Developing Change Leaders in Advanced Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: A Change Leadership Development Program

This project aims to serve the national interest by preparing future faculty to lead change efforts toward sustained improvement in undergraduate STEM teaching and learning. The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) Change Leadership Development Program (CLDP) will strengthen undergraduate STEM education by preparing graduate students and postdoctoral scholars (GS/PS) to be future change leaders in advancing inclusive evidence-based teaching (EBT).

CIRTL, a National Science Foundation Center for Learning and Teaching in higher education, aims to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning of all students at every college and university, thereby increasing diversity in STEM fields and improving the STEM literacy of the nation. To meet this goal, CIRTL’s training through online workshops, courses, and teaching institutes, prepares GS/PS to use inclusive EBT approaches as a means for developing a national STEM faculty committed to implementing and advancing effective teaching practices for diverse students.

While CIRTL graduates enter careers well prepared to support the learning of diverse students within their own classes and labs, they typically do not have opportunities to learn about change leadership; defined by the ability to navigate complex organizational systems, model leadership characteristics to inspire action in others, and effectively guide the change process. GS/PS will become change leaders by using strategies to advance inclusive EBT, as they assume their teaching and research responsibilities.

Through participation in CLDP, trainees will be better prepared to influence their colleagues, departments, and institutions from both formal and informal leadership roles. Through both the examples they set in their own practice and their informed knowledge of how to engage in institutional decision making, culture change, and policy development, they will be prepared to lead the effort toward lasting change.

In collaboration with 42 graduate universities in the CIRTL network, the trainees of CLDP will advance education to be more inclusive and evidence-based, ultimately increasing student engagement, learning and retention in STEM fields and reducing the equity gaps across the nation’s diverse student population.

The CLDP supports GS/PS in achieving three primary goals: 1) Identifying as a Change Leader, 2) Examining higher education institutions as complex institutions, as well as analyzing leadership approaches and change theories and 3) Developing strategies, skills, and abilities appropriate for serving as a change leader while holding a position as an early-career faculty member. The CDLP is a two-tiered program that provides an ever-increasing level of engagement.

Through participation in a 10-week online course, Tier I equips participants with the knowledge and skills to inspire and influence others and analyze their institution’s structure. Tier II furthers their leadership development through participation in an online Leadership Institute followed by an applied leadership project or experience at their home institution.

The program culminates in a virtual Leadership Summit where participants present their projects and share their experience with their mentors, peers, and the CIRTL network and national partners. Additional training on specialty topics offered through CIRTL cross-network programming allows participants to further their leadership development as they have time and interest.

The planning and piloting of the CLDP will be carried out over a two-year timeline. The project will (1) develop a needs assessment to inform our learning outcomes for each domain, (2) develop content and formative assessment for the two tiers of engagement, (3) pilot all elements of each tier and (4) develop and implement a research and evaluation plan for the program.

Collecting data about leadership expectations from multiple perspectives, including students, faculty, and administrators, will inform and guide the program's development and ensure its long-term sustainability. As our understanding of what makes an effective leadership development program expands, the results will contribute to the knowledge and quality of change leaders.

This effective development of future change leaders will become a critical lever for bringing about organizational change in higher education. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.