Syllabus

Management of Education Change

20172018
Course Listing: 4016627ENR

Department of Education Sciences

 Table of Contents

Instructors ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
BASICS ................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Blended Structure ........................................................................................................................................ 3
On-Campus Meeting Schedule.................................................................................................................... 3
Software Platforms and Instructions ........................................................................................................... 3
THE COURSE
Course Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Course Outcomes .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Course and University Policies ............................................................................................................................. 5
Expectations ofand Personal Responsibility forCourse Success................................................................... 6
Course Modules and Design Challenge ................................................................................................................ 6
Readings................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Grading ................................................................................................................................................................. 9

Instructors
Prof. dr. Koen Lombaerts Vladena Btge Jahn
Head of Department: Educational Sciences PhD Student: Educational Sciences
Vrije Universiteit Brussel Vrije Universiteit Brussel
M +32 (0)478 24 97 79 M +32 478 97 54 62
koen.lombaerts@vub.ac.be vladena.batge.jahn@vub.be

Prof. dr. Fred Mednick

Professor: Education Sciences
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Founder, Teachers Without Borders
M +1 206 3564731 | Skype: twbfred | fred@twb.org

Syllabus for Management of Education Change: 2017-2018 2

BASICS
6 ECTS credits | 180 hours study time | face-to-face and online | 1st semester | Grading method (0-20) | Can
retake in second session: Yes | Taught in English | Offer 2 with catalog number 4016627ENR for all students in
the 1st semester at a (E) Master - advanced level | Educatiewetenschappen | Grading: 20 point scale

Blended Structure
Face-to-face intensive sessions at VUB in October, November, and December, 2017
Online readings and assignments
Material and announcementsas well as places to post discussions, papers, files, and assignments will be
available online through the course platforms described in this document below.
Students must assume major responsibility for their own learning. As members of a learning community, they
are likewise responsible for helping their peers by consulting with them and engaging in collaborative solution
finding before seeking assistance from me. A class roster will be developed and distributed to support peer and
instructor communication.
Up-to-date announcements regarding required in-class sessions at VUB shall be made through VUBs channels.
Skype sessions for individual groups shall be announced through Canvas.

On-Campus Meeting Schedule

Software Platforms and Instructions

This course requires use of information technology: Students are expected to have regular access to a
personal computer, web camera, and the Internet to complete learning activities and assignments. It is each
students responsibility to check these course platforms every day for important content additions or
changes, and announcements. Platforms include:
FACEBOOK: (MODULE 1 only): for projects and reading discussion, under the supervision of Ms. Vladena
Btge Jahn. Module 1 only. Audiobook discussion sites for Module 1, with Ms. Vladena Btge Jahn.

1. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChangeByDesign/
2. https://www.facebook.com/groups/GettingToYes/
3. https://www.facebook.com/groups/CreativeConfidence/

Syllabus for Management of Education Change: 2017-2018 3

CANVAS: a learning management platform that includes all course content.
1. Please register for a free student Canvas account: https://canvas.instructure.com/register
2. Once registered, please enroll in the course: https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/ECN8JY

Course Overview
Educational change requires both management and leadership, and both do not come with an operators
manual. It has been said often that managers do things right and leaders do the right thing. Sounds good,
but its not as easy as that. There is, however, a body of research that points to strategies shown to be most
effective. Building a collaborative learning community is one example. Some would say that there is a
science of leadership in education change. Some would go so far as to say that a roadmap for change is
possible.
We take a more nuanced view. While we should stand on the shoulders of giants and glean lessons from the
research into successes and failures, no one education challenge rides on such fixed rails. Educational
change also requires finely-tuned antennae capable of detecting the profoundly human characteristics of
both management and leadership. Sometimes its not so much of a roadmap than it is a compass. Here,
too, one can go so far as to say that it can very well be an art.
This course is designed both to educate our intuition and to inject a human element into well-established
processes. Bolman and Deal (2008)1 assert that suitable resolutions to education change can be found when
managers and leaders view organizations through a structural frame (sociological ideas and focuses on
formal patterns of goals, roles, and relationships), a human resource frame (addressing stakeholders
needs and motives, as well as active engagement), a political frame (in which power and conflict play a
pivotal role in make-or-break educational contexts), and a symbolic frame (how meaning, faith, rituals, and
symbols to create a unique way of life within an organization).
Dai and Yun (2012)hprovide credible evidence that design thinking (human-centered design) accelerates
educational innovation and higher-order thinking skills, provided that skilled practitioners honor
stakeholders and beneficiaries and seek feedback in order to engage whole communities in the process of
change.
We will explore several of these contexts through readings, discussions, and activities that take on the
elements of change leaders will most likely encounter: the nature of stakeholdership, dissemination theory,
theories of change, design thinking, key progress indicators, and making change stick. Each module (they
vary in length from 2-4 weeks) builds the capacity of Masters level students to create and support
educational change.
The central aim of the course consists in the deepening of insights in educational change by learning to
analyze and describe subcomponents of educational innovation. Students shall develop skills in testing
theoretical concepts and insights to determine their applicability to educational change challenges facing
schools today.

