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By linking informal and formal practices and underpinning a culture of collegial conversations and sharing, universities can help make teaching a collective, visible and research-informed activity.
What would it take for staff development in higher education to truly and durably transform teaching and learning?
This question lies at the centre of ongoing discussions across universities worldwide. A key part of the answer is that we need to ‘connect the dots’. In other words, to take a multi-level, aligned approach that shifts teaching culture from something private – ‘the right to teach behind closed doors’ – to something shared, visible, continuously discussed and incentivised.
Imagine a new PhD student entering your discipline: bright, ambitious and well-prepared, with a strong research project. Now imagine this student saying: “I look forward to doing this research, but I don’t want to talk to anyone about it. I won’t read existing literature, write anything, publish, or discuss my findings.”
Unthinkable, right? Scholarly work depends on dialogue, collaboration, peer review and dissemination, all of which are part of research’s very DNA and core quality processes. So why should teaching be any different?
Higher education institutions invest significantly in professional development, yet the long-term impact on educational quality often remains uneven. The issue may not be a lack of effort, but a lack of connection – between people, practices, structures and cultures.
To understand this, we must identify the ‘dots’. These include not only teachers and professional learning initiatives, but also students, academic leaders, support staff, departments, institutional systems, policy makers, funding bodies and society at large. Each plays a role in shaping higher education. Yet these actors often operate in silos, with limited interaction or shared understanding, which can hinder both innovation and improvement.
Research into academic cultures shows that meaningful conversations about teaching do occur, but typically in informal, small-scale settings. These ‘backstage’ interactions –among trusted colleagues in close ‘significant networks’ – are valuable spaces for reflection and learning. However, they rarely influence broader institutional culture. In contrast, the ‘front stage’ of formal discourse – committees, policies and official forums – often lacks the trust, authenticity and engagement found in informal settings.
The challenge is therefore to connect these two arenas. How can we bring the richness of informal, yet significant, conversations into wider institutional contexts? How can we create environments where discussing teaching is not only accepted but expected?
A central part of the answer lies in fostering a ‘culture of sharing’. Teaching needs to be recognised as a collective, scholarly endeavour. This requires structures and incentives that encourage collaboration, openness and continuous learning. Academic leaders play a crucial role in enabling incentives and supporting meaningful interactions across the institution.
To better understand how to make real transformation in teaching a reality, it is useful to consider different organisational levels:
Effective staff development must operate across all these levels, creating alignment and coherence. Encouraging individual innovation is insufficient if institutional reward systems fail to recognise it. Likewise, policies promoting teaching excellence will have limited impact if they do not resonate with the everyday realities of academics and students.
One way to bridge these levels is through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). SoTL involves systematic and reflective inquiry into teaching practices and student learning. It is grounded in real-world contexts, informed by both local experience and broader research, and crucially, shared with others. By making teaching a subject of scholarly investigation and public discussion, SoTL helps legitimise and elevate its status within academia.
However, adopting SoTL requires a shift in mindset. Educators must question their assumptions, examine the impact of their teaching and engage in ongoing dialogue with peers. This kind of critical reflection is essential for meaningful change, but it can only thrive in a supportive environment.
To build this environment, there are three main conditions:
Equally important are mechanisms that link people and ideas across the organisation. These include arenas for interaction (such as seminars or communities of practice), artefacts (shared tools, frameworks or documented insights) and knowledge brokers who facilitate communication and collaboration. Together, these elements help create a more integrated and dynamic system.
Ultimately, transforming higher education is not about implementing a single initiative or policy. It is about cultivating a culture in which teaching is a shared, scholarly and evolving practice on par with research. By connecting the dots between individuals, structures, cultures and values, we can create conditions where staff development leads to lasting and meaningful impact.
Perhaps the most important shift is also the simplest: moving from treating teaching as a private act to embracing it as a collective responsibility. When educators talk more openly, reflect more critically, and collaborate more intentionally, the entire system benefits – and the dots begin to connect.
Note: This article is based on the author’s keynote presentation at the 2026 European Learning & Teaching Forum – ‘Impactful staff development for educational transformation’ at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon, Portugal, in February 2026.
