Leading Change in Online Learning
Game Changers in Online Learning for the State of Iowa
University of Northern Iowa Graduate Program for Instructional Technology
Leading up to this project, we studied and discussed a variety of literature on the change process. Many of the readings are listed below. These helped us develop knowledge of the change process, and by comparing and contrasting some of the readings we were able to create our own categories of an effective change process. These lead to our interview, as they became the basis for our questions, as well the standards by which we evaluated the change process of the AEA PD Online program.
Stratosphere By: Richard Fullan
From Fear to Facebook: One School's Journey By: Matt Levinson
Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns By: Clayton Christensen
The Readings, Our Connections, and the Interview Questions
Becky Kinnander
Sarah McKee
Ali Sauter
Zoom Room
Meet Our "Change Agent" Interviewees
Iowa AEA PD Online
The AEA PD Online site is run by a team of dedicated professionals, from the Iowa Area Education Agency, who are instructional designers. The program is funded through the different Iowa regional area education agencies. They are a small team of 7, led by Evan Abbey, who is the program manager. This team creates online courses, modules, and professional development opportunities. If you are an Iowa teacher and have taken a class for mandatory reporting or blood borne pathogens through the AEA, this team of individuals made that possible.
Not only are they a strong presence for online professional development for teachers, they are now helping schools launch online education opportunities. The team designs courses and works with school districts design courses as well through the Moodle learning management system. They are connecting more and more schools so that students have broader opportunities for learning.
For this interview we chose Evan and Denise, an instructional designer. Both are passionate online educators and advocates for online teaching and learning. Below is their information and a summary of our interviews.
The Conversations
Concluding Remarks
It can be frustrating when change doesn't happen as fast as we'd like. However, small victories should be celebrated and used to ignite further change. Leadership that provides continued motivation and excitement for the possibilities is essential to success.
Passionate, driven people are required in order to achieve change.