Turning teachers into academics? The role of educational development in fostering synergy between teaching and research

The history of educational development is rooted in the improvement of teaching techniques. As a result, centres or units have normally been located in central registrars or human resources departments, library, learning and technical support services, or established as semi-autonomous entities. The alignment of educational development with research at a teaching-led UK university marks a radical departure from these established patterns. The paper will explore some principles for the development of synergy between teaching and research through presenting the conceptual and strategic case for locating educational development in a university-wide Graduate School. This includes institutional commitment to renewing research capacity and the acceptance of a holistic model of academic practice and re-shaping of academic identity through strengthening the links between research and teaching via professional development. Three different approaches to bridging the cultural gap between teaching and research are compared and illustrated with examples from this case study. Copyright © 2009 Taylor & Francis.