Becoming an Effective Educational Change Agent

Offered in collaboration with Big Beacon

Attempts to effect change in engineering education often sputter out after a few years. Why? Although faculty members and administrators are good at generating new and exciting ideas, the skills necessary to change at an individual level and to spread change at the institutional level are not currently part of the traditional faculty member or administrator toolkits.  

This three-day workshop develops participant skills and strategies for creating change that "sticks." In particular, we dive into a set of personal and organizational skills that will help participants develop both personally and professionally as effective change agents:

* Developing coaching and negotiation skills, including noticing, listening, and questioning and 3 critical negotiation distinctions
* Design and use of language in change processes, including sticky language, 5 speech acts, and the art and science of narrative analysis and design
* Understanding and applying integrated change models, including those of Kotter and the Heath brothers. 
* Leading from any chair, leading change both with and without title, authority, and responsibility.
* Designing and implementing innovation structures within existing institutions, including incubators, respectful structured spaces, and change artifacts. 
* Using collaborative design process and facilitation as a change mechanism.
* Understanding effectuation versus normal (causal) modes of planning for effective action when uncertainties are high. 
* Building and using culture and community to sustain change.  

Through provocative readings, transformative experiential activities, and lively discussions we develop crucial frameworks for thinking about change, increase participants' hands-on skills thereby enabling participants to return home as qualified change agents, and increase participants capability to be reflective and supportive in their teaching practice and their change leadership efforts. As such, this workshop is appropriate for any academic administrator, faculty member or potential faculty member who aspires to participate in effective educational change.

Learn more and apply at i2e2.olin.edu/summer/personal_change.html

Read more about I2E2 Summer Institutes 2013 at i2e2.olin.edu/summer/about.html