The key aspects of an Educational Developer are to educate and help enhance educational learning. An Educational Developer would offer educational help enhancements of teaching and learning to professors, teacher assistants and faculty members. Furthermore, they would help move processes forward by program development and teaching adult education as well as run workshops, programs and one on one meetings in order to further educational learning. You may enter this career by applying through any University, College or Learning Centre. It is important to have a University degree.
The University degree can be in any field of study. It is also important in order to become an Educational Developer to have further qualifications such as a Masters or PHD. Extra experience within teaching will also help enhance someone to be able to enter this as a possible future career option. Being able to communicate with different groups of people will help you in your career. For example, being a team leader and discussing next steps shows that you have the ability to be in change. Also being able to follow instructions is important. Time management is also an important skill. Being able to jungle meetings, events and projects is a big part of the job.
The skills needed for the role consist of first being able to adapt to change quickly and with ease. A person in this role acts as a support system for teachers with developing their curriculum and creating virtual classes and projects. When an educational developer isn’t busy supporting teachers they are working on new programs and developing curriculum or improving current programs and curriculum. Improving already existing programs and curriculum requires them to be able to look at the psychology of how performance is and what works and what does not work and what updates need to be made. In many of the interviews, a common similarity was that the interviewee recommended that students who are looking into this role should get themselves in the door by finding connections with people already in the role. Many educational developers said that there is not a strict path in order to get to this role, there are many different ways that you can achieve it. Some of the aptitudes mentioned that are needed in order to fulfill the requirements for this job are being open minded, hard working, good time management, good leadership skills, and must value teaching and learning.