The Sphere of Influence of Learning Development during Organizational Change in a Technological University

This chapter explores a shared approach to leading on learning development and educational change in two existing colleges in a new technological university (TU) in Ireland. Considering how organisational change influences teaching and learning is vital but, equally, taking into account how teaching and learning responds and reacts to this change is a key outcome of the chapter. Through an exploration of the role of Head of Learning Development across disciplinary and college structure contexts, we want to convey a shared narrative of leadership in learning development in a changing environment and build on our emerging synergies to do so. Knowing change and innovation are necessary for organisational growth, we reflected on best practices for leading teaching and learning change within the new TU space in Ireland’s higher education sector and present a model capturing the sphere of influence of this leadership role. The approach taken, which embraces change as a result of sectoral change, including the new technological universities, considers how organisational change that influences teaching and learning has implications for innovation in learning development, both within Irish higher education and internationally. The chapter concludes with consideration of broader implications of this change and response to change in the higher education (HE) national and global context.