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2023 Transforming Institutions Conference Takeaways


Posted: Aug 15 2023 by

Casey Wright
Western Michigan University
Casey Wright, Western Michigan University

Change Topics (Working Groups): Communication, Assessment, Change Leaders, Guiding Theories, Policy, Costs and Benefits, Faculty Evaluation, Equity and Inclusion
Target Audience: Graduate Students, Post-doctoral Fellows, College/University Staff, Teaching/Learning Assistants, Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, Non-tenure Track Faculty, Institution Administration
Program Components: Professional Development:Diversity/Inclusion, Institutional Systems:Incentive/Reward Systems, Supporting Students:Learning Communities, Professional Development:Accessibility, Supporting Students:Student Engagement, Institutional Systems:Evaluating Teaching

The 2023 Transforming Institutions Conference was held June 12-13, 2023, in Minneapolis, MN. With this most recent convening, we are proud to have brought together change researchers and change agents for 12 years. The meeting was made possible by the efforts of a conference planning committee consisting of 10 change agents convened by NSEC (Network of STEM Education Centers) and ASCN (Accelerating Systemic Change Network), supported by 40 reviewers from the systemic change community. Now that the dust has settled, we would like to share some key takeaways, attendee feedback, and future conference plans to continue to build momentum for our community to thrive with change. More

Are we Gatekeepers or Groundskeepers? Being a good introductory STEMM instructor in a pandemic and beyond


Posted: Feb 1 2022 by

Jennifer Tsan
University of Chicago
Alice Tarun
St. Lawrence University
Tina Tao
St. Lawrence University
Rachel Renbarger
Western Michigan University
Laura Frost
Florida Gulf Coast University
Laura Frost, Florida Gulf Coast University; Rachel Renbarger, Western Michigan University; Tina Tao, St. Lawrence University; Alice Tarun, St. Lawrence University; and Jennifer Tsan, University of Chicago

Change Topics (Working Groups): Equity and Inclusion
Target Audience: Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, Non-tenure Track Faculty, Teaching/Learning Assistants
Program Components: Supporting Students

​​Georgia was a confident high school student. Despite the pandemic she continued to earn high marks in her science courses, motivating her to pursue a science major as she began college. She entered her first year at Perpetual University taking introductory biology and chemistry, along with participating in ROTC and community service learning. Although she had many commitments outside the classroom, she believed she could manage all her obligations on her own. But when she began failing quizzes and exams, instead of seeking out resources on campus right away, she put off reviewing her work and intended to address the concerns later. By the end of her first semester, she was facing academic suspension. In her view she felt ashamed for being in this position and couldn't bear to face the issues even though her professors, advisor, and academic support staff reached out to her and offered to help. Although Georgia was able to continue her college studies, she turned away from the science track because she could not envision success in these courses in her future. More

The Power (and necessity) of Students in Systemic Change


Posted: Sep 28 2017 by Marcos Montes and Dr. Rob Shorette
Change Topics (Working Groups): Change Leaders
Target Audience: Graduate Students, Transfer Students, First Generation College Students, Teaching/Learning Assistants, Underrepresented Minority Students, Undergraduate Non-Majors, First-year College Students, Undergraduate Majors
Program Components: Supporting Students:Student Engagement

Almost any change in higher education is difficult. And slow. Systemic change, which produces seismic shifts in the operations and culture of an organization, is even more difficult to achieve. Or in the words of another ASCN blogger Jeanne Century, "the stakes are much higher and the challenge is greater." Particularly for public higher education institutions, there is no shortage of stakeholder groups with keen interests in the outcomes of systemic change efforts, including faculty, staff, administrators, lawmakers, community members, and the general public. Certainly, a process that authentically includes all of these stakeholder groups and reflects the varying perspectives each bring to the table is essential to successful change. However, no group has as much at stake when it comes to systemic change in higher education as students. More

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