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Torgny Roxå Lund University, Sweden

How does one change a university? A socio-cultural approach for improved

teaching

UBC November 18, 2008

Lund University Founded in 1666

8 faculties 45 000 students 5 000 teaching staff

Torgny Roxå, Academic Developer, Lund University

How can one influence teaching in a research intensive university?

Today: Background Theory Two examples

Measures to improve teaching and learning, Sweden 1 (3)

Projects. Supporting individual teachers (money and consultancy support). Since 1970.

Pedagogical courses Workshop, Certificate, Diploma, Master, Ph.d. 10 weeks of training is since 2003 mandatory in order to get tenure.

Quality movement Government is pushing an agenda of accountability, and now trying to connect quality of teaching to funding. Since 1992.

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Measures to improve teaching and learning, Sweden 2 (3)

Rewards Each university organises rewards independently, almost only in the form of prices. (Since 1980s)

Leadership A growing number of initiatives to support academic leaders. (Since late 90s)

Development of developers Two rounds of the course Strategic Educational Development, offered to educational consultants.Half of the institutions participated. (2004 & 2006)

Measures to improve teaching and learning, Sweden 3 (3)

Student evaluation of teaching Mandatory since 2000

Institutional research Data collected since early 90s.

After major reform-attempts

“under the surface, the basic academic values seem to be as strong as ever.” (Bauer et.al. 1999)

“Across our higher education reform study, the two things that emerged as most important for academic identities were the discipline and academic freedom.” (Henkel 2006)

“overall the ’strategic’ approach did not work as well as hoped” (Graham Gibbs 2008)

After 45 years of attempts to develop university-teaching & learning in Sweden

– We have managed to develop individual teachers through courses. But we have not

brought about any sustainable, radical, evidence-based improvement.

Neither have we, developed strategies for effective leadership or change.

Why?

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Are academics by nature… …conservative… …acting in self-interest preserving privileges… …interested only in their research?

Or, do they, like other people, need to experience competence, autonomy, and relatedness. (Deci & Ryan 2000)!

They are most likely motivated by both -  mastery & -  performance goals (Pintrich 2000)

Three Lenses on Organization

Organization as Cultural System

Organization as Strategic Design

Organization as Political System

(John van Maanen, MIT, 2007)

Organization as Strategic Design

Organization as Political System

Especially how the culture is maintained through conversations

“If the responsibility for transforming an individual to a given status within the organization is delegated to only one person, an intense, value-oriented process is most likely to follow.” (Van Maanen & Schein 1977)

“Since the responsibility is given to only one organi-zational member, the person so designated often becomes a role model whose thoughts and actions the recruit emulates.”

(Van Maanen & Schein 1977)

Socialised into a discipline – a transforming experience

-  Tacit Assumptions - Implicit Theories of Teaching and Learning - Recurrent Practices - Conventions of Appropriateness - Codes of Signification - Discursive Repertoires - Subjectivities in Interaction, and - Power: its Microphysics !

Teaching and Learning Regimes Paul Trowler (2002, 2005, 2009)

Local cultures within departments and/or workgroups influencing teaching and learning

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Teaching -  private -  no peer review -  no documentation

Teaching -  collegial -  peer reviewed -  documented

A cultural shift concerning Teaching & Learning Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

We are aiming for:

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has:

-  A cognitive domain, research influenced -  A social domain, going public, peer-review

Kreber, 2002 Ashwin &Trigwell, 2004 Boyer, 1990

National/international conference on Teaching & Learning

Trajectory 1 Engage in discussions with colleagues in other contexts

Trajectory 2 Engage in discussions with colleagues sharing the same context

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning – effect on the local context

(Roxå, et.al. 2008)

With how many people do you have sincere discussions about your teaching (professional

practice)?

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Becher and Trowler (Academic Tribes and Territories, 2001) report that academics (researchers) rely on two networks:

1. The inner circle (app. a dozen individuals)

(for solving problems, testing new ideas etc.)

2.The outer circle (a 100 or more individuals)

(for referencing, orientation etc.)

They talk to a selected significant few

University teachers “have small ‘significant networks’ where private discussion provided a basis for conceptual development and learning, quite different from the ‘front stage’ of formal, public debate about teaching.”

(Roxå and Mårtensson, accepted)

Number of conversational partners linked to culture 47 respondents – different faculties/schools

culture

Non-supportive culture

(Roxå & Mårtensson, accepted)

Significant networks Information transforming

Department x

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Images from network theory

(Barabási 2003, Granovetter 1973, Hemphälä 2008 Watts 2003)

Communities of practice A process of intense participation

and reification among the members of the community (Wenger 1999)

Participation

Reification Enterprise

Boundary objects Brokers Arenas Rewards

Conclusion: Create new bridges. Everyone a hub! -  reduce complexity by framing the situation (Luhmann) -  use border objects (Wenger) -  emphasise local level (Ashwin & Trigwell) -  reward personal mastery (Senge)

Personal mastery “People with high levels of personal mastery are continually expanding their ability to create the results in life they truly seek.” (Senge 2006)

“For such a person, a vision is a calling rather than simply a good idea.” (Senge 2006)

“At the Faculty of engineering at Lund University, where educational development is conducted systematically/…/, the teachers are well aware of the fact that their contributions are valued.” The report underlines the teachers’ experience that their departments use their developed pedagogical competence.

(Gran 2006)

Independent investigation put forward Lund as a positive exception among 5 Swedish institutions.

Signs of progress 1

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Feedback to students (Course Experience Questionnaire) Faculty of Engineering

-26

-19-18

-12-13

-29

-22 -22

-16-17

-35

-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

year 03/04 year 04/05 year 05/06 year 06/07 year 07/08

During the course I have received many valuable comments on my achievements

The teaching staff normally gave me helpful feedback on the progress of my work

n 13 405 n 14 793 n 15 123 n 11 390 n 11 476

Signs of progress 2

Engagement in 2007

900 engaging teachers (20% of teaching staff)

400 peer reviewed reports discussing development of teaching

More than 55 000 hours, equals 35 years fulltime

What we do:

Pedagogical courses each from 40 to 200 hours

Reward systems

Peer reviewed campus conferences

Research on teaching and learning

The approach has the power to engage teachers!

Signs of progress 3

End part one