Staff development in learning and teaching at European universities

To complement a Europe-wide survey, the STAFF-DEV project conducted qualitative research through focus groups between October and November 2024. In presenting the outcomes, this report considers institutional leadership perspectives, as well as those of staff leading teaching and learning centres and staff implementing staff development initiatives.  

Four main themes emerged from the data. The first theme considers the institutionalisation of staff development, i.e. the systemic integration of incentives for engaging in staff development in a higher education institution. The second theme considers how to encourage staff engagement to move from a ‘tick the box’ climate to a culture of teaching and learning. The third theme focuses on relationships and connection during the staff development initiatives. The final theme considers the barriers to engagement in staff development and how these need to be more thoughtfully examined. 

The participants in the focus groups reported institutionalisation of staff development in terms of the systematic integration of supports and incentives, and situating staff development within a broader strategy or vision. However, tensions exist within the organisation and incentivisation of staff development that lessen engagement of staff and potentially impede the impact of staff development initiatives. The report explores these tensions and provide recommendations for institutional leadership and staff tasked with implementing staff development initiatives.  

The ‘Staff development for learning and teaching at European universities’ (STAFF-DEV) project aims to map and analyse how staff development is implemented at European higher education institutions, how it is embedded into institutional and national strategies for learning and teaching and academic assessment, and what institutions and national- and system-level stakeholders could learn from each other in this regard. The project will contribute to a knowledge base on staff development, as well as capacity building in learning and teaching, benefitting institutions at different stages of developing their support and strategic approaches on learning and teaching and academic assessment.

Staff development in learning and teaching at European universities

Catherine O’Mahony, Sinead Gallivan and Katy Dineen

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