Towards an effective change framework for scholarly teaching in higher education professional degrees

ABSTRACT

Sustained innovation in teaching and learning is needed to achieve high-quality outcomes in student learning. However, despite extensive research in teaching and learning practice, challenges are faced to translate teaching research into scholarly practice, especially in professional degrees. This article develops and proposes a new conceptual framework for sustainable change in teaching and learning in higher education professional disciplines. This is designed to assist change managers to identify achievable goals and develop the most effective strategies, to deliver the greatest benefits to student learning. The new model activates collaboration between change managers and stakeholders at all stages of the change process, systematic consideration of interrelated variables across a range of organisational levels, selection of more effective change strategies and regular reviews of progress so strategies can be adapted in response to context changes. A key component of the framework is collaboration which enables contextualisation of change to the professional disciplines. Its nested structure also provides an implementation framework. Such a framework provides a useful contribution as it assists change managers in adapting teaching and learning to the changing future needs of universities, staff, students, graduates, and the professions.

KEYWORDS:

• Change framework
• sustainable change
• scholarly teaching

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to support of RMIT University through funding received from the Biomedical and Health Innovation Enabling Capability Platform. We also acknowledge the valuable contribution of Dr Natasha Taylor in challenging our thinking about the project in initial stages of the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).