Critical Resources for Financial Impacts of Change
Intended Audience
Higher education administrators, faculty involved in campus-based change efforts; change agents on a campus; directors of centers for teaching/STEM/etc.
Overview
Have you ever felt as if you were faced with an impossible decision regarding allocation of funding or resources? In higher education we are often called upon to improve educational outcomes with scarce institutional resources. We are asked to make difficult fiscal decisions without the tools we need to determine the possible fiscal and moral implications of supporting new initiatives and projects. If you have wondered whether it is possible to make modest changes that have a great impact, while also saving money and resources, the answer is yes.
The ASCN Financial Alignment with Inclusive Teaching Effectiveness Critical Resources (FAITE) Working Group created this resource list to share tools and examples that can help with evidence-based fiscal decision making. These resources demonstrate that it is possible to invest scarce institutional resources wisely to advance your priorities. They were gathered to address questions and issues you might be facing at your institution, such as:
- Increasing learning outcomes for all students;
- Adopting instructional practices to improve retention, increased enrollment, persistence, etc.;
- Articulating and communicating the benefits of institutional change to potentially skeptical decision-makers both inside and outside the university;
- Quantifying both the cost and return on investment of implementing instructional change during transitions and over the long-term;
- Determining how to best implement institutional change into institutional budgeting, planning, and decision-making.
- What are some of the cost categories associated with implementing instructional change during transitions and long-term?
- Have the costs of instructional change initiatives been documented and has the return on investment been measured?
- Is there guidance about how to undertake such measurement at my institution?
- Are there any strategies in place for embedding considerations of potential benefits and associated costs into institutional budgeting, planning, and decision-making? What are some of these strategies?
- How can we make explicit increased learning outcomes for all students associated with instructional change?
- Other than typical benefits like improved learning outcomes and more satisfying teaching experiences, what other kinds of benefits are envisioned from improving instructional practices at the department, college or university level (e.g., retention, increased enrollment, persistence, etc.)?
- What are some ways of articulating and communicating various types of benefits to potentially skeptical decision-makers inside and outside the university?
Change Topics (Working Groups)
Target Audience
Resource Type
Program Components Show all
- Student Engagement 3 matches
Supporting Students
Program ComponentsResults 1 - 3 of 3 matches
Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math
Elli J. Theobald; Mariah J. Hill; Elisa Tran; Sweta Agrawal; E. Nicole Arroyo; Shawn Behling; Nyasha Chambwe; Dianne Laboy Cintrón; Jacob D. Cooper; Gideon Dunster; Jared A. Grummer; Kelly Hennessey; Jennifer Hsiao; Nicole Iranon; Leonard Jones II; Hannah Jordt; Marlowe Keller; Melissa E. Lacey; Caitlin E. Littlefield; Alexander Lowe; Shannon Newman; Vera Okolo; Savannah Olroyd; Brandon R. Peecook; Sarah B. Pickett; David L. Slager; Itzue W. Caviedes-Solis; Kathryn E. Stanchak; Vasudha Sundaravardan; Camila Valdebenito; Claire R. Williams; Kaitlin Zinsli; and Scott Freeman
This study is a comprehensive meta-analysis of research on the influence of active and traditional learning approaches on STEM course outcomes (exam scores and course failure rates) for underrepresented students. Time-intensive active learning experiences contributed to reduced achievement gaps in exam scores and pass rates. Researchers concluded that deliberate active-learning course designs and inclusive teaching contribute to increasing equity in STEM. Although this study does not discuss cost-benefits, it affirms the value of investing in pedagogical enhancements to increase student retention and success. In this case, the benefits are continuous tuition revenue through student retention and the moral imperative of reducing equity gaps.
Resource Type: Journal Article
Program Components: Professional Development:Diversity/Inclusion, Institutional Systems:Strategic Planning, Supporting Students:Student Engagement, Professional Development:Curriculum Development
Discipline-Based Education Research
This summarizes foundational knowledge in Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER) for improving student learning outcomes.
Target Audience: Institution Administration, Post-doctoral Fellows, Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty
Resource Type: Book
Program Components: Professional Development:Curriculum Development, Pedagogical Training, Supporting Students:Student Engagement
The Economic Impact of Increasing College Completion
Sophia Koropeckyj; Chris Lafakis; Adam Ozimek
While this report does not include institutional-level guidance on measuring costs and benefits of instructional improvement, it does offer helpful context for broader economic effects of student success and degree completion. Many institutions are working to be responsive to demands by the public and policy- makers that they articulate their economic impact. Arguments and data included in this report can be helpful in that messaging, and can help change leaders tie program improvement to broader outcomes, which may help to garner leadership support.
Target Audience: Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, Institution Administration, Non-tenure Track Faculty, College/University Staff
Resource Type: Report
Program Components: Supporting Students:Student Engagement, Institutional Systems:Strategic Planning, Incentive/Reward Systems