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ABSTRACT
A Higher Education Research and Development Unit (HERDU) is a specialised sub‐unit within higher education institutions whose members collectively act as a visionary, educational interest group. They aim to be critically reflective, dynamic agents of educational development and help to develop the practices and potential of individuals and groups. This paper defines HERDUs in organisation terms, clarifies educational development, and assesses the web of contexts that educational developers experience. The paper then canvasses international perspectives on improvement and effectiveness of educational development theory, practice and outcomes. Finally, it is suggested that coming to grips with long‐standing concerns might be aided by a set of performance indicators, a model of self‐review, and enhanced cooperation among educational developers to share research, theories, practices and experiences.
