Institutional Change Institutional Change and Sustainability: and Sustainability:

Lessons Learned from Lessons Learned from MSPsMSPs

Nancy Shapiro & Jennifer Nancy Shapiro & Jennifer FrankFrank

CASHÉ KMD ProjectCASHÉ KMD ProjectUniversity System of University System of

MarylandMarylandJanuary 25, 2010January 25, 2010

CASHÉ Project BackgroundCASHÉ Project Background USM’s history of system-level USM’s history of system-level

involvement in STEM education and P-involvement in STEM education and P-20 partnership work20 partnership work

CASHÉ funded as a KMD project, CASHÉ funded as a KMD project, supplement to VIP K-16 Targeted MSP supplement to VIP K-16 Targeted MSP

Study the key feature of institutional Study the key feature of institutional change and sustainability among change and sustainability among higher education institutions with higher education institutions with MSPsMSPs

Overarching QuestionsOverarching Questions

What can we learn about MSP-What can we learn about MSP-supported changes that have expanded supported changes that have expanded institutional capacity to support the institutional capacity to support the reform of P-20 STEM education and reform of P-20 STEM education and the meaningful engagement of faculty the meaningful engagement of faculty in this enterprise?in this enterprise?

What strategies are MSP institutions What strategies are MSP institutions using to sustain these developments using to sustain these developments over time?over time?

Assumptions About Assumptions About Institutional ChangeInstitutional Change

Change in higher education requires Change in higher education requires more than top down leadershipmore than top down leadership

Grassroots leadership (faculty, Grassroots leadership (faculty, administrative) may require support from administrative) may require support from top down leaderstop down leaders

Institutional culture shapes change Institutional culture shapes change processes and leadershipprocesses and leadership

Change processes may also require Change processes may also require change in institutional culture to be change in institutional culture to be sustainable sustainable 

  

CASHÉ Project ComponentsCASHÉ Project Components

Analysis of MSP project-related data, Analysis of MSP project-related data, including annual reports, evaluation including annual reports, evaluation reports, and submissions to the MSP reports, and submissions to the MSP management information systemmanagement information system

Analysis of new programs, courses, and Analysis of new programs, courses, and curricula generated by MSP projectscurricula generated by MSP projects

Documentation at national meetings of Documentation at national meetings of participating STEM facultyparticipating STEM faculty

Six MSP project site visitsSix MSP project site visits External national advisory boardExternal national advisory board

Analysis of Data from Analysis of Data from MSP Site VisitsMSP Site Visits

Data sources: interview notes and Data sources: interview notes and transcripts, project artifacts (e.g., transcripts, project artifacts (e.g., annual reports, project-related annual reports, project-related publications)publications)

Formed descriptive categories for Formed descriptive categories for the data, aligned with our research the data, aligned with our research questions, and tracked emerging questions, and tracked emerging themes across various data sources themes across various data sources

Within-case and cross-case analysesWithin-case and cross-case analyses

Categories of CASHÉ Categories of CASHÉ FindingsFindings

Backdrop of Institutional Culture/ContextBackdrop of Institutional Culture/Context

Role of MSP Project LeadersRole of MSP Project Leaders

Impact of Institutional Leadership/SupportImpact of Institutional Leadership/Support

Investment/Motivation of Participating Investment/Motivation of Participating FacultyFaculty

Structural Changes that Supported and/or Structural Changes that Supported and/or Resulted from MSP WorkResulted from MSP Work

Course/Curricular Changes that Supported Course/Curricular Changes that Supported and/or Resulted from MSP Workand/or Resulted from MSP Work

Question of SustainabilityQuestion of Sustainability

For DiscussionFor DiscussionMSP as an Institutional PriorityMSP as an Institutional Priority

1 to 51 to 5

◄◄_________________________________►_________________________________►

LowLow HighHigh

Types of Faculty Engagement in MSPTypes of Faculty Engagement in MSP1 to 51 to 5

◄◄_________________________________►_________________________________►

Outreach/ServiceOutreach/Service ScholarshipScholarship

MSP Sustainability (Institutional/Partnership)MSP Sustainability (Institutional/Partnership)

1 to 51 to 5

◄◄_________________________________►_________________________________►

UnlikelyUnlikely LikelyLikely

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

Leadership Matters:Leadership Matters: Critical roles of provosts, deans, and department Critical roles of provosts, deans, and department

chairs chairs Need for both bottom-up faculty leadership and Need for both bottom-up faculty leadership and

top-down advocacy and supporttop-down advocacy and support Importance of recognition and rewards Importance of recognition and rewards New Structures:New Structures: Boundary spanning positions (e.g., joint faculty Boundary spanning positions (e.g., joint faculty

appointments, education appointments in STEM appointments, education appointments in STEM departments and vice versa)departments and vice versa)

