Blog
Change Topics (Working Groups)
Target AudienceTransforming Institutions Takeaways
Posted: Jun 24 2021 by
Target Audience: Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, Institution Administration, College/University Staff, In-Service K12 Teachers, Non-tenure Track Faculty
Program Components: Professional Development:Cultural Competency, Institutional Systems:Interdepartmental Collaboration, Outreach:Policy Change, Inter-Institutional Collaboration, Professional Development:Diversity/Inclusion, Supporting Students:Professional Preparation
Last week concluded the 2021 Transforming Institutions Conference that marked the 10th year of convening like-minded change leaders. The event was a rousing success; we had over 250 participants from at least 3 continents with over 40 concurrent presentations, 60+ posters, and 4 workshops containing research-based strategies for improving higher education. What did we learn from such an amazing event? More
Start somewhere: Resources on equity and inclusion for STEM and higher education
Posted: Jun 9 2020 by
Naneh Apkarian (Western Michigan University)
Target Audience: Post-doctoral Fellows, Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, Institution Administration, College/University Staff, In-Service K12 Teachers, Non-tenure Track Faculty
Program Components: Professional Development:Diversity/Inclusion
These recent articles and resources are meant to serve as a starting point for learning about equity, inclusion, diversity, and justice - with a particular focus on addressing systemic anti-Black racism - within STEM and higher education. This list of resources is long, but not by any means exhaustive. As change agents and scholars, we know that effecting change requires informed action. We hope you will use these and other resources to develop concrete and informed action plans. Please use the comments to share additional resources and concrete actions being taken by you and your institution.
We also invite you to join the conversation in our Equity and Inclusion Working Group. If you would like to join, please fill out the form to Join the Network and indicate that you would like to join Working Group 5 (Equity & Inclusion).
On Wednesday, June 10, we join the movement to #ShutdownSTEM. More
COVID-19 Recommended Resources from ASCN
Posted: Mar 25 2020 by
Program Components: Professional Development:Pedagogical Training, Curriculum Development, Accessibility, Institutional Systems:Technological Infrastructure
Updated: 6/4/20
We know that many of you are dealing with changes at your institutions as we all come together to flatten the curve. Many organizations have been sharing resources and guidance for remote work, online teaching, and more. In this post you'll find links to some recommended resources that we have collected. Our regular events (webinars, working group meetings, etc.) are continuing -- please contact us if you would like to get involved!
We will continue to update this post as needed. More
Join an ASCN working group!
Posted: Feb 19 2020 by
Target Audience: Post-doctoral Fellows, Institution Administration, Teaching/Learning Assistants, Pre-Service K12 Teachers, Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, In-Service K12 Teachers, College/University Staff, Non-tenure Track Faculty
Program Components: Professional Development:Leadership, Institutional Systems:Physical Infrastructure, Professional Development:Diversity/Inclusion, Institutional Systems:Evaluating Promotion and Tenure, Incentive/Reward Systems
Have you been considering joining one of our working groups, but aren't sure where to start? Here you'll find updates on what each of our groups is working on and more information on how to get involved in 2020. You can join any of our working groups by filling out this short form. Keep reading to learn more about how we're exploring theories of change; the costs, benefits, and impact of change; change leadership; equity and inclusion in systemic change; aligning faculty work with change; and learning spaces. More
Understanding how instructional change works
Posted: Jan 22 2020 by
Program Components: Professional Development:Pedagogical Training
Recommended article: "It's Personal: Biology Instructors Prioritize Personal Evidence over Empirical Evidence in Teaching Decisions," by Tessa Andrews and Paula Lemons, CBE-Life Sciences Education, 14 (2015).
I am involved in several projects which aim to help faculty learn about and implement effective teaching practices. To design or evaluate such programs, it's useful to have a model of how faculty take up new teaching practices. I want to highlight an article by Andrews and Lemons which recently influenced my thinking. (Note that Tessa Andrews co-leads ASCN Change Theories working group). One model that is often used in faculty change projects is the Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations model, which suggests that in order to adopt a new idea a person must become aware of it, be persuaded that it is useful, decide to use it, implement it, and then decide to continue to use it More
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