International trends and strategies in educational development at universities

This article considers four areas of educational development work which may become more significant in the future. The range and quality of professional development for teaching in higher education has expanded in many countries, the investment in academic frameworks of outcomes, credits and standards has yet to be exploited, the research into student learning is both productive and challenging to existing structures, and the practice of educational development is becoming more extensive – for example, practitioners are now expected to contribute to institutional strategy as much as to provide support for individual lecturers. The article notes significant changes in assumptions about the relations between students, their teachers and their courses, the need for revised approaches to assessment, and the importance of the professional development of the program leader and team to support the modernization of higher education.