Transformative educational development scholarship: beginning with ourselves

Self-study is a process of examining our beliefs and actions and exploring questions of practice that arise in particular contexts; the provisional answers we formulate present implications for practice. If we approach self-study guided by an ethic of authenticity, it can be an effective approach to the scholarship of teaching and learning, and has the potential to counter the performative culture of our institutions and transform higher education. The paper provides an introduction to self-study for educational developers who are interested in this challenging yet rewarding approach to scholarly inquiry. Educational developers are encouraged to use self-study to explore, improve - and perhaps transform their own practice, and to contribute to the growth of academic development as a field of study and practice.