Network set out to complete the course as a demonstration of their commitment to their own PD and to experience the process with a view to becoming facilitators of the course. An auto-ethnographic approach was used to capture this experience, and findings demonstrate an inspiring alternative to PD that supports academic developers in the quest to legitimise and prioritise their own PD in the context of highly pressurised roles.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic development
• teaching and learning
• professional development
• collaboration
• digital badges
• open courses

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/national-professional-development-framework-for-all-staff-who-teach-in-higher-education/

2. https://opencourses.teachingandlearning.ie/open_course/getting-started-with-professional-development-pact/

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Fiona O’Riordan

Fiona O’Riordan is an Academic Developer in the Teaching Enhancement Unit at Dublin City University (DCU) supporting academics’ research and developing evidence-based pedagogy. She also facilitates academic development workshops and accredited professional development modules.

Íde O’Sullivan

Íde O’Sullivan is a Senior Educational Developer in the Centre for Transformative Learning at the University of Limerick, where she is Curriculum Development Support Lead and is Course Director of the Graduate Diploma/MA in Teaching, Learning and Scholarship.

Mary Fitzpatrick

Mary Fitzpatrick is Head of the Centre for Transformative Learning at the University of Limerick. Her key area of expertise is the professional development of teaching and learning through working with, and supporting, faculty through key initiatives which promote academic development and teaching excellence. 

Margaret Keane

Margaret Keane is a Teaching and Learning Development Officer in the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Maynooth University. She is Programme Co-ordinator of the Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Higher Education Teaching, Learning and Assessment.

Claire McAvinia

Claire McAvinia is a Learning Development Officer at the Learning, Teaching and Technology Centre, TU Dublin. She teaches on the LTTC’s Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in University Learning and Teaching, and MSc Education.

Angelica Risquez

Angelica Risquez is a Lead Educational Developer at the Centre for Transformative Learning at the University of Limerick. She teaches and advocates technology-enhanced learning at institutional, national and international level.