Transforming educational development practice: anti-racist and decolonial pedagogies in higher education

Transforming Educational Development Practice: Anti-Racist and Decolonial Pedagogies in Higher Education Abstract: Amid budgetary pressures, anti-DEI backlash, and shifting institutional priorities, sustaining antiracist and decolonial educational development in higher education is urgent. This paper examines how Educational Developers (EDs) have the potential to advance these pedagogies, a critical yet under-researched area of institutional transformation. Using a two-stage design, we conducted a scoping review of literature from 2012 to 2023, followed by an inductive thematic analysis of 31 studies. Findings identify four domains in which EDs can act as change agents: institutional leadership, professional development, curriculum transformation, and participatory teaching practices. EDs can implement strategies such as tiered faculty development, co-teaching with Indigenous Elders, fostering dialogic spaces, and co-developing inclusive curricula to embed anti-oppressive pedagogy, foster critical consciousness, and cultivate relational accountability. The study highlights both the potential and limits of ED-led transformation and underscores the need for sustained institutional investment to embed equity and justice at the core of higher education.