Incremental institutional change and Australian universities

Much has been written and researched about transformational change and the exogenous events that result in radical institutional transformation. This paper examines institutions as building blocks of social order comprising power and politics and shared understanding to bring about change. Thelen and Mahoney (2010) go beyond a general model of change that describes the collapse of one set of institutional norms to be replaced by another. The model of change proposed takes into account both exogenous as well as endogenous factors as being the source of institutional change. They go on to state that a view of transformation change as being a result of abrupt, wholesale breakdown needs to be rethought to include incremental, endogenous shifts in thinking that can often result in fundamental transformations. This paper gives consideration to these issues to propose the Australian Higher Education sector as a unique sample in which to investigate this type of change.

The efficacy of partnership evaluation and its impact on alliance transformation : a case study 12 months post evaluation

Partnerships involving higher education, governments, and industry have been recognised as important vehicles for engaging community, leveraging knowledge, and sharing potential resources. The critical need for these partnerships in rural and regional locations has been of particular note. Partnership evaluation can serve a critical function of informing continuous improvement and may therefore assist the evaluated agencies to work towards responsive transformational change. The ability for a partnership to adapt and change may aid in their sustainability. Despite the potentially important role of partnership evaluation, the development of tools that measure partnership are at an early stage. Partnership evaluation is rarely reflected upon in the published literature. Moreover, benefits and reflections of the efficacy of evaluations 12 months post analysis is rare in the published literature. Therefore, a brief review of partnership approaches and measurement tools are presented. The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the efficacy of an evaluation conducted 12 months previously of a partnership between Deakin University, the Department of Health and Department of Human Services (Barwon South West Region), known as the Deakin/DH/DHS Strategic Alliance. This case study reviews several tools/metrics utilised. The efficacy of the evaluation tools is discussed. Those metrics, underlying the tools which contributed to positive change in partnerships are discussed.

Adopting an active learning approach to teaching in a research-intensive higher education context transformed staff teaching attitudes and behaviours

The conventional lecture has significant limitations in the higher education context, often leading to a passive learning experience for students. This paper reports a process of transforming teaching and learning with active learning strategies in a research-intensive educational context across a faculty of 45 academic staff and more than 1000 students. A phased approach was used, involving nine staff in a pilot phase during which a common vision and principles were developed. In short, our approach was to mandate a move away from didactic lectures to classes that involved students interacting with content, with each other and with instructors in order to attain domain-specific learning outcomes and generic skills. After refinement, an implementation phase commenced within all first-year subjects, involving 12 staff including three from the pilot group. The staff use of active learning methods in classes increased by sixfold and sevenfold in the pilot and implementation phases, respectively. An analysis of implementation phase exam questions indicated that staff increased their use of questions addressing higher order cognitive skills by 51%. Results of a staff survey indicated that this change in practice was caused by the involvement of staff in the active learning approach. Fifty-six percent of staff respondents indicated that they had maintained constructive alignment as they introduced active learning. After the pilot, only three out of nine staff agreed that they understood what makes for an effective active learning exercise. This rose to seven out of nine staff at the completion of the implementation phase. The development of a common approach with explicit vision and principles and the evaluation and refinement of active learning were effective elements of our transformational change management strategy. Future efforts will focus on ensuring that all staff have the time, skills and pedagogical understanding required to embed constructively aligned active learning within the approach.

