History and archives

History of the Development Education Research Centre

The Development Education Research Centre was formed in 2006 with funding from the UK government via its Department for International Development (now incorporated into the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office). 

The creation of the centre was the result of widespread discussion amongst members of the development education community in the UK, and dialogue with policy-makers at both a national and international level to fill the gap in research and academic engagement in the field. 

The Centre continued to receive core funding from the UK government up to 2012. This funding enabled the creation of the first-ever online Masters’ programme on development education, which continues to operate today as the MA in Global Learning, and also led to the establishment of the International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning, which is today supported by UCL Press.

After 2012, DERC has received funding from a range of national and international bodies related to specific projects and programmes: such as the British Council, UNESCO, a range of civil society organisations, as well as the UK government, through projects such as the Global Learning Programme from 2012 to 2018.

One of its main recent projects, co-funded through Global Education Network Europe since 2017, has been the creation of the international Academic Network of Global Education and Learning (ANGEL) which has engaged over a thousand academics and researchers from around the world. 

Archives and collections

The Development Education Research Centre has a huge collection of material that relates to Global Education and Learning research and practice, as well as to older, foundational approaches and disciplines that laid the groundwork for the establishment of Global Learning as a discrete approach. Students and researchers working in this area are welcome to get in touch with the team with queries about publications.

Think Global archive

DERC holds an important archive from the Non-Governmental Organisation Think Global, which was the umbrella networking organisation for organisations engaged with development education, global learning and global citizenship education in England. 

The archive is comprised of two parts:

1. A large physical library of publications that has been catalogued and is now available in the IOE library. This includes the complete run of the Development Education Journal, published between 1994–2007.
2. A repository of digital material that once resided in a searchable library on the Think Global website. You are likely to be able to find physical copies of much of what is seen in the digital repository in the IOE library. 

Background

Think Global were formed in 1993 as the Development Education Association (DEA) and changed their name in 2008 to Think Global. The organisation produced some excellent resources for schools, youth organisations, higher education institutions, and adult educators. They also produced some important policy and research materials that were used by its members and in the lobbying of UK government. They played a leading role in the development and application of the term ‘global learning’ for teachers and schools. From 2008 onwards, until their closure in 2019, their main focus was on supporting teachers and schools. They were one of the partners in the Global Learning Programme, which also involved DERC in a separate capacity.