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Academic 15: Staff Perspectives on Curricular Change

Academic 15: Staff Perspectives on Curricular Change. David Grainger Wedaman Brandeis University February 26, 2013. Agenda. A15 Overview Survey Process Highlights from Year 2 Results Changes Planned for Year 3 Take- aways and a Meta Thought. A15 Overview. Research study framework

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Academic 15: Staff Perspectives on Curricular Change

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  1. Academic 15:Staff Perspectives on Curricular Change David Grainger Wedaman Brandeis University February 26, 2013

  2. Agenda • A15 Overview • Survey Process • Highlights from Year 2 Results • Changes Planned for Year 3 • Take-aways and a Meta Thought

  3. A15 Overview • Research study framework • Perspectives of academic staff on curricular change • Volunteer ethos and off-the-shelf tools • Has been applied twice: 2011 and 2012

  4. Primary investigators • Gale Matthews-DeNatale, Northeastern • Lisa Spiro, NITLE • Michael Stephens, San Jose State • David Wedaman, Brandeis

  5. Research fellows • Susanna Cowan, Connecticut • ShereeFu, Claremont • Ellen Freeman, Colby • Scott Hamlin, Wheaton • Alison Hicks, Colorado • Debra Kolah, Rice • Diane Wahl, North Texas • Angela Walker, Rhode Island • Sherrill Weaver, Oakton

  6. Seminal questions • Is the perspective of academic staff important to understanding and responding to curricular change? • Cross-institutions? Cross-constituencies? • Can we gather that perspective?

  7. Survey details

  8. Three questions • What recent changes or new trends do you see in teaching, learning, and/or research on your campus? • What challenges do you see arising in your ongoing operations as a result of these trends or changes? • How are you responding, planning to respond, or hoping to respond to these challenges?

  9. Three questions • “Changes” or “Salient Trends” • “Challenges” or “Organizational Needs” • “Responses” or “Strategic Actions”

  10. Process: Phase 1 • We recruit higher education academic staff • We get consent and assign a codename • Volunteer interviewers ask the three questions • We write down their answers

  11. Process: Phase 2 • We line-number the text files of the answers • We use a portion of the results to develop a code book • A code is assigned to each meaningful line • A second person confirms the coding

  12. Phase 3: Analysis and Reporting • We construct a spreadsheet of all meaningful lines • We look for simple patterns • We report on those patterns, and compare them to the previous years

  13. Technology • Shared Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets • Dropbox • Skype • Excel • A flexible participation structure

  14. Results

  15. Overview • 55 interviews generated 1,147 ideas in 61 categories • Interviewees: • educational technologists 41% • librarians 48% • information technologists 11% • staff level 46% • manager level 46% • senior administrators 7%

  16. Analysis • Examined data in simple ways: by code, question, job category, staff level • Synthesized into 3 overarching areas: • Salient Trends • Organizational Needs • Strategic Actions

  17. Salient Trends • Shift Towards Learner-Centered Pedagogy • Emphasis on Curricular Reform and Assessment • Growth of Online and Blended Learning • Emerging Technological Infrastructure for Learning • Transformations in Research Practices in a Digital Age

  18. Organizational Needs • Resource Constraints • Collaboration Constraints • Rethinking Working Models • Dealing with Rapid Technological Change • Dealing with Organizational Change

  19. Strategic Actions • Collaboration and Community Engagement • Financial Proactivity • Organizational Transformation • Professional Development • Strategy

  20. “Changes” by Job Type / Level

  21. “Challenges” by Job Type / Level

  22. “Responses” by Job Type / Level

  23. Key overarching themes • Coping with Change • Increasing Collaboration • Financial Constraints • Change in the Library

  24. Changes for Year 3 • “Automate” consent • Limit loquacity & correct for “code skewing” • Focus on individual perceptions • More qualitative content analysis • Partner with a sponsoring organization

  25. Take-aways • The staff perspective can be gathered and is helpful in understanding cultural change. • A few volunteers (3) can run a fairly sophisticated survey process. • Simple off-the-shelf tools and techniques help far-flung people work together. • With a flexible participation structure and an iterative approach you can build a complex organization over time. • Participation in A15 is some awesome P.D.

  26. Meta • A15 takes a “learning organization” view • Staff are key epistemologically • perception of the environment • awareness of organizational needs • identification of strategic directions • Workplace systems should routinely integrate their perspectives

  27. Academic 15 • Preliminary Overview http://people.brandeis.edu/~wedaman/a15_year2_Overview_v5.doc • NITLE Poster http://people.brandeis.edu/~wedaman/NITLE_Poster_acad15_12.ppt

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