Educational developers - a strategic community

In Sweden, in 2001, a national inquiry into teaching and learning in higher education identified educational developers as a strategic tool for the improvement of university teaching. This somewhat double-edged honour raised questions about the enterprise for educational development. On one hand it carried an invitation to power, but also a threat of an alienation from the teachers' perspective. This paper includes a background summarising the Swedish context and a presentation of a course for educational developers focusing on Strategic educational development. Observations from the course lead into a discussion about the enterprise for educational developers as a community of practice. It is argued that the increasing divide between university management and the teaching practice should be in focus for educational developers´ facilitation of strategic development. Further, it is argued that educational developers, as everybody active in higher education, must have a scholarly approach to their practice.