Transformative Change Models in Higher Education - Part 2

Changing Higher Ed

In Part 2 of this series, Drumm McNaughton, F. Joseph Merlino, and Deborah Pomeroy dive deeper into the strategies and approaches for driving transformative change in higher education, focusing on preparing teachers for the 21st century. They share valuable insights and real-world examples drawn from their extensive research and practical experiences.

Key Discussion Points

Change Theory and the Process of Change:

· Understanding change theory and the process of change is crucial for driving transformative change in higher education.

· Change must be driven by a meaningful purpose owned by all stakeholders.

· Transformative change takes time, requires support, space for experimentation, and acceptance of mistakes as part of the learning process.

Aligning Change with Core Identity, Mission, and Legacy:

· Ensuring that the desired change aligns with the institution's core identity, mission, and legacy is vital for successful transformation.

· The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) serves as an excellent example of aligning change with core identity and mission.

The Role of Service Learning in Pedagogy and Research:

· Service learning plays a crucial role in transforming teacher preparation programs and enhancing both pedagogy and research.

· Partnerships between universities and high schools reveal a rich, reciprocal relationship where professors learn as much from teachers as teachers learn from them.

· Service learning enriches research, enabling professors to explore new ideas and change their conceptual frameworks within and across disciplines.

Rethinking Tenure and Promotion:

· The traditional allocation of weight in tenure and promotion may need to be reconsidered to address changing demographics and challenges in higher education.

· Recognizing the importance of faculty engagement with the community and the potential for service learning to enhance both pedagogy and research.

Bridging the Gap Between High School and Higher Education:

· Collaborating with high school teachers to develop critical thinking skills and willingness to engage with novel problems among incoming students.

· Aligning with the findings from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) studies on employer expectations for essential life skills.

· Learning from the example of Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, in bridging the gap between high school and higher education.

The Importance of External Facilitators in the Change Process:

· The role of external facilitators in providing a neutral perspective, navigating institutional dynamics, and lending credibility to the change process.

· The value of a presidential onboarding process conducted by an external facilitator for presidents appointed from outside the institution.

Three Key Takeaways for University Presidents and Boards:

· Understand change theory and the process of change, recognizing that change must be driven by a meaningful purpose owned by all stakeholders.

· Ensure that the change aligns with the institution's core identity, mission, and legacy.

· Navigate the challenges of establishing networks and building trust, whether appointed from within the institution or coming from the outside.

The insights shared in this two-part series serve as a valuable guide for university presidents, boards, and executive leadership seeking to drive meaningful change in higher education.

Read the transcript on our website: https://changinghighered.com/transformative-change-models-in-higher-ed-p2/

About Our Podcast Guests

F. Joseph Merlino is the President of the 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education, and the co-author of a new book, New Era-New Urgency: The Case for Repurposing Education. For 35 years, he has served as the principal investigator or director of many National Science Foundation, U.S, Department of Education, and U.S. Agency for International Development projects. He was a co-PI on a six-year project to study transformative STEM change in six higher education institutions. Based on this past research, he has been working in Egypt for the past 12 years where he directs a $24M project to design five new undergraduate STEM teacher preparation programs involving 180 new courses in 5 universities. He oversaw the development of 21 new model Egyptian STEM high schools based on 11 Grand Challenges. He has a BA in Psychology from the University of Rochester and an MA in Education from Arcadia University.

Deborah Pomeroy, EdD, is an associate professor emeritus of science education at Arcadia University. After three years in scientific research, she shifted to a career in science education and taught high school science for 19 years in Fairbanks, AK. During that time, she received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. Following her high school teaching career, she completed a doctorate at the Harvard Graduate School for Education. She then taught science education at Arcadia University for 14 years where she consulted for several school districts and directed multiple education reform projects K-16. Much of her work in higher education involved both helping facilitate the development of new curricula and facilitating and studying the impact of partnerships between professors and high school teachers. Later, in Egypt, she helped to lead a massive project to develop a new integrated STEM education curriculum funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

About the Host

Dr. Drumm McNaughton is a higher education consultant specializing in governance, accreditation, strategic planning, change management, and mergers. To learn more about his services and other thought leadership pieces, visit his firm’s website: https://changinghighered.com/.

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