Trends in the practice and interpretation of educational development in higher education: a scoping review A systematic literature review
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Abstract
Educational development in higher education has been increasingly discussed in international literature during the past decades. Through supporting the development of academics, students, staff members as well as organizational functioning, it has become a complex and multi-level activity with the potential of contributing to effective teaching and learning processes, responsiveness to change and excellence. In recent years, the academic discourse on educational development in Hungary has also gained momentum. However, no comprehensive and systematic literature review has yet been published on the subject that reflects international developments and experiences in the field. Therefore, our scoping review examines the changes in the understanding and practice of educational development based on the international literature of the last 20 years. Following a structured search of six databases, the abstracts of 428 publications were screened against pre-defined criteria, resulting in an analysis of 44 included studies. Our review focuses on the changes in the portfolio of educational development units, the expansion of their target groups and networks, and the interpretations of the concept of educational development. Drawing on international research and reflections on development practice, our study highlights trends that are relevant for local communities of educational developers: it reflects on the expansion of development practice to the meso and macro levels of institutions, the growing awareness of individual needs and local contexts, the possibilities of strategic engagement, and the issues with conceptualizing educational development.
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Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem
Grant numbers ELTE PPK “Doktori Projektek” konzorciális kutatástámogatási pályázat 2024
References
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