Catalyze Systemic Change

Make Change Happen

The InTeGrate program models all documented their plans for and experiences with making change happen on their campuses. The goals of these programs were to affect improvements in learning about the Earth at a variety of scales larger than a course, so they all necessitated departmental or institutional change. This set of pages synthesizes the lessons learned across the suite of programs. Important elements include: Design to Maximize Impact, Support Implementation of Change, Sustain Change and Scale up, and Connect Earth and Societal Issues.

Make Change Happen at your Institution

There are no simple, explicit answers to most questions about how to make sustainable change happen at institutions. Why is that? Because the answers all depend on what is going on in at a particular institution, who is in the cast of characters, and what issues are on everyone's mind. This set of pages from Dr. Judith Ramaley builds on a series of webinars that Dr. Ramaley conducted in 2015 and 2016. The pages present her perspectives on issues of change and address some of the many questions she has seen repeatedly over her many years working on institutional change.

Teach Earth Across the Curriculum: Foster Institutional Change

Another piece of the synthesized lessons learned from the InTeGrate program models related to how to include learning about the Earth in courses and disciplines across the curriculum. Those programs involved in this work confirmed that institutional change is a necessary part of such wide ranging curricular reform. The group advises others wishing to achieve similar goals to Garner Higher Administration Support, Leverage Strategic Plans, and Include Students in Developing Campus Initiatives.

Resources

Collection of Resources for Institutional Change - These strategies, resources, and example programs have been compiled from multiple resources and themes like those found in InTeGrate, ASCN, and NSEC. They are to help change agents make and sustain successful institutional change.

Pathways to Institutional Change - For long-term sustainability, emerging initiatives need to eventually work themselves into the fabric of the institution. Program leadership will need to be strategic in their actions, collaborate and engage people across campus, identify and recruit necessary resources, and use assessment data to guide their path forward. This resource from the HHMI Capstone Institutions draws on decades of experience in efforts to support students' success in STEM.

Accelerating Systemic Change Network (ASCN) - ASCN is a network of individuals and institutions, formed with the goal of more quickly advancing STEM education programs. The approach of the network is to bring together those who are researching systemic change at higher education institutions with those who are making systemic change happen at their individual institutions. By closing the loop between researchers and change agents, ASCN aims to accelerate change at program and institution levels, and to improve STEM education nationally.

NSEC STEM Education Center Toolkit - The Network of Stem Education Centers (NSEC) has developed a suite of resources to share effective practices for running STEM Education Centers which often have institution change goals. The purpose of the toolkit is to identify and share expertise on a range of issues of importance: Communicating Mission and Vision, Organization Structures, Funding and Resources, Evaluation and Assessment, and Building Partnerships.