Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Intersecting Work Practices: Design Work Practices in a Large-Scale Strategic Project

Professional and Support Staff in Higher Education

Part of the book series: University Development and Administration ((UDAA))

  • 17 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter examines the work practices of educational designers and developers in a large-scale strategic curriculum renewal project at an Australian university in 2015. As in other institutions within Australia and internationally, this large-scale project required the input of designers – variously described as “instructional designers,” “educational designers,” and “learning designers.” In the project under study, designers worked in close proximity with developers to achieve the redesign of 130 subjects in the first year of a 3-year strategy. The work practices of designers represented a disruption to “traditional” development practices, as this work entailed engagement with learning theories and pedagogy – areas traditionally associated with educational development work in that context. Alternatively, the work of developers in the project entailed engagement with design principles and the use of educational technologies – areas at the core of educational design. In either scenario, there appeared to be encroachments into both fields of practice: by educational designers into educational development practices, and by developers into educational design practices. These sites of encroachment – or “blur” points – were the analytic focus of educational development and design work practices in the project. The outcomes are reported with reference to notions of agential practice in both practice domains as a means of mapping current trends in work practices of educational developers and designers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Archer, Louise. 2008. Younger academics’ constructions of ‘authenticity’, ‘success’ and professional identity. Studies in Higher Education 33 (4): 385–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, Paul, and Richard Blackwell. 2006. Strategic leadership in academic development. Studies in Higher Education 31 (3): 373–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boud, David, and Angela Brew. 2013. Reconceptualising academic work as professional practice: Implications for academic development. International Journal for Academic Development 18 (3): 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Branch, Robert, and Thoedore Kopcha. 2014. Instructional design models. In Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 77–87. New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Carew, Anna, Geraldine Lefoe, Maureen Bel, and Lenore Armour. 2008. Elastic practice in academic developers. International Journal for Academic Development 13 (1): 51–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cross, Nigel. 2011. Design thinking: Understanding how designers think and work. New York: Berg.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Debowski, Shelda. 2014. From agents of change to partners in arms: The emerging academic developer role. International Journal for Academic Development 19 (1): 50–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Decuypere, Mathias, and Maarten Simons. 2014. An atlas of academic practice in digital times. Open Review of Educational Research 1 (1): 116–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Napoli, Roberto, and Mieke Clement. 2014. The agency game in academic development: Compliance and resistance. International Journal for Academic Development 19 (1): 4–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donnelly, Roisin. 2015. Values informing professional practice in academic professional development. International Journal of Technology and Inclusive Education (IJTIE) 4 (1): 548–556.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ertmer, Peggy, Donald Stepich, Cindy York, Anne Stickman, Xuemei Wu, Stacey Zurek, and Yuksel Goktas. 2008. How instructional design experts use knowledge and experience to solve ill-structured problems. Performance Improvement Quarterly 21 (1): 17–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ertmer, Peggy, Cindy York, and Nuray Gedik. 2009a. Learning from the pros: How experienced designers translate instructional design models into practice. Educational Technology 49 (1): 19–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ertmer, Peggy, Donald Stepich, Sarah Flanagan, Aslihan Kocaman-Karoglu, Christian Reiner, Lisett Reyes, Adam Santone, and Shigetake Ushigusa. 2009b. Impact of guidance on the problem-solving efforts of instructional design novices. Performance Improvement Quarterly 21 (4): 117–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, Kym, and Peter Ling. 2014. How academic is academic development? International Journal for Academic Development 19 (3): 226–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, Colin, Cesur Dagli, Muruvvet Demiral-Uzan, Funda Ergulec, Verily Tan, Abdullah A. Altuwaijri, Khendum Gyabak, Megan Hilligoss, Remzi Kizilboga, Kei Tomita, and Elizabeth Boling. 2015. Judgment and instructional design: How ID practitioners work in practice. Performance Improvement Quarterly 28 (35): 5–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, Suzy. 2005. Rethinking academic identities in neo-liberal times. Teaching in Higher Education 10 (4): 421–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henkel, Mary. 2005. Academic identity and autonomy in a changing policy environment. Higher Education 49 (1–2): 155–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanuka, Heather. 2006. Instructional design and elearning: A discussion of pedagogical content knowledge as a missing construct. E-Journal of Instructional Science and Technology 9 (2): 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenny, Richard, Zuochen Zhang, Richard Schwier, and Katy Campbell. 2005. A review of what instructional designers do: Questions answered and questions not asked. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology 31 (1). https://doi.org/10.21432/T2JW2P. Accessed 31 Oct 2017.

