Western Technical College president Roger Stanford shares with host Joe Gottlieb how moving to a 7-week course term structure transformed student completion rates and revitalized curriculum through comprehensive instructional design.
• Complete curriculum redesign of over 1,000 courses
• Creation of an empowered steering committee to manage implementation
• Three-year timeline allowing faculty breathing room during pandemic
• Centralized change management reporting directly to the president
• Dedication to maintaining “unconditional positive regard” throughout the process
• Immediate improvements in second-term retention rates
• Faculty discovering reduced cognitive load benefits of teaching fewer courses simultaneously
• Commitment to embedding universal design and culturally relevant curriculum
• Program reviews resulting in more streamlined, focused degree pathways
• Balancing academic freedom with instructional design expertise
“While we expected some faculty resistance or departures, the majority embraced the change and are now prouder than ever of their curriculum and assessment alignment.” Listen in for the full story,
References:
Engage with host, Joe Gottlieb, at discussion@higher.digital at any time!
Subscribe to TRANSFORMED wherever you get your podcasts to hear from higher ed leaders as soon as new episodes drop.