Investing in intelligence : an inquiry into educational paradigm change

In this philosophical and practical-critical inquiry, I address two significant and closely related problems - whether and how those involved in the enterprise of education conceptualise a need for educational change, and the observed resistance of school cultures to change efforts. I address the apparent lack of a clear, coherent and viable theory of learning, agency and change, capable of making explicit the need, substantive nature and means of educational change. Based on a meta-analysis of numerous theories and perspectives on human knowing, learning, intelligence, agency and change, I synthesise a 'Dynamic Paradigm of Learning and Change', characterised by fifteen Constructs. I argue that this more viable Paradigm is capable of informing both design and critique of systemic curriculum and assessment policies, school organisation and planning models, professional learning and pedagogical practice, and student learning and action. The Dynamic Paradigm of Learning and Change contrasts with the assumptions reflected in the prevailing culture of institutionalised education, and I argue that dominant views of knowledge and human agency are both theoretically and practically non-viable and unsustainable. I argue that the prevailing culture and experience of schooling contributes to the formation of assumptions, identities, dispositions and orientations to the world characterised by alienation. The Dynamic Paradigm of Learning and Change also contrasts with the assumptions reflected in some educational reform efforts recently promoted at system level in Queensland, Australia. I use the Dynamic Paradigm as the reference point for a formal critique of two influential reform programs, Authentic Pedagogy and the New Basics Project, identifying significant limitations in both the conceptualisation of educational ends and means, and the implementation of these reform agendas. Within the Dynamic Paradigm of Learning and Change, knowledge and learning serve the individual's need for more adaptive or viable functioning in the world. I argue that students' attainment of knowledge of major ways in which others in our culture organise experience (interpret the world) is a legitimate goal of schooling. However, it is more viable to think of the primary function of schooling as providing for the young inspiration, opportunities and support for purposeful doing, and for assisting them in understanding the processes of 'action scheme' change to make such doing more viable. Through the practical-critical components of the inquiry, undertaken in the context of the ferment of pedagogical and curricular discussion and exploration in Queensland between 1999 and 2003, I develop the Key Abilities Model and associated guidelines and resources relating to forms of pedagogy, curriculum organisation and assessment consistent with the Dynamic Paradigm of Learning and Change. I argue the importance of showing teachers why and how their existing visions and conceptions of learning and teaching may be inadequate, and of emphasising teachers' conceptions of learning, knowing, agency and teaching, and their identities, dispositions and orientations to the world, as things that might need to change, in order to realise the intent of educational change focused on transformational student outcomes serving both the individual and collective good. A recommendation is made for implementation and research of a school-based trial of the Key Abilities Model, informed by and reflecting the Dynamic Paradigm of Learning and Change, as an important investment in the development and expression of ‘authentic' human intelligence.

The game-changers: exploring radically transformational challenges confronting education business leadership

This paper highlights the radical and rapid changes occurring at all levels of education that are having a profound impact on educational leadership, governance, business and administration. These far-reaching transformations include: competition from a rapidly expanding unregulated private sector; the international impact of de-regulation; the demise of union power, secure education jobs, time-honored hours and working conditions; constant, rapid education policy change and the proliferation of open access technologies which are rendering physical education campuses less relevant or obsolete. The paper suggests that at this stage in history we are witnessing game-changing forces that are fundamentally altering educational provision, the nature of education work, the education workforce, educational outcomes, educational leadership, governance and business. Most importantly, it argues that educational leaders and education business managers need to be ready for them and more instrumental in policy debates arising in their wake. The paper concludes with ideas for responsive action from education business leaders.

Implications of radically transformational challenges confronting education business leadership

This paper highlights the radical and rapid changes occurring at all levels of education that are having a profound impact on educational leadership, governance, business and administration. These far-reaching transformations include: competition from a rapidly expanding unregulated private sector; the international impact of de-regulation; the demise of union power secure education jobs, time-honoured hours and working conditions; constant, rapid education policy change and the proliferation of open access technologies which are rendering physical education campuses less relevant or obsolete. The paper suggests that at this stage in history we are witnessing game-changing forces that are fundamentally altering educational provision, the nature of education work, the education workforce, educational outcomes, educational leadership, governance and business. Most importantly, it argues that educational leaders and education business managers need to be ready for them and more instrumental in policy debates arising in their wake. The paper concludes with ideas for responsive action from education business leaders.

Expert systems modeling for assessing climate change impacts and adaptation in agricultural systems at regional level

Australian agriculture is very susceptible to the adverse impacts of climate change, with major shifts in temperature and rainfall projected. In this context, this paper describes a research methodology for assessing potential climate change impacts on, and formulating adaptation options for, agriculture at regional level. The methodology was developed and applied in the analysis of climate change impacts on key horticultural commodities—pome fruits (apples and pears), stone fruits (peaches and nectarines) and wine grapes—in the Goulburn Broken catchment management region, State of Victoria, Australia. Core components of the methodology are mathematical models that enable to spatially represent the degree of biophysical land suitability for the growth of agricultural commodities in the region of interest given current and future climatic conditions. The methodology provides a sound analytic approach to 1) recognise regions under threat of declines in agricultural production due to unfolding climatic changes; 2) identify alternative agricultural systems better adapted to likely future climatic conditions and 3) investigate incremental and transformational adaptation actions to improve the problem situations that are being created by climate change.