  • Kinash, Sally, and Kayleen Wood. 2013. Academic developer identity: How we know who we are. International Journal for Academic Development 18 (2): 178–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knapper, Christopher. 2016. Does educational development matter? International Journal for Academic Development 21 (2): 105–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Land, Ray. 2004. Educational development: Discourse, identity and practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leibowitz, Brenda. 2014. Reflections on academic development: What’s in a name? International Journal for Academic Development 19 (1): 1–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linder, Kathryn, and Peter Felten. 2015. Understanding the work of academic development. International Journal for Academic Development 20 (1): 1–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ling, Peter, and Kym Fraser. 2014. How academic is academic development? International Journal for Academic Development 19 (3): 114–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, Debra, and David Green. 2012. Betwixt and between: Academic developers in the margins. International Journal for Academic Development 17 (3): 203–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, Kathleen. 2006. Neo-liberalism and marketisation: The implications for higher education. European Educational Research Journal 2 (5): 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manathunga, Cathryn. 2007. “Unhomely” academic developer identities: More post-colonial explorations. International Journal for Academic Development 12 (1): 25–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martensson, Katarina. 2015. Academic development – Old habits or disruptive practice? International Journal of Academic Development 20 (4): 303–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moskal, Tami-Maree. 2012. Instructional designers in higher education. Doctoral thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Accessed 29 Nov 2017. tmoskal@me.com, http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsedaddiss/121/

  • Peseta, Tai. 2014. Agency and stewardship in academic development: The problem of speaking truth to power. International Journal for Academic Development 19 (1): 1–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peseta, Tai, and Barbara Grant. 2011. Working imaginatively with/in contradiction. International Journal for Academic Development 16 (1): 1–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reigeluth, Charles. 2013. Instructional design theories and models: An overview of their current status. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritzhaupt, Albert, and Swapna Kumar. 2015. Knowledge and skills needed by instructional designers in higher education. Performance Improvement Quarterly 28 (3): 51–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, Mark. 2012. How design engineers spend their time: Job content and task satisfaction. Design Studies 33: 391–425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schatzki, Theodore. 2001. Practice theory. In The practice turn in contemporary theory, ed. T.R. Schatzki, K. Knorr-Cetina, and E. Von Savigny, 1–14. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwier, Richard, Katy Campbell, and Richard Kenny. 2004. Instructional designers’ observations about identity, communities of practice and change agency. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 20 (1): 69–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwier, Richard, Katy Campbell, and Richard Kenny. 2007. Instructional designers’ perceptions of their agency: Tales of change and community. In Instructional design: Case studies in communities of practice, ed. M.J. Keppell, 1–18. Hershey: Information Science Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trede, Franziska, Rob Macklin, and Donna Bridges. 2012. Professional identity development: A review of the higher education literature. Studies in Higher Education 37 (3): 365–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verstegen, D.M.L., F. Barnard, and A. Pilot. 2006. Which events can cause iteration in instructional design? An empirical study of the design process. Instructional Science 34 (6): 481–517.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wakefield, Jenny, Scott Warren, and Leila Mills. 2012. Traits, skills, & competencies aligned with workplace demands: What today’s instructional designers need to master. In Proceedings of society for information technology & teacher education international conference, ed. P. Resta, 3126–3132.Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, Mar 05, 2012 in Austin, Texas, USA ISBN 978-1-880094-92-1Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), Chesapeake, VA

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitchurch, Celia. 2008. Shifting identities and blurring boundaries: The emergence of third space professionals in UK higher education. Higher Education Quarterly 62 (4): 377–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitchurch, Celia. 2009. The rise of the blended professional in higher education: A comparison between the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. Higher Education Policy and Management 62 (4): 377–396.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitchurch, Celia. 2012. Expanding the parameters of academia. Higher Education 64 (1): 99–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Rhonda Hallett

Authors
  1. Rhonda Hallett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rhonda Hallett .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teac, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia

    Carina Bossu

  2. Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teac, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia

    Natalie Brown

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Hallett, R. (2018). Intersecting Work Practices: Design Work Practices in a Large-Scale Strategic Project. In: Bossu, C., Brown, N. (eds) Professional and Support Staff in Higher Education. University Development and Administration. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1607-3_27-3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1607-3_27-3

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-1607-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-1607-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Intersecting Work Practices: Design Work Practices in a Large-Scale Strategic Project
    Published:
    25 October 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1607-3_27-4

  2. Intersecting Work Practices: Design Work Practices in a Large-Scale Strategic Project
    Published:
    28 July 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1607-3_27-3

  3. Intersecting Work Practices: Design Work Practices in a Large-Scale Strategic Project
    Published:
    29 June 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1607-3_27-2

  4. Original

    Intersecting Work Practices: Design Work Practices in a Large-Scale Strategic Project
    Published:
    21 December 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1607-3_27-1

Search

Navigation