6/10/2015
Four Challenges
to Institutional
Change
Charles Henderson
Western Michigan University
http://wmich.edu/changeresearch
SMTI 2015 National Conference
June 4 2015
New Orleans
Overview
• Why do we need institutional change?
• Four challenges to institutional change
• An example: Implementation of SCALE-UP
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Four Categories of Change Strategies
DISSEMINATING
DEVELOPING
Curriculum & Pedagogy
Reflective Teachers
DEVELOPING
DEVELOPING
Policy
Shared Vision
Emergent Final Condition
Prescribed Final Condition
Focus on Changing Individuals
Focus on Changing Environment/Structures
*C. Henderson, A. Beach, and N. Finkelstein, “Facilitating change in undergraduate STEM instructional practices: An analytic review of the
literature. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48(8), 952-984 (2011).
How they Work
Focus on Changing Individuals
Design
Implement
Institutio
nalize
Experi
ment
Emergent Final Condition
Prescribed Final Condition
Evaluate
Learn
Focus on Changing Environment/Structures
*C. Henderson, A. Beach, and N. Finkelstein, “Facilitating change in undergraduate STEM instructional practices: An analytic review of the
literature. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48(8), 952-984 (2011).
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How they Work
C. Henderson, A. Beach, and N. Finkelstein, “Facilitating change in undergraduate STEM instructional practices: An analytic review
of the literature. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48(8), 952-984 (2011).
STEM change agents often focus on individuals. This is not sufficient.
C. Henderson, A. Beach, and N. Finkelstein, “Facilitating change in undergraduate STEM instructional practices: An analytic review
of the literature. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48(8), 952-984 (2011).
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Focusing only on individuals does not change the
traditional situations in which individuals work
3. Content Coverage Expectations
Common 1st Semester
Introductory Physics Topics
1. Physical Infrastructure
2. Departmental Norms
1. Vectors
2. Units
3. Motion in One
Dimension
4. Motion in Two
Dimensions
5. Newton's Laws
6. Work and Energy
7. Systems of
Particles
8. Conservation of
Momentum
9. Rotation
10. Static
Equilibrium
11. Gravity
12. Elastic Properties
of Solids
13. Mechanics of
Fluids
14. Ideal Gas Law
15. First Law of
Thermodynamics
16. Second Law of
Thermodynamics
17. Oscillations
18. Waves on a
String
19. Sound
4. Institutional Expectations
5. Student Expectations
(the hidden contract)
Henderson, C., & Dancy, M. H. (2007). Barriers to the use of research-based instructional strategies: The influence of both individual and situational characteristics.
Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 3(2), 020102. http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.3.020102
Successful change requires changing traditional situations. We often
call this institutional change.
• Even motivated instructors who
are knowledgeable about new
teaching methods run into
difficulties
• Instructors face many situational
constraints that frequently result
in discontinuation or inappropriate
use
Change
Individuals
Change
Situation
Henderson, C., & Dancy, M. H. (2007). Barriers to the use of research-based instructional strategies: The influence of both individual and situational characteristics.
Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 3(2), 020102. http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.3.020102
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Four Challenges to Institutional Change
• Vision – Change involves new ideas
Innovation
• Where do the new ideas come from? How are they selected?
• To what extent are they prescribed vs. emergent ?
• Motivation – People need to behave differently
Kathy Quardokus Fisher
• What communication messages will people find motivating?
• What structures need to be in place for people to be motivated?
• Momentum – New ideas and practices need to spread beyond their
initial location
Spread
• What is generalizable about the new idea or practice? How can this be
communicated?
• What are the environmental (cultural or structural) barriers to the use of
the new idea or practice?
• Institutionalization – Sustained use of new ideas and practices
requires a change in the environment
• What environmental barriers need to be removed?
• What new environmental structures should be added?
Innovation works differently in prescribed vs. emergent change.
Spread is the same.
Innovation
• Motivation
• Vision
This is hard• Vision
• Motivation
Spread
This
is really hard
• Institutionalization
• Momentum
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Examples
• SCALE-UP
• Boulder
• Just now
• WMU
• 10:05 Bonnet
Carre Room
SCALE-UP Involves redesigning the
classroom and pedagogy
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Case studies of SCALE-UP implementations
• Phone interviews with “successful” SCALE-UP
implementations. Selected from a web survey.
•
•
•
•
Most departments
Most influential
High longevity
High penetration
• 22 initiation efforts at 20 institutions.
13 doctoral/research institutions
6 masters colleges and universities
1 Associates College
13 physics departments
6 biology departments
4 engineering/computer science departments
2 math departments
2 geology departments
1 marine science department
Innovation
• Top-Down Institution
• Video of SCALE-UP reform was circulating around campus,
generating interest.
• Major flood resulted in need to reconstruct classrooms and
federal funding was available.
• Provost created team to decide on funding use, they build
SU classrooms and implemented training program for
faculty.
• Bottom-Up Institution
• Math and engineering faculty were collaborating on funded
reform efforts and heard about SU through NSF reform
initiative and Beichner’s post-doc.
• High failure rates in gatekeeper courses were a concern of
upper administration who provided funds for SU
classrooms at request of faculty champions.
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Spread
Top-Down Institution (7 classrooms used by 60 departments)
•
•
•
•
Rooms centrally controlled --> all departments could use
Center for Teaching ran mandatory training program
Some department chairs encouraged their faculty
Faculty and student excitement about successful courses helped
motivate faculty
Bottom-Up Institution (10 SU classrooms used by 10
departments, all general engineering courses are SU)
• Math department head decided all introductory calculus courses
would be SCALE-UP
• Spread from math and general engineering to civil and mechanical
engineering because of an interdisciplinary grant
• Instructors invited visitors to observe classes spread outside
STEM
Commonalities
• Key figures with existing interest in reform were introduced to SCALEUP through informal mechanisms and colleague connections.
• Financial support for redesigned rooms was available due to
supportive administrators.
• Administrative support and the visibility of redesigned classrooms
contributed to success.
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Implications
• Change can happen either bottom-up or top-down
• Administration-faculty partnerships is important
• Cross departmental collaboration assists dissemination
• Structural changes (i.e., redesigned classrooms) add visibility and
sustainability
Four Challenges to Institutional Change
• Vision – Change involves new ideas
Innovation
• Where do the new ideas come from?
• To what extent are they prescribed vs. emergent ?
• Motivation – People need to behave differently
• What communication messages will people find motivating?
• What structures need to be in place for people to be motivated?
• Momentum – New ideas and practices need to spread beyond their
initial location
Spread
• What is generalizable about the new idea or practice? How can this be
communicated?
• What are the environmental (cultural or structural) barriers to the use of
the new idea or practice?
• Institutionalization – Sustained use of new ideas and practices
requires a change in the environment
• What environmental barriers need to be removed?
• What new environmental structures should be added?
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