Using social network analysis to develop relational expertise for an instructional change initiative

International Journal of STEM Education

Kathleen Quardokus Fisher¹  Ann Sitomer²  Jana Bouwma-Gearhart³  Milo Koretsky⁴ 

[1] 0000 0001 2110 1845, grid.65456.34, Department of Earth & Environment and STEM Transformation Institute, Florida International University, 33199, Miami, FL, USA;0000 0001 2112 1969, grid.4391.f, Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning, Oregon State University, 97331, Corvallis, OR, USA;0000 0001 2112 1969, grid.4391.f, College of Education, Postsecondary STEM Education, Oregon State University, 97331, Corvallis, OR, USA;0000 0001 2112 1969, grid.4391.f, School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, 97331, Corvallis, OR, USA;

关键词: Relational expertise;    Instruction;    Social network analysis;    Leadership;    Department;    Change;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40594-019-0172-5

来源: publisher

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundChange leaders (faculty, administrators, and/or external stakeholders) need to develop relational expertise, recognizing the perspectives of others, to enable emergent, systemic change. We describe how change leaders of a grant-funded instructional change initiative developed relational expertise by analyzing faculty relationships and social subgroups to identify who was involved in discussions about teaching and learning and what specific topics were discussed.ResultsFaculty discussions focused on daily classroom needs. Faculty who were in different departments or schools were mostly disconnected from each other, and faculty within these units often had subdivisions among them.ConclusionsFaculty lacked opportunities to discuss education, specifically, systems-level perspectives. The change leaders created organizational structures to catalyze communities, including an action research fellowship program, to support faculty in education discussions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY