6 Reasons Why Institutions Should Create a Thriving Culture of Improvement

A recent article by University Affairs magazine highlights the benefits of using online course evaluations. The article concludes that when moving from paper to online course evaluations that response rates will suffer. Where this may be true at first, over time institutions can achieve high sustainable response rates and obtain better quality data with online evaluations.

High response rates are important in terms of participation; however, they should not be the only goal of evaluations. Some institutions focus on response rates and ignore the more important variables, such as feedback implementation and student engagement. Not acting on student feedback (implementing and sharing results) is the single most determinant of low response rates.

Instead, institutions should focus on developing a thriving culture of improvement where feedback is used to improve teaching and learning. Creating a culture of improvement is both a commitment and a process which forms the vision of the institution. In today’s post we examine some of the many reasons why institutions should focus on creating a thriving culture of improvement.

1. Build collaboration, communication & trust:

   A primary driver of instilling a thriving culture of improvement is to build an institution based on collaboration, communication and trust. The goal is to work together in a systemic and transparent way to build institutional alignment. Implementing a culture of improvement provides strategic direction where institutional objectives correspond directly with the shared vision. In this type of culture, communication and engagement are top priorities that are leveraged to unify stakeholders and break apart silos.

2. Meet expectations:

   Through the Learning Experience Management (LEM) framework, institutions can capture expectations and needs to identify gaps that will enable them to improve processes, programs and services. Regular stakeholder assessments monitor progress to ensure that the learning experience is having a positive return on expectations (ROE). The ability to meet and/or exceed expectations is critical as it increases stakeholder satisfaction and helps the institution remain competitive.

3. Improve teaching:

   One way to achieve this is by building instructor capacity by using student data. In an improvement-led culture, instructors have the opportunity to change how things work in the classroom, department, and institution. The goal isn’t to just increase efficiencies it’s about personal growth and development. Instructors have the opportunity to collect and analyze data that will guide them in the development of new competencies.

4. Enhance learning:

   When a culture focuses on improvement it becomes learning-centric and uses feedback to enhance the learning experience. This is achieved by implementing student feedback to improve teaching, curriculum and the classroom environment. Regular learning assessments are made by monitoring progress and to identify any gaps. This enables instructors to align learning objectives and curriculum during the course to meet student needs. In an improvement-led culture, students are active participants in their learning and have the opportunity to affect outcomes.

5. Meet accreditation standards:

   Using an improvement process like LEM, institutions can ensure that all accreditation standards are met. Regular assessments will allow for data-driven improvements to be made at the institutional, unit, and program level. Regularly gathering and implementing feedback enables institutions to continually improve the quality of their offerings, services, and operations.

6. Increase faculty & student engagement:

   In a thriving culture of improvement faculty and student engagement increases. Through transparency, communication, and feedback, faculty and students actively shape learning and enhance the classroom experience. Faculty engagement increases as instructors have more control in the evaluation process and more control in how feedback will be implemented. Also, engagement increases as instructors benefit directly from professional development opportunities that the culture supports. Student engagement rises as students witness first-hand their feedback being used in the classroom. The rise in student engagement leads to increased participation and ultimately higher sustainable response rates.

Stay tuned for further posts on implementing a thriving culture of improvement where we will explore this topic in more detail.