1 Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (4th ed.). San
Francisco, CA: JosseyBass

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Major topics that will be covered during the course are:
Subjective meaning and objective reality of educational change;
Causes and processes of implementation and continuation;
Innovative capacity of educational organizations;
Conditions for implementing educational innovation and role of innovation actors;
Cases of educational innovation
One last note: we believe that management and leadership can be developed most effectively through an
actual design challenge so that you construct a plan for leadership and management, rather than just learn
theory and hope it applies to challenges when the going gets rough.

Course Outcomes
This course aims to build theoretical underpinnings and associated skills involved processes and actors
regarding change in educational settings. It stresses the ability to design guidelines to implement innovation
in education, and conceive methodologies worthy of an education initiative.

Students will be able to: As evidenced by:

Articulate multiple perspectives about organizational Content in course readings and online
change theory and transformative leadership contributions to discussions

Justify and utilize change tools Small group change action plans
Describe environmental influences that can affect
organizational structure and activity within education Design Thinking project
systems
Assess personal readiness to lead organizational change Reflections and discussions

The course as a necessary prerequisite for a course taken later on: Case Studies in Curriculum Design,
which will require that concepts and experiences gained from the Management of Education Change be
applied to a project by which students are given opportunities to make a direct contribution to a (1) local
school or organization, or (2) a global NGO engaged in curriculum change.

Course and University Policies

It is each students responsibility to be thoroughly familiar with VUBs policies, protocols, and expectations.
In short, some are listed below:
Plagiarism: Cheating or plagiarism is basically stealing ideas or intellectual property created by
others. Students are cautioned to reference all resources properly: The mere rephrasing of another
authors work does not excuse the student from the requirement for including proper citations. Cite
all sources accurately! Be aware that recycling of assignments from other courses can be interpreted
as selfplagiarizing and fails to meet the minimal standards of intellectual rigor required in graduate
study. Infractions of policies regarding plagiarism will likely lead to dismissal from the course.
Other VUB policies will apply.

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 Late Submittals: Late assignments will be accepted only in cases of extreme emergencies, and the
decision to accept late work is solely at each professors discretion.
Incomplete Grade: Incomplete grades for this course are issued reluctantly and sparinglyand
only if a passing grade will result from completion of the work. They, like late submittals, will not
be available at the last minute and are offered solely at each professors discretion.

Expectations ofand Personal Responsibility forCourse Success

All studentgenerated written assignments must be submitted electronically as outlined in Canvas
Guidelines for assignments will be posted on Canvas
Class participation (in-class and online) is taken into consideration in the overall point count
Students are expected to complete all reading and written assignments prior to learning events,
engage actively in all course activities, and contribute as required to completion of all independent
and group assignments.
Readings: Students can be asked, randomly, to respond to writing prompts about assigned readings
in class and online
Smallgroup projects are vital for success. Students will work in small groups to collaboratively
recommend change activities to address organizational needs described in this course, and will be
expected to respond to research papers and content discussions by citing the research that will
support their conclusions about leading and managing educational change.

Course Modules and Design Challenge

A preliminary module with information about the Canvas platform, along with the syllabus, followed by five
modules of different lengths.
LEARNING CANVAS
Instructor(s): All
Delivery: Online
Short Summary: Getting an account with Canvas and getting familiar with navigation

MODULE ONE: WARMING UP DEVELOPING KEY COMPETENCIES

Instructor: Vladena Btge Jahn
Delivery: Online (Asynchronous AudioBook Clubs in dedicated Facebook groups) and at VUB
Short Summary: You have a choice to participate in this module in 1 or 2 out of 3 available tracks.
Learning activities, discussions and reflections based on recommended audiobooks (see tracks).
In Getting to Yes track we will learn about and practice communication and negotiation strategies
In Creative Confidence track we will learn about and practice principles and strategies for creative
problem solving

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 In Change by Design track we will learn about and practice design thinking as a collaborative
innovation process.
During in person sessions we will engage in active learning - working and learning together in small
groups in the classroom.

