This supports the creation and implementation of an action plan, as well as monitoring of that plan. This process distinguishes changes in state from changes in behavior, changes in state being just those broad shifts in economic conditions, policy, politics, institutional behavior, and so on, among whole populations (e.g., cities, regions, countries, industries, economic sectors, etc.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Governments collect data on changes in state but, of course, the data may not be calibrated to measure the kinds of change anticipated in any one Theory of Change. A single change initiative may draw upon multiple interventions to achieve its outcomes. Weiss, C. H. (1995). (Eds.) Appropriate Scope also integrates the evaluation concept of accountability. One organisation which began to focus on these issues was the US based Aspen Institute and its Roundtable on Community Change. Nonetheless, because our collective knowledge of how change occurs in STEM higher education is incomplete, teams will still rely on some assumptions when they design a project. Outcomes along the pathway are also preconditions to outcomes above them. Since change agents work from one particular vantage point of the system (e.g., a faculty member in a department, a dean in a college, a professional developer in a Center for Teaching and Learning), it can be hard for individual actors to recognize how more distant parts of a system will influence change efforts. (Eds.) The innovation of Theory of Change lies (1) in making the distinction between desired and actual outcomes and (2) in requiring stakeholders to model their desired outcomes before they decide on forms of intervention to achieve those outcomes. New Directions for Evaluation 128 (Winter). Similarly, people on the ground can have input into which indicators to use and how to operationalize them, choices of instruments and methods of data collection, and which existing sources of data may be used in tracking indicators.[22]. Ideally, a theory of change specifies one or more indicators for each precondition and the long-term outcome. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 15(2), 117. W.K. People developing their Theory of Change in a workshop Theory of Change ( ToC) is a methodology or a criterion for planning, participation, adaptive management, and evaluation that is used in companies, philanthropy, not-for-profit, international development, research, and government sectors to promote social change. For example, applied to an effort to change how teaching is evaluated for promotion and tenure, the 4I framework of organizational learning suggests that a precondition to institutionalizing new structures includes individuals in a group (e.g., a department) developing shared understandings. Theory of Change emerged from the field of program theory and program evaluation in the mid 1990s as a new way of analyzing the theories motivating programs and initiatives working for social and political change. Understanding by design. Community cultural wealth is a framework that characterizes knowledge, skills, abilities, and contacts possessed and utilized by communities of color to survive and resist macro- and micro-forms of oppression (Yosso, 2005). Evaluation guide: Developing and using a logic model. As well, there may be a need to pick the right indicators from among the many available, and one can use monitoring questions to select the indicators that will be most helpful. [17] The Results Framework is complementary and adaptable to a Theory of Change-based monitoring and evaluation system. Other researchers used TCSR as a framework for analyzing data about what influenced the use of the SCALE-UP model within one university (Enderle, Southerland, & Grooms, 2013), demonstrating that a change theory may become useful for considering context late in a change initiative. [1], Theory of Change explains the process of change by outlining causal linkages in an initiative, i.e., its shorter-term, intermediate, and longer-term outcomes. To date, Theory of Change has not distinguished impact, influence, and leverage as types of outcomes, but it may be useful to do so as a way of focusing the Theory of Change on measurable achievements. Clark, H., & Anderson, A. Furthermore, this program recognizes that achieving meaningful change in undergraduate STEM education requires changing the entire system, not just faculty thinking or behavior. http://www.wkkf.org/knowledge-center/resources/2010/Logic-Model-Development-Guide.aspx. The long-term outcome will eventually be attained only after a number of medium-term and short-term outcomeswhich are called preconditionsare first achieved. The ultimate success of any Theory of Change lies in its ability to demonstrate progress on the achievement of outcomes. . What is improvement science? Innovations continue to emerge. (2013). Educational Researcher, 40(7), 331337. A change effort that opts to use the River Model as its guiding intervention may also need to incorporate interventions at other levels of the system, such as departments and individual faculty. Only when the pathway has been developed is it time to consider which interventions will best produce the outcomes in the pathway. These outcomes act as preconditions to the long-term outcome. Stains, M., Pilarz, M., & Chakraverty, D. (2015). Though these two stages are the suggested starting place, the model is meant to be dynamic and the process can be entered at multiple points (Kezar & Elrod, 2015). These quotes suggest that NSF and HHMI may not mean the same thing when they refer to theory of change. This is indicative of the broader ambiguity in terminology within the discipline-based education research community. Some perspectives understand ToC as a fixed model that gets in the way of effective work and useful evaluation. Article Since the publication of Weisss book, the use of planning and evaluation using theories of change has increased exponentially among philanthropies, government agencies, international NGOs, the UN and many other major organizations in both developed and developing countries. Another example of indicators relevant to departments are rubrics developed by the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE) to assess the degree to which life sciences undergraduate programs align with recommendations in the