Improving Learning Improvement: Sustaining Efforts through Kotter's Change Model
Faculty Advisor Name
Keston Fulcher
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
Description
The purpose of this presentation is to expand upon JMU’s novel approach to assessment within a learning improvement framework through application of Kotter’s (1996) theory of change. For decades, the assessment of student learning has focused on the goal of accurately measuring the knowledge, skills, and abilities of students. A great deal of effort has been devoted to the improvement of measurement tools, the refinement of statistical models, and the development of effective assessment systems. However, these advances have left key practical issues in assessment unsolved. One important issue is that assessment is frequently used to serve accountability aims (such as accreditation and mandated state reporting), but examples of assessment being used to improve academic programs and interventions are rare (Ewell, 2009; Banta & Blaich, 2011). Too often, assessment reports are written and filed away without being used to make meaningful decisions about program effectiveness. Programs do not improve as a result of this type of assessment practice. In light of such practices, it is unsurprising assessment is sometimes viewed as a waste of time and resources: if informed decisions are not made as a result of engaging in the assessment process, why engage in the process at all?
Recent contributions to higher education assessment have addressed this problem by providing frameworks for more effective uses of assessment results. In particular, Fulcher, Good, Coleman, and Smith’s (2014) simple model for learning improvement reframes assessment as a supporting element in a larger learning system. The simple model consists of three steps: collect baseline data, intervene effectively, and re-assess following the intervention. Significant resources are devoted to developing and implementing effective, theory-based interventions that can result in improved student learning at the program level. This model has been used successfully at JMU to provide evidence of program-level learning improvement, most notably in the Computer Information Systems (CIS) program. Multiple other programs are currently engaging in learning improvement initiatives, and newly-created opportunities for student affairs programs to participate in learning improvement demonstrate that the applications of a learning improvement approach are not limited to academic programs.
The simple model, although concise, is not foolproof. Without significant planning and investment from a number of partners, implementation of a data- and theory-driven intervention is unlikely to be successful. Learning improvement initiatives require intentional, coordinated organizational change. This presentation will draw from John Kotter’s theory of change (Kotter, 1996), which has been successfully applied in business settings as well as the fields of health care and higher education. Kotter’s theory of change provides guidance for building and sustaining effective change efforts, such as those required by a learning improvement initiative. In particular, this presentation will explore the importance of empowering all participants in the learning improvement initiative to engage in broad-based actions to take ownership over the initiative. We believe this step to be an essential, but unexplored, avenue for building long-term engagement with learning improvement initiatives.
References
Banta, T. W., & Blaich, C. F. (2011). Closing the assessment loop. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 43(1), 22-27.
Ewell, P.T. (2009, November). Assessment, accountability, and improvement: Revisiting the tension. (Occasional Paper No. 1). Urbana, Il: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment.
Fulcher, K. H., Good, M. R., Coleman, C. M., & Smith, K. L. (2014, December). A simple model for learning improvement: Weigh pig, feed pig, weigh pig. (Occasional Paper No. 23). Urbana, Il: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment.
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Improving Learning Improvement: Sustaining Efforts through Kotter's Change Model
The purpose of this presentation is to expand upon JMU’s novel approach to assessment within a learning improvement framework through application of Kotter’s (1996) theory of change. For decades, the assessment of student learning has focused on the goal of accurately measuring the knowledge, skills, and abilities of students. A great deal of effort has been devoted to the improvement of measurement tools, the refinement of statistical models, and the development of effective assessment systems. However, these advances have left key practical issues in assessment unsolved. One important issue is that assessment is frequently used to serve accountability aims (such as accreditation and mandated state reporting), but examples of assessment being used to improve academic programs and interventions are rare (Ewell, 2009; Banta & Blaich, 2011). Too often, assessment reports are written and filed away without being used to make meaningful decisions about program effectiveness. Programs do not improve as a result of this type of assessment practice. In light of such practices, it is unsurprising assessment is sometimes viewed as a waste of time and resources: if informed decisions are not made as a result of engaging in the assessment process, why engage in the process at all?
Recent contributions to higher education assessment have addressed this problem by providing frameworks for more effective uses of assessment results. In particular, Fulcher, Good, Coleman, and Smith’s (2014) simple model for learning improvement reframes assessment as a supporting element in a larger learning system. The simple model consists of three steps: collect baseline data, intervene effectively, and re-assess following the intervention. Significant resources are devoted to developing and implementing effective, theory-based interventions that can result in improved student learning at the program level. This model has been used successfully at JMU to provide evidence of program-level learning improvement, most notably in the Computer Information Systems (CIS) program. Multiple other programs are currently engaging in learning improvement initiatives, and newly-created opportunities for student affairs programs to participate in learning improvement demonstrate that the applications of a learning improvement approach are not limited to academic programs.
The simple model, although concise, is not foolproof. Without significant planning and investment from a number of partners, implementation of a data- and theory-driven intervention is unlikely to be successful. Learning improvement initiatives require intentional, coordinated organizational change. This presentation will draw from John Kotter’s theory of change (Kotter, 1996), which has been successfully applied in business settings as well as the fields of health care and higher education. Kotter’s theory of change provides guidance for building and sustaining effective change efforts, such as those required by a learning improvement initiative. In particular, this presentation will explore the importance of empowering all participants in the learning improvement initiative to engage in broad-based actions to take ownership over the initiative. We believe this step to be an essential, but unexplored, avenue for building long-term engagement with learning improvement initiatives.
References
Banta, T. W., & Blaich, C. F. (2011). Closing the assessment loop. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 43(1), 22-27.
Ewell, P.T. (2009, November). Assessment, accountability, and improvement: Revisiting the tension. (Occasional Paper No. 1). Urbana, Il: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment.
Fulcher, K. H., Good, M. R., Coleman, C. M., & Smith, K. L. (2014, December). A simple model for learning improvement: Weigh pig, feed pig, weigh pig. (Occasional Paper No. 23). Urbana, Il: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment.
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