Role of administrative faculty/staffRole of administrative faculty/staff Creation of multi-disciplinary STEM centers and/or Creation of multi-disciplinary STEM centers and/or

partnership outreach units partnership outreach units

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

Closing the Loop:Closing the Loop: Challenges to connecting MSP to the core Challenges to connecting MSP to the core

educational mission of the institution educational mission of the institution Undergraduate education reform in STEM Undergraduate education reform in STEM

as a by-product of involvement in K-12as a by-product of involvement in K-12 Investment in P-20 STEM pipeline is in Investment in P-20 STEM pipeline is in

the interest of the institutionthe interest of the institution New directions for research, scholarship, New directions for research, scholarship,

and substantive faculty work in these and substantive faculty work in these areasareas

Lessons LearnedLessons LearnedSustainability:Sustainability: Tangible outcomes: new courses and programs Tangible outcomes: new courses and programs

for in-service and pre-service K-12 teachers, for in-service and pre-service K-12 teachers, reformed undergraduate courses, creation of reformed undergraduate courses, creation of campus centers or outreach units, and in a few campus centers or outreach units, and in a few cases, commitment to new faculty linescases, commitment to new faculty lines

Concerns about maintaining viability of the Concerns about maintaining viability of the above in the absence of ongoing above in the absence of ongoing incentives/support for participating faculty, incentives/support for participating faculty, teachers, and studentsteachers, and students

Frequent succession plan was to secure Frequent succession plan was to secure additional external fundingadditional external funding

RecommendationsRecommendations

NSF should …NSF should …

Continue to fund a diversity of institutional typesContinue to fund a diversity of institutional types Consider expanding PI eligibility outside of STEM Consider expanding PI eligibility outside of STEM

facultyfaculty Help projects engage in sustainability planning on Help projects engage in sustainability planning on

the front end of the grant awardthe front end of the grant award Explicitly link the scholarship of teaching and Explicitly link the scholarship of teaching and

learning to MSP work in the design of MSP projectslearning to MSP work in the design of MSP projects Claim ownership for the preparation and Claim ownership for the preparation and

professional development of STEM teachersprofessional development of STEM teachers Continue to invest in the MSP knowledge Continue to invest in the MSP knowledge

dissemination network dissemination network

RecommendationsRecommendations

College and university leaders should …College and university leaders should …

Make a concerted effort to know about Make a concerted effort to know about MSP work on their campus and publicly MSP work on their campus and publicly recognize those faculty involved in itrecognize those faculty involved in it

Ensure that STEM teaching and learning Ensure that STEM teaching and learning is a priority in the institutional strategic is a priority in the institutional strategic planplan

Position the preparation of K-12 Position the preparation of K-12 teachers and support for K-12 education teachers and support for K-12 education reform as a cross-campus responsibility reform as a cross-campus responsibility

RecommendationsRecommendations

College and university leaders should …College and university leaders should …

Recognize the importance of their role in Recognize the importance of their role in facilitating cross-disciplinary collaboration facilitating cross-disciplinary collaboration and their support of policies and structures and their support of policies and structures that can sustain this work over timethat can sustain this work over time

Create opportunities for career Create opportunities for career advancement and expanded leadership advancement and expanded leadership capacity among non tenure-track faculty, capacity among non tenure-track faculty, adjunct faculty, and non-faculty academic adjunct faculty, and non-faculty academic administrators who are proactively working administrators who are proactively working with MSPwith MSP

RecommendationsRecommendations

Higher education faculty and disciplinary Higher education faculty and disciplinary societies should …societies should …

Continue to seek and value linkages to Continue to seek and value linkages to the scholarship of teaching and learning the scholarship of teaching and learning within STEM disciplineswithin STEM disciplines

Continue to build on the important Continue to build on the important service and outreach components of service and outreach components of faculty work in MSPfaculty work in MSP

For DiscussionFor Discussion

Where should a report like this go?Where should a report like this go?

How could these recommendations be moved How could these recommendations be moved forward in a way that they could have an forward in a way that they could have an impact on your campus?impact on your campus?

Are there other potential audiences for these Are there other potential audiences for these recommendations?recommendations?