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Academic 15: Staff Perspectives on Curricular Change

Explore the research study framework and results from academic staff on curricular change, including trends, challenges, and strategic actions. Learn about the survey process, primary investigators, and key themes identified for organizational needs and responses.

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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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