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Sustaining whole-of-institution momentum for challenges, changes, and opportunities

Wednesday 3 July: Conference day one, 3:00pm – 3:30pm parallel session

 

Venue

Room 2 – 303-G14, Sem

 

Presenter

Dr Katrina Strampel
Edith Cowan University, Australia
k.strampel@ecu.edu.au

Professor Angela Hill
Edith Cowan University, Australia
a.hill@ecu.edu.au

 

Background

Constructive higher education leadership supports effective change management as well as successful and sustained implementation (Scott, Coates, & Anderson, 2008). The purpose of academic leadership is to ‘promote the conditions that enable high quality teaching [by raising] the awareness of colleagues so that they work together to deliver visible improvements to the student experience’ (McInnis, Ramsden, & Maconachie, 2012, p. 9). The development and support of leaders of learning and teaching is thus critical to ensuring positive impact on student learning (Bosanquet, Cameron, Marshall, & Orrel, 2009). Sustaining whole-of institution momentum requires a multi-pronged approach to leadership and academic development.

This presentation shares a networked developmental leadership approach that facilitates a project planning strategy to support high quality teaching through academic development and implementation of policy requirements.  Led by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Education, the Associate Deans Teaching and Learning (ADTLs) join with leaders in the professional services to engage in structured learning and sharing. This networked community plays a key role in devising, consulting, and implementing strategic change. To ensure consistent approaches to implement change across the university, the ADTLs engage with the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) in a project planning process whereby Learning Designers, Academic Developers, Learning Consultants, and Learning Technology Officers support identified projects within Schools.

The networked leadership approach and the project planning strategy have been evaluated at various stages of implementation through benchmarking activities and feedback from critical friends. Success of the initiatives is evidenced by a 13% difference between 2016 and 2018 in the teaching category of the Staff Engagement Survey: ‘I am given enough support to achieve my teaching goals’ (Staff Engagement Survey by the Voice Project). Furthermore, ADTLs, CLT staff, and professional services leaders report a more structured, cohesive, and consistent approach to supporting academic staff to implement change.

 

Presentation topic

Academics – Leadership

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