This opinion piece presents material derived from a thought piece about the future of academic development and a phenomenographic study in which the collaborative open learning experience was explored within two cross-institutional academic development courses and. The proposition for academic development shared in this article is based on some of the study’s findings around cross-boundary community synthesized with conceptual ideas to present an alternative approach to academic development that connects academic staff, students and the public, diversifies the offer, and turns it into a dynamic practitioner-driven collaboration