Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education

 

Date of this Version

2015

Document Type

Article

Citation

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development (2015) 34(1-2)

doi: 10.3998/tia.17063888.0034.104

Comments

License: CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

This paper provides an account of the pilot and first year of a university improvement initiative, developed in response to a reaffirmation mandate from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The initiative focused on increasing student retention and enhancing learning through the campus-wide use of team-based learning (TBL) (Michaelsen, Knight, & Fink, 2004). The strategy used in implementing the initiative was based on a conceptual framework created from the integration of E. M. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation theory (2003), J. P. Kotter’s Leading Change strategies (1996), and T. Littman’s Planning Principles and Practices (2013). To date, the initiative appears to have been very successful in terms of both faculty involvement and improvements in student outcomes. A total of 11 faculty participated in the pilot year. In year 1, that number increased to 60 and based on current enrollment, that number will be approximately 150 in year 2. Assessment data indicate that for both the pilot and year 1, using TBL resulted in significant gains in student persistence and a wide variety of learning outcomes.

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