2014 new member orientation
TRANSCRIPT
Alisa Belzer
Rutgers University
How to be a Change Agent at Home
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Where we started out
• 11 separate EdD programs
• Long time to completion and students getting lost in the shuffle, inconsistent advisement
• Not distinguished from PhD
• No consideration of impact
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Where we got to
• 1 School-wide interdisciplinary program with 4 concentrations
• Accelerated time to completion• Cohort Model• Coherent and consistent program experience• Very clearly distinctive from our PhD program;
students specifically choose it for what it offers• Students having significant impact in their
workplaces
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Initiating Change
• Information gathering and Information Sharing (student focus groups, used CPED Resources)
• Retreats/Design Days
• Design Teams (interdisciplinary work groups)
• 3 year process, started out slowly. CPED was a huge boost!
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
What we had to get done during this phase
• Draw on data to make the case for change
• Decide on what the concentrations would be
• Decide on what the core would consist of
• Decide on what the balance would be
• Decide on specific courses for each
• Design recruitment materials and establish recruitment plan
• Develop admissions procedures
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Major points of contention
•Change not needed; belief that the program was effective despite evidence to the contrary
•Research sequence
•Balance of core to concentration
•What a dissertation would look like
•Number of credits that could transfer in
•Centralization
•Year round program necessary for acceleration; alternative scheduling
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Implementing Change
• Launched program and accepted first cohort in 2010
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
What we needed to get done
• Create operating systems (guiding principles, bylaws and a decision making body)
• Set up new operational systems for keeping track of things (transfer decisions, communications, registration, scheduling)
• Course design, approval, course numbers, recruit faculty, etc.
• Backward mapping from program goals and skills needed to courses
• Constant communication with faculty
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Major points of contention
• Value of the degree
• Length of time of the program
• Defining what counts as a dissertation
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Institutionalizing Change
• Our fifth cohort just began
• Our first cohort has mostly graduated
• More faculty are involved
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
What we need to get done
• Ongoing evaluation
• Responding to indicators of need for improvement (ongoing program improvement)
• Documenting impact inside the building and in the field
• Building network
• Continuing to build systems (e.g.advisement, qualifying process issues, EdS)
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Major points of contention
• Avoiding slippage
• Length of the program
• Quality of work
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Lessons Learned
• Make compromises to gain consensus/buy in• Find balance academic freedom with program coherence and
consistency• Know that with time, more people may get on board if options are
reduced• Work has to be ongoing to enact the goals and to keep on track as
more people get involved• Must keep “selling” the program to the faculty• Letting faculty know about program and student accomplishments is
important for buy in• Use data to inform process (design, evaluation, and making the
case)• Have a clear time frame• Get the Dean on board• Use CPED convenings, web page, publications, colleagues
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Education
Lessons Learned (cont.)
• Keep focused on causes of resistance; be empathetic
• Must keep “selling” the program to the faculty
• Letting faculty know about program and student accomplishments is important for buy in
• Use data to inform process (design, evaluation, and making the case)
• Have a clear time frame
• Get the Dean on board
• Use CPED convenings, web page, publications, colleagues