Vision & Change Report. Design-Based Research; Cobb, Confrey, Disessa, Lehrer, & Schauble, 2003). PDF THEORY OF CHANGE - United Nations Sustainable Development Group Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 6991. However, research on why faculty adopt evidence-based teaching strategies indicate that they rely on personal experiences to a much greater extent than empirical evidence (Andrews & Lemons, 2015; Dancy et al., 2016). This new resource reflects how theory of change thinking has evolved by: Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Weiss popularized the term Theory of Change as a way to describe the set of assumptions that explain both the mini-steps that lead to the long-term goal and the connections between program activities and outcomes that occur at each step of the way. Assumptions may also be listed on the pathway of change diagram. A comprehensive description of the elements of a theory of change was developed through the Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change (Anderson, 2005; Weiss, 1995). Departmental Action Teams (DATs) are externally facilitated groups of faculty, students, and staff working collaboratively in a department toward a collective educational outcome. Often posing theory-based evaluation questions helps to focus evaluation efforts on key concerns. In other words, what should change agents do to try to achieve change, and what might they need to know to make change in their particular context? This product accounts for the context of a specific initiative. Between 2000 2002, the Aspen Roundtable for Community Change led the dissemination and case studies of the Theory of Change approach, although still mostly applied to the field of community initiatives. What Is Motivational Interviewing? A Theory of Change The theory of change also acknowledges the significant role that national and local philanthropic foundations, public and nonprofit organizations, the private sector, and resident leadership have played . They observed intuiting among local institutional CIRTL leaders, interpreting in the work between local leaders and local constituents, and integration of learning gains associated with CIRTL across campus by the local leaders (Hill et al. Theories of Change | SpringerLink Many efforts designed to promote change in undergraduate STEM education have fallen short of their intended outcomes (Henderson, Beach, & Finkelstein, 2011). Chasteen, S., Chattergoon, R., Prather, E., & Hilborn, R. (2016, July 20-21). Four frames for systemic change in STEM departments. However, US writers such as Weiss, Chen and Patton increasingly highlighted the challenges in evaluating complex social or community change programs when it was not clear precisely what the programs had set out to do or how and therefore difficult to evaluate whether or how they had achieved it (James, 2011). TOC Origins It is difficult to trace precisely when the term "theory of change" was first used, but a hint at its origins can be found in the considerable body of theoretical and applied development in the evaluation field, especially among the work of people such as Huey Chen, Peter Rossi, Michael Quinn Patton, and Carol Weiss. Community Toolbox: Developing a logic model or theory of change. Though developed with K-12 contexts in mind, this framework can be translated to a higher education system. ), which confounds effective Theory of Change design, evaluation, and learning. University of Kansas Center for Community Health and Development. Public Administration and Public Policy, 87, 611630. In contrast, change theories represent theoretical and empirically grounded knowledge about how change occurs that goes beyond any one project. 47 Citations 15 Altmetric Metrics Abstract This commentary focuses on the difference between a theory of change and change theory, as it relates to systemic change projects in STEM higher education. This is an ongoing and important discussion, especially as there is an increasing emphasis on and demand for strategy as grounded, flexible, and opportunity-driven. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. 2. The challenge that emerges is, therefore, how to sustain their support while letting others develop the theory. Challenging assumptions is likely to occur throughout a change project, as some assumptions may only come to light when aspects of an initiative fail. statement and Some theory of change advocates make a clear distinction between a theory of change and Logic Model, arguing that a theory of change is much more flexible and has more explanatory power, because a Logic Model does not always make explicit the underlying assumptions about how change will happen (e.g., Clark & Anderson, 2004). The simpler, more rigid organizational structure of a Logic Model can be beneficial for a quick summary and more easily communicating with funders and other stakeholders. Theories relevant to context help change agents and researchers identify and characterize aspects of the system and culture and describe how these might moderate how a change intervention proceeds. Theory of Evolution - National Geographic Society The framework gives the appearance of being derived from a well-thought-out conceptual model, even if the conceptual model is lacking. This essay describes the connections between a theory of change and change theory and provides examples of how change theory can inform a projects theory of change. Within evaluation practice, Theory of Change emerged in the 1990s at the Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change as a means to model and evaluate comprehensive community initiatives. The community builders approach to theory of change: A practical guide to theory development. What is Theory of Change? Chen, H.T., Rossi, P.H. Start from the end goal. WK Kellogg Foundation 2004. [3] In that book, Carol Weiss, a member of the Roundtable's steering committee on evaluation, hypothesized that a key reason complex programs are so difficult to evaluate is that the assumptions that inspire them are poorly articulated. To evaluate complex community initiatives focused on social change, a theory of change was designed as a tool to help clearly articulate underlying assumptions from the offset. He is famously known as the father of social psychology. Activities and timelines. