In Sweden, in 2001, a national inquiry into teaching and learning in Higher Education identified Educational Developers as a strategic tool for the improvement of university teaching. This somewhat double-edged honour raised questions about the enterprise for Educational Development. On one hand it carried an invitation to power, but also a threat of an alienation from the teachers’ perspective. This paper includes a background summarising the Swedish context and a presentation of a course for Educational Developers focusing on Strategic Educational Development. Observations from the course lead into a discussion about the enterprise for Educational Developers as a Community of Practice. It is argued that the increasing divide between university management and the teaching practice should be in focus for Educational Developers ́ facilitation of Strategic development. Further, it is argued that Educational Developers, as everybody active in higher education, must have a scholarly approach to their practice.

Keywords: strategic educational development, community of practice