Role of Educational Developers in Aligning Diverse Learning and Teaching Styles in a Transnational University in China

Abstract

The role of educational developers (or academic developers) has become increasingly important in national and transnational contexts, in parallel with efforts to elevate the status of learning and teaching in higher education. In this chapter, the role of educational developers in driving institutional learning and teaching agendas is explored, with a specific focus on a transnational and interdisciplinary context in China. The case study will be drawn from experiences at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). The status of educational developers as professional staff is analyzed, as well as its consequent impact on their ability to drive learning and teaching strategies in a transnational context with high levels of diversity among staff backgrounds and a high turnover of academic staff. The data for the case study is drawn from interviews with educational developers and a survey with a range of academic staff at XJTLU. Based on the analysis, a set of recommendations that are transferable is provided and will benefit educational developers working in transnational contexts.