ABSTRACT
Staff development in HE has come a long way in a short time. From a cottage industry 20 years ago it is now an established – if not always accepted – feature of institutional life. Almost all UK universities have a staff development unit, or educational development unit, and in many instances both. Where once staff development was narrowly conceived in terms of teaching and learning improvement for individual academics, it is now more broadly identified – and rightly so – with professional development for all staff in line with pre-determined institutional priorities. A recognized priority area itself, it is not uncommon for UK universities to devote 5 per cent of their staffing budget to staff development and training (Blackmore and Blackwell, 2004; Brew, 1995; Webb, 1996).
