The Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) was formed in1993 . SEDA was set up to support members of the emergent profession of educational development, originally in the UK and subsequently internationally. This article explores how colleagues working in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), to improve assessment, learning and teaching practices, became, through SEDA, an active and engaged community. The authors argue that there are different forms of communities of practice and professional learning communities such as practice-based, task-based and knowledge-based groups and SEDA’s sub-communities work in each of these areas. The authors conclude that SEDA’s ongoing existence as an organisation as well as a community of practice will rely on its ability to take in its stride a radically changing higher education environment.