Valuing Educational Development: Nine Indicators of Institutional Support for Campus Professional Learning

How can institutions truly advance student success and community-building, key aims of twenty-first-century higher education? This research session will present findings from a large national survey of educational developers, demonstrating how centers for teaching and learning are key sites for advancing these ambitions. Then, using nine evidence-based indicators, the session will examine how institutional structures either advance or hinder educational development.

While many colleges include teaching improvement in strategic plans and encourage professional learning, fewer embed commitments in hiring practices, promotion policies, or staffing plans. The findings also reveal a troubling paradox: institutions serving predominantly marginalized students demonstrate significantly higher interest in educational development yet face substantially greater resource constraints.

Participants will assess their own institutional contexts using the framework and develop strategies for addressing gaps. This session will provide concrete tools for building more equitable support systems that anchor student success through sustained investment in professional learning.