A ‘room of one’s own’ in learning development: establishing spaces for writing for new learning developers

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi40.1837

Keywords:

writing, writing spaces, new learning developers, professional identity, learning development, scholarship

Abstract

This speculative essay uses Virginia Woolf’s metaphor of a ‘room of one’s own’ to explore whether Learning Development (LD), as a field, provides effectual physical and figurative spaces whereby new learning developers (LDers) feel empowered to write their authentic selves into professional ‘being’. Drawing upon scholarly work into the professional identity of LDers, it argues that collaborative (and communal) shared ‘rooms’ or spaces ‘designed’ specifically for new LDers will enable them to develop confidence in contributing their written thoughts to the wider LD community.

Author Biography

Joy Igiebor, Birkbeck, University of London

Joy Igiebor is a Learning Development Tutor for Birkbeck Law School and the School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication at Birkbeck, University of London. She has interests in teaching and research related to academic writing, critical approaches to pedagogy, and learning developers’ identity and professional development.  She is a Fellow of ALDinHE, an Advance HE Fellow (FHEA), and a member of the ALDinHE CPD Working Group. Joy is the author of Doing Learning Development in Higher Education: A Practical Guide for New and Early Career Learning Developers published by Routledge in 2026.

References

Buckley, C. & Frith, L. (2024). The development of expertise and identity within a community of practice: A networking model. In A. Syska, & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a learning developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp. 34–42). Routledge.

Gewirtz, I. (2011). ‘With anger and emphasis’: The proof copy of A room of one’s own. Woolf Studies Annual, 17, 1–76. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24906872

Whitchurch, C. (2008). Shifting identities and blurring boundaries: The emergence of third space professionals in UK higher education. Higher Education Quarterly, 62(4), 377–396. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2008.00387.x

Woolf, V. (2020). A room of one’s own. Penguin Books. (Original work published 1929).

Zinsser, W. (2006). On writing well: The classic guide to writing nonfiction (30th anniversary ed.). HarperCollins. (Original work published 1976).

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Published

25-06-2026

How to Cite

Igiebor, J. (2026). A ‘room of one’s own’ in learning development: establishing spaces for writing for new learning developers . Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (40). https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi40.1837

Issue

No. 40 (2026)

Section

Letters

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Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education

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