Steeped as they are in centuries-old traditions, higher education institutions are not well known as the most agile of organizations. But the need to reimagine—to fundamentally transform the experience students have at all types of colleges and universities into one that best supports their success—is becoming more and more pressing. No single organization, role, or initiative, is going to do this alone. In the spirit of finding your allies, I would like to introduce the Reimaginer community to a group of friends and colleagues who are ready to work with you on the challenge of transforming education for the better.
These allies go by various titles—faculty developers, instructional designers, instructional consultants, and assessment specialists -to name a few. Regardless of title, these “educational developers” share a commitment to supporting and enhancing the work of colleges and universities, particularly with respect to teaching, learning, and educational effectiveness. You might find them in centers for teaching and learning (also known as centers for teaching innovation, effectiveness, and by a variety of other monikers), STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education centers, instructional technology groups, or offices like institutional research and assessment, academic affairs, or student affairs. They may hold staff appointments, faculty appointments, or a combination of teaching and administrative appointments.
Despite these variations, practitioners of educational development—a field that has been growing since the 1970s—often share expertise in three areas of special interest to Reimaginers:
- The professional development of faculty, graduate student, and postdoctoral scholars with regard to teaching and educational practices.
- The development, optimization, and assessment of courses, curricula, and student learning.
- The development of organizations in order to advance structures, systems, and leadership in support of improving (and reimagining) education.