MODULE TWO: REFLECTIONS on LEADERSHIP

Online: 27 October to 6 November
Instructors: Koen Lombaerts and Fred Mednick
Delivery: Online only (Canvas). Readings and discussion
Short Summary: Drs. Lombaerts and Mednick will supervise your participation in surveys,
discussions, and reflections. Are you a transactional or transformational leader? How? We explore
the subject through definitions of leadership, blogs, research on effective leadership, a personal
survey, and reflection.

MODULE THREE: NOVEMBER @ VUB: DESIGN THINKING and CHALLENGE, PART 1

(Extended)
@VUB: 6-hour sessions 7-9 November + online

Instructors: Koen Lombaerts and Fred Mednick

Delivery: At VUB: 6-hour sessions in November, plus follow-up
Mandatory Attendance Required: otherwise, students cannot pass this course
Short Summary: We explore how one thinks both inside and outside the box through a method for
design thinking, including definitions, examples, affinity mapping, and critical thinking exercises.
Students will apply design thinking to a very-real design challenge.
The Challenges: Students will work in groups to address one of two design-thinking challenges
offered by OpenIdeo:

1. How might we improve educational outcomes for childrenparticularly girlsin

emergency situations? (link)
2. How might urban communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change?
(link)
The challenge must emphasize a SMART solution (product, process, space, service)
Include demonstrated learnings from readings on design thinking, leadership, and management
Make certain you include active feedback and engagement from professor(s) and students from ONE
of the following Master's Programmes at VUB: .| Management | New Media and Society in
Europe | Architectural Engineering | Applied Computer Science | Law and Criminality

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 MODULE FOUR: PLANNING, STAKEHOLDERSHIP, KPIs, SMART METRICS
Online
Instructors: Koen Lombaerts and Fred Mednick
Delivery: Online
Short Summary: We explore more on stakeholdership and a free idea-sourcing site, then move
toward planning and KPIs and SMART metrics; we introduce a theory of change model that can
assist the work of Module Five.

MODULE FIVE: DESIGN THINKING, PART 2: PRESENTATIONS

@VUB: 6-hour sessions 5-7 December + online
Instructors: Koen Lombaerts and Fred Mednick
Delivery: At VUB, along with projects extending from 6-hour sessions in DECEMBER
Mandatory Attendance Required: Otherwise, students cannot pass this course
Short Summary: We will pick up where we left off. This will involve an extended design project,
based upon specific principles that integrate levels of stakeholdership, KPIs and SMART metrics,
along with the integration of technology, along with testing and prototyping.

Readings
Wherever possible, assigned readings will be made available at the lowest possible cost and with an eye
toward essential content accessible in the public domain.
Not all readings are listed below. Please check each module in Canvas for changes.
Links to readings will require that users log in to Canvas

Module Major Readings

LEARN CANVAS Logging in and getting comfortable

Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within

Us All, by Tom and David Kelley.
Audible version here | ePub on Pointcarr | PDF
MODULE 1: Key Competencies Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms
Organizations and Inspires Innovation, by Tim Brown.
(Vladena)
ePub on Pointcarr | PDF
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by
Roger Fisher and William L. Ury
Audible version here | ePub on Pointcarr | PDF

MODULE 2: Reflections on Leadership See Canvas for Readings, including:

27 Oct. to 6 Nov. | (Koen and Fred) Fullan, The New Meaning of Educational Change

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 Read or re-read Creative Confidence
MODULE 3: Human-Centered
Introduction
Design Thinking, Part 1
The Discover Phase
7-9 Nov. on campus (Koen and Fred)
The Ideate Phase

MODULE 4: Challenge
Development, KPIs, SMART metrics See Canvas
(Koen and Fred)
MODULE 5: Human-Centered
Design Thinking, Part 2 Presentations
(Koen and Fred)

Grading
Every assignment (online and in-class engaged discussions, surveys, individual research, group
projects) is required. A point will be deducted for every missed assignment.
Points are weighted for discussions, activity, reflection, and the group project. Taking that into
consideration,
Your overall point score will be assigned to each module, based upon your professors assessment
of timeliness, completeness, originality, collaborative spirit, and scholarly level.
Your grade for the course shall be the sum of points for each module

Module Activities and Requirements Total Points

Module 1: Key Competencies Online, face-to-face: Readings, participation in 4 points (total)

Facebook discussions, activities

Module 2: Reflections on
Posted on Canvas: discussions, responses to readings 2 points (total)
Leadership
Module 3: Human Centered
Design Thinking, Part 1 In-class activities, discussions, responses to readings 4 points (total)

Module 4: Stakeholdership
In-class activities, discussions 2 points (total)
Review, Planning and Key KPIs
Module 5: Human Centered
Discussions, interviews, stakeholder engagement
Design Thinking, Part 2, and 8 points (total)
process reflections, and presentation in December +
follow up

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