EDC Living Plan
Introduction
The EDC Living Plan was introduced in February, 2009 at the General Meeting of the EDC conference, led by Alice Cassidy (then Vice-chair, Professional Development). The 2009 themes were revised in 2012, led by Nicola Simmons (then Chair of the EDC). In May, 2013 a new theme, “Role of ED in Institutional Teaching and Learning Quality Assurance and Enhancement” was proposed by the EDC Executive. The Living Plan provides a valuable resource to capture the practices and continuing evolution of our EDC community. The most current Living Plan themes are presented below.
Building Professional Capacity: Developing Job Skills
- Orientation/recruitment/professional skill building for ‘getting started skills’ such as facilitation, program design, teaching and research design (both F2F and online)
- Facilitating curriculum development and reform (including signature pedagogies/ content-specific pedagogy); strategies for developmental activities for faculty from a variety of disciplines
- Work with international faculty/TAs, cross-cultural communication, internationalizing the curriculum
- Build consulting relationships, including ways of approaching different people and building alliances
Building Professional Capacity: A Sustainable Career Path
- Career building (e.g., ED philosophy, ED Dossier)
- Structured opportunities for critical reflection
- Development of person, centres (and person’s relationship with centre) and the profession; helping those of us who are the sole practitioner at our institution
- Maintaining wellness, balance, buoyancy, and optimism: Self assessment, valuing, celebrating, communicating success
- Guiding principles, ethical practice
Engaging our Community
- Cross-country collaboration/EDs without borders: bring your most successful workshop to another campus, reciprocate your invitation; share best practices
- Peer mentorship program (all levels; F2F/online) including transitioning to ED; broker meeting people from other institutions
- Provide more information on conference attendees/EDC members to find common ground more easily; include regional groups and areas of expertise on website
- Informal discussions and networking between conferences (F2F/online), wikis on ED themes/topics
- Forum for most important campus issues in which people facing similar challenges could brainstorm/ discuss/share potential strategies to advance the issue
- Recruit new members through conference invitations, hold welcome events
- Connect to those in related careers and graduate programs (including TAs)
- EDs in private practice (consultants) compare/contrast points of view
- Target academic ancillary and teaching faculty who are not centre-based
- Connect with other organizations with related passion to build a network
- Respected role for ‘elders’ – drawing on skills, experience, knowledge, abilities
Building Resources
- Resources, such as listing and/or survey of all ED centres including philosophy, resources, activities, have a ‘Centres Profiles’ database; start a Resource Repository
- Develop online presence aside from email, robust website.
- Current literature (annotated bibliography on line)
- Knowledge resources, discussions, and consultation workshops, including online; create something that introduces you to the terminology and broader concepts of ED
Organizational Development/Facilitating Change
- Facilitating systemic and organizational change: barriers and levers
- Being an agent of change, supporting others/moderating thoughtful understanding of imposed change
- Working strategically, facilitating change, and appreciative inquiry
- Developing listening, brokering, and negotiation skills in an ED context
- Taking a systems perspective
- Building currency/value among senior administrators
- Seeing the big picture: Navigating the political environment
- Applying change leadership literature in an ED context
Developing Leadership Skills
- Leadership development for future directors and executive members/leaders (how senior EDs got where they are) (draw on ‘elders’/retirees)
- Learning communities/’Teaching circles’/roundtables/special sessions for ED leaders (e.g., Directors, Associate Directors, Managers)
- Monitoring the big picture: awareness of current and upcoming trends, feeding vision for future (systematic scanning and reporting of issues online)
- ED program assessment: identify need for change, impact of change
- Designing workshops for VPs, Deans, Department Chairs
- Dealing with changes in senior administrators
- Recruiting and rewarding faculty colleagues in ED initiatives
- Enhancing quality in teaching, learning and educational development
Developing Administrative/Management Skills
- Budget building and management
- Time management
- Grant and donor funding
- Marketing, advocating, and branding
- Succession planning
- Staff vs. faculty roles as EDs
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
- Interpreting and conducting SoTL research, including appropriate methods
- Conducting research and publishing in ED, matching ideas and publishing opportunities
- Reviewing SoTL proposals and papers
- Translating/adapting discipline specific designs for application in SoTL
- ED role in facilitating faculty colleagues in the SoTL
- ED role in influencing how the SoTL is recognized and rewarded in academic careers
- The role of SoTL in institutional analysis
- Continuing SoTL leadership
Role of ED in Institutional Teaching and Learning Quality Assurance and Enhancement
- Advocating for and facilitating enhancement of teaching and learning quality
- Supporting valid, meaningful, and appropriate assessment of teaching and learning
- Providing a collaborative and transdisciplinary space for effective, evidence-based, and complex discussions about teaching and learning
- Facilitating and creating networks where multiple disciplines, perspectives, and experiences come together to effect change
- Leveraging change management skills to develop change makers, not just change brokers
- Closing the loop by moving data and conversation forward to effect change
- Examining policies, identifying gaps, and informing institutions on policy and processes that would improve teaching and learning
Last revised: June 2013
Past Documentation related to the EDC Living Plan
EDC Living Plan Overview (January, 2010)
