Educational Associations and Societies

National and international organisations which focus on learning, teaching and research in higher education.

• American Educational Research Association (AERA) "is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results."
• American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) is an organisation of over 9,000 members that "promotes the changes higher education must make to ensure its effectiveness in a complex, interconnected world." The site provides full details of the activities of the AAHE. See also the site of the Teaching and Learning Technology Group, which is an affiliate of AAHE with the mission "to provide materials and services that motivate and enable institutions to improve teaching and learning with technology, while helping them cope with continual change. "
• Association of University Teachers (AUT), UK is a trade union and professional association representing all types of professional staff across the UK higher education sectors.
• Association of University Administrators (AUA), UK is the professional association for all managers and administrators in UK higher education institutions.
• Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) based in the USA, promotes collaboration among its over 1,000 members and others engaged in the study of higher education through research, conferences, and publications, including its journal, The Review of Higher Education.
• Association for Learning Technology aims "to promote good practice in the use and development of learning technologies in higher and further education" and "to facilitate interchange between practitioners, developers, researchers and policy makers in education and industry.""
• Australian Society for Educational Technology (ASET) is the national organisation in Australia for people with professional interests in educational technology. These pages informs one about the society and its activities and includes annotated links.
• Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education provides a means of communication among those persons conducting or using research in postsecondary education. The CSSHE adopted as its purpose "the advancement of knowledge of postsecondary education through the dissemination through publication and learned meetings".
• HiED (Higher Education Development International) web site has not been maintained since 1996, but still has a number of useful links and resources.
• Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) supports the activities of those involved in the improvement of teaching, learning and policy in higher education. The site includes details of conferences, publications and other activites of HERDSA.
• Higher Education Staff Development Agency (HESDA) was created in November 2000 to bring together the work of the Universities' and Colleges' Staff Development Agency (UCoSDA) and The Higher Education Training Council (THETO). HESDA is an agency for developing the skills, training and qualifications of people working in higher education, HESDA is committed to the promotion of strategically planned staff development and training provision across universities and colleges and other strategic human resource initiatives across the UK higher education sector.
• The Higher Education Academy is a UK-wide organisation set up to support quality enhancement in teaching and the student experience in higher education. It was formed from a merger of the Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE), the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN), and the TQEF National Co-ordination Team (NCT)
• National Association for Managers and Student Services in Colleges (NAMSS) provides information & support for UK students and staff on Students Services and promotes nationally recognised quality standards of Student Services practice.
• Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network fosters human development in higher education through faculty, instructional, and organizational development. POD provides support and services for its members through publications, conferences, consulting, and networking.
• Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) "was established in 1965 to stimulate and co-ordinate research into all aspects of higher education. It aims to improve the quality of higher education through the encouragement of debate and publication on issues of policy, on the organisation and management of higher education institutions, and on the curriculum, teaching and learning method."
• Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (SLTHE) is a national association of academics in Canada "interested in the improvement of teaching and learning in higher education. The Society sponsors an annual conference, a series of workshops, an electronic bulletin board and the 3M Teaching Fellowships."
• Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) is the professional association for staff and educational developers in the UK, promoting innovation and good practice in higher education.
• Universities' and Colleges' Staff Development Agency (UCoSDA) UCoSDA was replaced by the Higher Education Staff Development Agency (HESDA) in November 2000.

If you have any suggestions for additions to this list, please send details to us at deliberations@londonmet.ac.uk