Strategic Management of Teaching & Learning

1. Strategic Management of Teaching & Learning Paul Ramsden The University of Sydney

2. What is the University of Sydney? • Australia’s first university • 37,000 students • Comprehensive curriculum and equity of access • Best research grant performance; highest industry-linked research income • Highest PhD completions; absoluteleader in ISI publications • Alumni include several past PMs, President of the Royal Society, Australian Governor General, Head of World Bank

3. Managing Teaching & Learning • Global imperatives • Strategic management • Managing universities • Quality & management • Illustrations from experience

4. Global imperatives • New providers and technologies • Undergraduate curriculum • Student experience • Funding changes, deregulation, division • Mode 2

5. Mode 1 Mode 2 Individuals Teams Academic control Interaction with users Disciplines Problems Quality control Broadly-basedthro’ peer review quality control (Coaldrake, 1999, after Gibbons, 1998)

6. Present emphasis Future emphasis Instructional delivery Teacher and information centred Supply driven Faculty and universities decide what’s important Knowledge and specialisation outcomes Learning acquisition Student and concept centred Demand driven Learners and users decide what’s important Performance and integration outcomes

7. Implications of Mode 2 • Synthesis generic-disciplinary • Communication skills • Issues-based / PBL / integration of I.T. • Relevance = less overload • Challenge of engagement • New T-R nexus?

8. Strategic university management • The successful university • Shattock’s key words • Internal contexts

9. Successful university = adaptive university • Crisis vs. opportunity • Agility and participation • Clear goals, real plans • Differentiated, entrepreneurial cultures • Strategic management • Nexus academic - planning • Reputation is priceless Adapted from B. Clark, B. Sporn, M. Shattock

10. Key words • Competition • Opportunism • Income generation & cost reduction • Relevance • Excellence • Reputation Source: Shattock, 1999

11. Finance Teaching & learning Staff - admin. Student demand Research Staff - academic Facilities Planning support The framework of coordination

12. Finance Teaching & learning Staff - admin. Student demand Research Staff - academic Facilities Planning support The framework of coordination

13. Teaching & learning Staff - admin. Student demand Research Staff - academic Finance Facilities Planning support The framework of coordination

14. Teaching & learning Staff - admin. Student demand Research Staff - academic Finance Facilities Planning support The framework of coordination

15. A strategic vision ensures that excellence in one activity is used to reinforce others

16. Undesirable features of internal context • ‘Collegial’ response times • Feral faculties • Uncoordinated decisions • Playing safe, not investing • Ignoring requests • Focus on product & supplier • Unrealised plans

17. Beneficial features of internal context • Rapid response times • Teamwork • Alignment, open debate • Motivation, entrepreneurial spirit, risk taking • Integrated decision-making (e.g. academic–resource) • Operational planning • Core business focus

18. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT • Balance opposites • Break barriers • Turning circles, action • Reputation Handling tensions EXTERNAL CHANGE • Competition • Fewer public funds • Accountability • Mass higher ed. • Flexible learning STAFF MORALE • Less autonomy • Death of collegiality • “Professionals to Proletarians”

19. Managing universities

20. Managing universities • In days gone by ... • Dearing’s view • Machiavelli’s view • My view !

21. “Misguided managerialist mantra ...” “The lofty complacencies of leadership ...” “Men and women in suits who don’t know what teaching and research are about” “Given to strutting, boasting, inflating, aggrandising …” “Responsible for the betrayal of universities … craven, authoritarian, traitors to the academy”

22. Academics Management

23. Managing universities (Lord D’s view) Management = (1) getting people to want what you want (2) setting them free to achieve it

24. Managing universities (Machiavelli’s view) • Protect your allies • Build a power base • Don’t be hated by strong groups • Demand accountability • Fight when you can win • Don’t reveal weakness • Set an example • Be wise to be well advised • Cultivate trust in subordinates

25. Memo from Machiavelli “It should be borne in mind that there is nothing more difficult to arrange, more doubtful of success, and more dangerous to carry through than initiating changes… “The innovator makes enemies of all those who prospered in the old order, and only lukewarm support is forthcoming from those who would prosper in the new”

26. Managing universities (my view) • Muddle through vaguely • Over the horizon - vision • Cajole and persuade • Use authority • Credit where it’s due • Memorise the definitions of ‘responsive’ and ‘consult’ • Align people and the future (new ways + academic values)

27. Leadership = vision + action “Leaders identify an issue that is perceived by the larger community as an important dilemma or critical problem. “The true leader offers (and implements) a solution” Source: Julius et al, ‘Memo from Machiavelli’, J.H.E. 1999

28. Quality & management

29. Quality – worst practice • Intrusive methods • Bureaucracy & paper trails • Increased academic workloads • Extra data collection • Ignore diversity in system

30. Better quality management of T&L • Specify indicators correctly • Do everything to avoid higher academic workloads (reviews, portfolios… not really) • Intervention should be inversely proportional to success

31. The 3 laws of quality in h.e. • The smaller the unit, the more it will emphasise the denominator • The lower the performance of the unit, the more it will emphasise ‘value adding’ • There is always a hidden agenda

32. Quality - strategic management perspective • Set clear direction • Set people free • Avoid edu-speak • Use PIs to signal problems • Use funding to drive change • Be efficient – use existing data • Use hard evidence • Compare like with like

33. The bottom line Change isn’t optional

34. Some illustrations from experience

35. Illustrations from experience • Research-led environment • Restructuring faculties • Re-purposing staff development • IT leverage + evidence-based teaching • Planning • Performance-based funding • International benchmarking

36. Research-led teaching

37. Why research-led teaching? • ‘Studious inquiry’ • Learning community • Expression of faith in progress • Imagination • Be taught by the people who wrote the books, are the world experts • Lifelong learning

38. Research-led teaching • Focus on total student experience • Focus on quality – community of scholars • Early active, research-based learning • Transform curriculum to PBL/issues- based • Integrate academic rigour and relevance

39. Computer science • Goal: students acquire basis for lifelong IT learning • Dissatisfaction with previous model • 2-stage implementation • Systematic evaluation • resilience • cost/benefit • teamwork (See http://www.cs.usyd.edu.au/~judy/PBL/)

40. Better doctors: evidence-based improvement • Health needs of community • Graduate entry; student mix • Problems and people integrated with science (PBL) • Assessment, workload, relevance, generic skills • I.T. (feedback, independence) • New research partnerships

42. Restructured faculties

43. Restructure of Economics & Business • 8 depts -> 2 schools • ‘Attractive ideas that are strategically sensible’ • Driven by existing dissatisfaction • What makes USyd competitive? • Realising the significance of the brand

44. Planning

45. Planning process (Faculty level) • Strategic Plan 2000-2004 • big picture, vision • objectives, strategies • linked to Uni. Plan and PVC (T&L) plan • Operational Plan 2000-2001 • strategies • specific targets and indicators of progress

46. University Strategic Plan University Teaching and Learning Plan Faculty Teaching and Learning Strategic & Operational Plans

47. Faculty plans are condition for receiving Teaching Dividend • Faculty reports against targets • form basis of subsequent plans

48. Strategic Plan Business Case Operational Plans - IRR - sustainability (lifecycle costs) - targets - timelines PIs - measure where you’re at - mindset: improvement

49. Performance funding

50. Induce movement in desired direction • Tailor measures to purposes • PBF • competitive grants • directed investment • information-driven markets • Simple & robust > elegant & precise • Periodic base adjustments Source: Ewell, 1999