Coalescing around a shared vision: From theory to practice in departmental change

Change that is guided by a shared vision and aligns with a department's cultural norms can be transformative. However, developing this shared vision can be challenging. Not only does it need to be shared across stakeholders, but it also needs to align with evidence-based pedagogical practices. In this presentation, we share how literature on change in higher education STEM departments guided the process we used to coalesce around a shared vision. Our change process was initiated by the instructional development unit; many universities call this unit the center for teaching and learning. It was funded by university administration to transform introductory STEM courses. To guide the transformation, the university leadership identified the goal of building learning-centered environments that are better for all. The transformation team consisted of education experts (faculty developers, education technologists, media experts, and learning designers) and a team of departmental faculty (teaching faculty, tenure-track faculty, and tenured faculty). To develop the shared vision, the team worked together to analyze institutional data, gather information from stakeholders, and build consensus around a vision for change. The education experts ensured the transformation aligned with the goal of building learning-centered environments that are better for all and the departmental faculty ensured the vision aligned with their own teaching philosophy, the cultural norms of the department, and disciplinary standards.