Cultivating range in educational developer role

This lightning talk introduces the perspective of a faculty academic seconded to the educational developer role. This brief reflection on cultivating a range of perspectives and understandings for a progressive pedagogical stance argues mutual benefit for an occasional 'sidetrack‘ to seemingly defined academic career paths. While changing career trajectory might be an unsettling and demanding process, a temporary change, such as a secondment opportunity, serves as an active continuing professional development, offering surprisingly fulfilling results. Creating opportunities for faculty academics to explore educational development introduces collaborative learning opportunity that strengthens the educator‘s core. Benefiting both sides, such range intentionally 'disrupts‘ well-rehearsed content and stagnant processes fostering creativity away from the comfort of one subject specialism. Moving between the educator and learner while also consciously agreeing to 'pause‘ the subject expertise, at least temporarily, frees us to see new connections and meanings, unexpectedly broadening our spectrum to shape skills and abilities we never thought we had.