People, Practices, and Patterns: Transforming into a Learning Institution

The Challenge: Organizational transformation takes time, energy, and patience. Intentional change was engaged by an academic-administrative unit, The Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology (the Hub). The Hub aspires to help Michigan State University (MSU) “reinvent itself as a learning institution” by transforming ourselves so that we might transform others. The authors, all current employees of the Hub, provide an in-depth look into the challenges and triumphs of purposeful organizational change. Potential Consequences: Without change, MSU would maintain existing gaps on measures of student success among different demographic groups. The key audience of these efforts are learners in the university while considering the surrounding system of faculty, staff, administrators, curriculum, assessment, and student engagement efforts. Description/Analysis/Methods: The Hub catalyzes innovative ways to collaborate, learn, research, and impact learning. We design new opportunities that take advantage of skills and connections across the disciplines. The Hub adapted work practices that can sustain transformation. The Hub also built a physical space reflective of these strategies. Rationale/Reflection/Replication: Initial practices resulted in a series of careful, bold learning pathways focused on new capacity and professional development for stakeholders. We extrapolated experiences, practices, and findings for other transforming university, business, and organizational contexts.