From nice to know to "newfound popularity": academic developers' perceptions of how COVID-19 has changed their role

The disruption caused by the pandemic and the rapid transition to online teaching brings into sharp focus the role of academic development within the institution and creates an opportunity to pause and reflect on the impact of the academic developer (AD) role. This reflection on practice explores how the AD role has transitioned through the Covid-19 pandemic with a view to considering future implications for the field. Short auto-ethnographic reflections capture academic developers’ experiences of their role at a time of crisis and their perception of the future of academic development. The data shows a lack of clarity and visibility of the role pre-Covid, with a variety of tasks being assigned without a central focus. This was amplified during the pandemic, with a broadened remit in response to an increased demand for support. While this initial support was reactionary, focusing on teaching online, a renewed and more holistic interest in teaching and learning emerged across institutions, with ADs playing a key role in this evolution.