Engagement in staff development for learning and teaching in higher education: experiences from a leadership perspective

Staff development for learning and teaching in higher education institutions operates within a complex context, balancing between ‘tell from above’ in the form of evolving policy at institutional, national and European levels and ‘ask from below’ in the form of the needs and sense of ownership of university personnel involved in learning and teaching. Situated somewhere in between is a collection of actors with leadership responsibility in the context of learning and teaching who face the challenge of balancing these different expectations. In this article, we explore through focus groups the lived experience of actors responsible for educational change within the context of staff development in a sample of European higher education institutions. These findings highlight the strategic role of L&T leaders in fostering authentic engagement in staff development via transparent communication and co-creation.