Educational development has changed in many ways over the last 40 years and

the International Consortium for Educational Development has highlighted the

sheer variety of practices by bringing together educational developers from

countries where activities differ markedly. These reflections identify the wide

range of foci of attention that are visible – what it is that developers are trying

to develop – and the different change mechanisms that they adopt. It also highlights

changes that can be seen over time, as educational development within a

university, or within a country, matures and expands. Observations are made

about the value and desirability of some of these changes. It is hoped that

outlining the changes in educational development helps educational developers

to recognise their own activities in a different light and to prompt reflections on

what else they might do and what direction they might move in.