Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education           ISSN: 1759-667X 

Special Issue 22: Compendium of Innovative Practice                                     October 2021 

 

Editorial: Supporting institutional change 

 

Cathy Malone 
Middlesex University London 
 

 

In a sector not known for its flexibility or ability to respond rapidly to technological change 

(Killen 2015) the papers in this section demonstrate a range of dynamic and successful 

institutional responses to the challenges of the pandemic. They reveal the processes and 

thinking by which so many institutions responded rapidly to the pandemic and brought 

about changes to practice at scale. Setting the lens at the level of institution or large 

faculty provides a particular perspective on the change management process and these 

reflections provide an insight into how large numbers of staff and students were supported 

to engage in a new online learning and teaching environment. 

 

The challenges the pandemic presented here include the need to facilitate the mass shift 

to online learning, the need to rapidly digitally enable large staff groups while maintaining 

the quality of provision, and the institutional commitment to principles of accessibility and 

inclusivity. 

 

Many of the papers in this section note the significant increase in engagement with all 

avenues and means of support and CPD, where participation, website views and resource 

downloads appeared to expand exponentially; small communities of practice were thrust 

into the spotlight and bespoke courses for small groups now needed to be delivered 

institution wide. The international range of authors and case studies included here tells us 

something about the global ubiquity of the challenge. There are also commonalities in both 

principle and process in how institutions responded to the task of managing institutional 

change and upskilling large staff groups. 

 

A common theme is the commitment to pedagogy and educational theory; when 

supporting institutional shift in mode of delivery, pedagogy has been prioritised over 

technology. Many authors note that while the online pivot was sudden and unplanned, the 

response needed to be more measured and intentional: there was a need to avoid the 



Editorial 

Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, Issue 22: Compendium                            October 2021 

temptation to mechanically translate face to face teaching approaches to online activities 

and processes. Rather, it was important to revisit core educational principles such as UDL 

(Universal Design for Learning) to more deliberately select how to teach online or in a 

hybrid mode. In practical terms this meant turning staff into conscious learning designers 

and to support them move between modalities (online, face to face and increasingly a 

mixture of the two) in an intentional way, able to distinguish between learning objectives 

and mode dependent instructional objectives. 

 

At the same time the human needs of staff at the heart of this change project are 

repeatedly noted. Frequent reference is made to the diversity of the staff groups involved 

and the need to acknowledge and address the anxieties and lack of confidence manifested 

by many. This very diversity has implications for the differentiated practical response. 

Some patterns in practice begin to emerge; workshops and online resources, blog posts 

and videos provide a consistent message concerning guiding principles and expectations, 

while tips, checklists and templates provide a range of ideas for staff to select from – these 

modes were followed up with opportunities for closer peer support and hands on practice. 

Combining different modes of CPD delivery enabled small teams to deliver support at 

scale that includes choice and feels targeted and bespoke. Working at a similar scale but 

focusing on mass delivery of student learning development during the pandemic, we see 

two case studies which outline the development of online resource repositories and how 

increased usage brought about significant benefits to local learner development teams.  

 

Summing up, the papers in this section provide an exciting insight into teams who 

collaborated under pressure and for whom the pandemic proved a positive catalyst for 

change. The results of their work captured here demonstrate a creative response to the 

pandemic and as well as offering exciting blueprints for practice and development, are 

inspiring in the openness they demonstrate to new ways of learning and supporting 

institutional change. 

 

 

References: 

 

Killen, C. (2015) ‘Enhancing the student digital experience: A strategic approach’, JISC 

report available online, https://www.jisc.ac.uk/full-guide/enhancing-the-digital-student-

experience (Accessed 22 October 2021). 

https://www.jisc.ac.uk/full-guide/enhancing-the-digital-student-experience
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/full-guide/enhancing-the-digital-student-experience