Using Appreciative Inquiry to motivate staff enhancement of their inclusive practice in learning and teaching

1. Using Appreciative Inquiry to motivate staff enhancement of their inclusive practice in learning and teaching Research Seminar Series 2009: Access and Success for All July 6th 2009 Will Bowen-Jones, Principal Lecturer, ISES Dr Val Chapman [NTF], Director, Centre for Inclusive Learning Support Dr John Peters [NTF], Assistant Director, Academic Development and Practice Unit Emma Pollard, Student, ISES

2. As a result of engaging with this session you should be able to… • Describe and critique the research activities undertaken by students in an academic Institute • Assess the impact of the Appreciative Inquiry approach on professional practice • Discuss the issues and opportunities arising from the project • Reflect and decide if the approach would be of use in their own practice

3. Post-it activity • On your each of your three post-its, please write an adjective that describes inclusive practice in your professional setting (3 adjectives in total) • PLEASE NOTE!!! You may only use positive words

4. Please write your answers to the following: • When have you felt most engaged, truly committed and enthusiastic about inclusivity? • What do you think your colleagues at your university do really, really well in relation to inclusive practice? • Given limitless resources (blue skies thinking), what would you like to see them doing even better?

5. Project’s key features as defined in the HEA bid (Sept 2007- Sept 08) • Development of innovative staff development package • Supplementary resources to support academics • Further development of the SCIPS web based resource (www.scips.worc.ac.uk) • Embedding in institutional policy and practice • Piloted with the Institute of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Worcester (UW)

6. Key research question How can we engage the interest and commitment of staff to further develop their inclusive practice in learning and teaching? Selection of an Appreciative Inquiry approach

7. Appreciative Inquiry • Based on David Cooperider’s doctoral work at Case Western Reserve University (1999) • Eschews former Organization Development (OD) deficit models • Espouses a positive approach to change that builds a vision for the future based upon what already works well within an existing system • Self-empowering philosophy • ‘4-D’ process (Discover, Dream, Design and Destiny) • Focus on collaborative working of all stakeholders • Engages all stakeholders in systematic participation in a jointly constructed vision of an organization’s future

8. Appreciative Inquiry • Ap-pre’ci-ate, v., 1. valuing; the act of recognizing the best in people or the world around us; affirming past and present strengths, successes, and potentials; to perceive those things that give life (health, vitality, excellence) to living systems 2. to increase in value, e.g. the economy has appreciated in value. Synonyms: valuing, prizing, esteeming, and honouring. • In-quire’ (kwir), v., 1. the act of exploration and discovery. 2. To ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities. Synonyms: discovery, search, and systematic exploration, study.

9. What is it? • A reaction against problem-focused action research • Shifts focus to strengths and positives, to the ‘positive core’ of a situation or organisation • Focus on social construction & collective strengths • ‘A cooperative, coevolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations, and the world around them.’ • [Cooperrider & Whitney 2005]

10. The Key Question in AI • The ‘unconditional positive question’ • The systematic discovery of what gives “life” to a living system when it is most alive, most effective, and most constructively capable in economic, ecological, and human terms. • What gives life here?

11. The 4-D cycle • Discovery Phase • Sharing the positives • Dream Phase • Sharing a vision • Design Phase • Sharing what should be • Destiny Phase • Sharing a commitment to change

12. 1. Discovery Phase • What gives life here? • Making explicit and appreciating the best of what is • What most enthuses you about …? • Tell the story about a situation when you have felt most alive, engaged, valued, etc. • Mobilising the community and sharing findings through ‘propositional statements’

13. Propositional statements • I feel life in my work on inclusivity when:

14. 2. Dream Phase • Envisioning what might be • So what is at our heart? • What should be the ideal? • What have we always wanted to be? • What is the world calling us to become? • Picturing a future: drawing a vision

15. 3. Design Phase • Co-constructing • What should we be? • Possibility propositions and new organising principles • What would this organisation be like if it were designed to maximise the positive core and accelerate the achievement of our dream?

16. 4. Destiny Phase • Not the action plan! • ‘An inspired movement not a packaged product’ • ‘Positive protest’ • Realising the dream • An appreciative organisation

17. Can we use this? • For change management • As an evaluation process • As an annual cycle • Constant renewal • As a marketing device! • Still issues about

18. References • Cooperrider, D & Whitney, D 2005 Appreciative Inquiry: a positive revolution in change, San Francisco • Ludema, J. Whitney, D. Mohr, B. & Griffin, T. 2003 The Appreciative Inquiry Summit, San Fancisco • Ludema, J. Cooperrider, D & Barrett, F. 2001 ‘Appreciative Inquiry: the power of the unconditional positive’ in Reason, P. & Bradbury, H. Handbook of Action Research http://ai.cwru.edu

19. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process START DISCOVERY Briefing on inclusion and AI Pre-workshop activity Student’s interviews (VI) Generation of adjectives AI workshop (students) Roll out model to additional departments Students’ Post-it activity Student presentation Generation of propositional statements Focus group interview questions Focus group interview Staff Develop- ment Further planning & embedding Inaugural ISES staff/student research summit Inclusion survey Prioritisation meeting Staff response DESTINY DESIGN DREAM

20. Discovery phase (Jan/Feb 08) • Selection of student researchers • Pre-workshop activity • AI workshop • Data collection by student researchers • Post it exercise • Disabled student interview • Focus group interview (conducted by student member of project team) • Answers to reflective questions (pre-workshop activity) • Development of propositional statements

21. Dream phase (Mar 08) • Inaugural Institute of Sport and Exercise Science (ISES) staff/student research summit • Student researchers’ presentation • Audience: • Vice Chancellor • Guest speaker – Chief Executive, British Paralympic Association • ISES staff • Departmental Learning and Teaching (L&T) representatives

22. Post-it data from student lectures • Adjectives (n=265): • Enjoyable • Interesting • Challenging • Fun

23. Student researchers’ experiences of learning • Personal accounts • Inclusive practices • Challenges successfully overcome • Engagement of staff

24. Propositional statement 1 • All students make a positive contribution to the learning of their peers.

25. Propositional statement 2 • Students value the School’s strong sense of community and being made to feel part of it.

26. Propositional statement 3 • Students love it when staff support and celebrate their achievements.

27. Propositional statement 4 • Staff inspire students through being role models.

28. Propositional statement 5 • Students really enjoy learning through doing.

29. Propositional statement 6 • The Institute of Sport and Exercise Science (ISES) offers students a ‘ticket to their future’; it gives them the opportunity to ‘do things for themselves’, ‘become more independent’, to ‘reinvent themselves’ and ‘be their own person’. It offers a ‘liberating’ and transformative experience.

30. Design phase (Apr 08) • Prioritisation meeting with ISES team to determine: • Individual priorities • Draft priorities for referral to departmental Learning and Teaching Committee • Staff survey – ISES staff confidence ratings in inclusive practice (via survey monkey, 78% response rate) • Analysed to determine staff development priorities

31. Destiny phase (Ongoing) • Supplemental resources • SCIPS (Strategies for Creating Inclusive Programmes of Study) www.scips.worc.ac.uk (used 24/7, page ranked by Google 5/10) • Implementation of innovative staff development package • Embedding inclusive policy and practice in existing departmental structures and systems e.g. peer observation

32. Departmental priorities agreed at May ISES meeting • Share innovative practice; champion good practice; act as advocates for recruitment of disabled ISES staff and students; • Use peer observation to focus on inclusion; • Ensure effective screening to identify disabled/dyslexic students/issues; • Monitor retention & achievement in order to identify issues;

33. Departmental priorities agreed at May ISES meeting • Identify support strategies for part time/mature/ overseas/’living at a distance’ students; • Integrate inclusive practice throughout all modules rather than just focus in Sport and Disability module (inclusion strategy); • Adopt a more coherent approach to inclusion across the whole school.

34. Goal… Within the next two years, the ISES team will have an international reputation as leaders in the field of inclusive practice in sport and exercise science.

35. Individual Inclusivity Profile - aspects covered: • Admission/induction • Course content and design • Course delivery • Teaching styles • Assessment/ • examinations • Feedback to students • Physical environment • Technology/ • e-learning • Learning resources/ • course materials • Course Monitoring • Staff development • Academic Support • Work placement

36. Individual Inclusivity Profile(example)78% response rate (H: High; M: Medium)

38. Opportunities (value added) Provides evidence of UW’s commitment to provide ‘excellent, inclusive education’ as stipulated in its Mission Statement Review and revision of Open Day practice Research informed teaching Students as researchers Raised external profile, e.g. ‘360 degree’ conference presentation

39. Opportunities (value added) • ‘Step by Step Guide to AI’ (for staff and students) • AI as an approach to identifying and sharing good practice at UW • AI Guide distributed to other HEIs in UK and South Africa • Appointment of a dedicated researcher • AI now being adopted by researchers

40. Issues Student involvement proved labour intensive for project staff Pressurised timescale Ethics and responsibilities Associated costs Alternative formats for disabled student researchers Roll out

41. Developing propositional statements • From the given data sets, identify key words or phrases • Transcribe onto post-its and categorise into themes • Draft 3 propositional statements about staff development – these should be a distillation that captures the spirit of the responses

42. Examples • All students make a positive contribution to the learning of their peers. • Students value the Institute’s strong sense of community and being made to feel part of it.