Supporting educational development within departments

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Abstract
Much educational development activity is organized and undertaken centrally, by centrally funded and managed units and staff; it is often generic rather than discipline‐specific and targeted on individuals rather than on departments. However, universities are organized primarily through their departments and many universities give departments and disciplines considerable independence. Recent organizational change in universities often corresponds to current management practice outside higher education by devolving responsibilities to smaller organizational units. In the USA burgeoning administration is beginning to be cut back. In the UK the ‘unit of assessment’ of most internal and external reviews of quality is the department, not the university. Many universities now devolve responsibility for the quality of courses, for appointment decisions, for promotions and even for staff and educational development, to departments. In Australia there is also more emphasis on department‐focused development in universities such as the Queensland University of Technology. The new challenge to centrally located and funded educational development agencies is how to support educational development within academic departments. Departments are generally weak at educational development, so this organizational change offers considerable opportunities to educational developers who are prepared to change their mode of operation. This article explores some of the practical ways educational development can operate within departments.

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