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214010389321. Lewin's Change Management Model - Understanding the Three Stages of Change . Change in STEM higher education occurs within a complex system and attending to various parts of the system helps change agents consider factors that may influence the way in which a change initiative plays out. 19, No. For instance, starting in 2014, the National Science Foundations (NSF) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program created a strand focused on Institutional and Community Transformation. "Impact, theory of change, and the horizons of scientific practice". The Annie E. Casey Foundation proposes mapping an organization's social change work along three criteria: Impact, Influence, Leverage. Many researchers have developed approaches and tools to measure important variables in the context of undergraduate STEM education. Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Kurt Lewin developed this theory of organizational change. Active learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology courses. In turn, intention is influenced by an individuals attitude toward the behavior, the subjective norms they perceive related to the behavior, and their perception of their own control over the behavior (Ajzen, 1991). We also propose common terminology that DBER communities could use to refer to the articulated logic of an individual project (Tables 1 and 2). Also before you start your visualization, you should have at least a rough outline of the basic components of your organization's theory of change: Inputs, such as human, material or financial resources. [5] Within industrial-organizational psychology, Austin and Bartunek have noted that approaches to organizational development are frequently based on more or less explicit assumptions about 1) the processes through which organizations change, and 2) the interventions needed to effect change.[6]. Specifically, the four frames model operationalizes culture as an ever-changing set of structures and underlying ways of thinking, and the resulting power relationships between individuals (Reinholz & Apkarian, 2018). It is important to understand success beyond just knowing what works. Retrieved from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/overview/models-for-community-health-and-development/logic-model-development/main. (2015). In recognition of this potential and the power of collective action, Oxfam has developed a theory of change to explore what needs to happen so that young people, institutions and communities can create equitable, transformative and sustainable change together. Leading change. Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. The theory of planned behavior stipulates that a key factor influencing behavior is an individuals intention to perform the behavior (Ajzen, 1991). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-0202-3, https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T, https://live-ccliconference.pantheonsite.io/measuring-teaching-practices/, http://www.theoryofchange.org/pdf/TOC_fac_guide.pdf, https://www.theoryofchange.org/pdf/Superwomen_Example.pdf, https://www.cdc.gov/eval/logicmodels/index.htm, http://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14196&DocID=4548, https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X032001009, https://wcer.wisc.edu/docs/working-papers/Working_Paper_No_2015_02.pdf, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.010110, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0120-9, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.8.020104, https://www.hhmi.org/science-education/programs/inclusive-excellence-new-competition-announcement, https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf19601, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9831-0, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0103-x, https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/overview/models-for-community-health-and-development/logic-model-development/main, https://doi.org/10.1080/1361332052000341006, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Indicators are how a project team determines if each precondition and the long-term outcome have been met. Journal of Chemical Education, 92(9), 14661476. It also provides formative feedback to support revision of activities and the theory of change as a whole. To utilize DATs a part of a larger change initiative, a project team would need to hire or develop skilled external facilitators who could lead DATs in academic departments. How to Visualize a Theory of Change - Venngage It can depend on a single definitive experiment or observation to change people's views, but it is more likely to involve many separate studies . Social change | Definition, Types, Theories, Causes, & Examples Thus, a precondition for the impact of the CIRTL network on member institutions may be a local CIRTL leadership team that can translate and tailor the network efforts to the specific needs of their institution (Hill et al., 2019). Within the evaluation community, this term is often capitalized (i.e., Theory of Change), but this can cause confusion among scientists who do not think of an individual projects theory of change as akin to how they use the term theory. CBELife Sciences Education, 15(4), ar60. In summary, change theory and research can inform a theory of change by mapping out and defining the components of a system and the various ways those components interact with each other that may influence (i.e., moderate) change efforts. We direct the reader elsewhere for examples of theories of change in STEM education (Connolly & Seymour, 2015) and for guides about how to create a theory of change for your work (Anderson, 2005; Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change, 2003). Means, D., Stanton, J., Mekonnen, B., Oni, O., Breeden, R., Babatola, O., Osondu, C., Beckham, M., & Marshall, B. This essay is not a how-to guide or a list of theories of change from other projects. CBELife Sciences Education, 10(4), 394405. To do so, a team makes explicit the outcomes it is trying to achieve. Particularly, when using Theory of Change to guide monitoring and evaluation, the Casey rubric helps focus the group's attention on outcomes, which could, if achieved, be convincingly attributed to the group's work. Describing & Measuring Undergraduate STEM Teaching Practices. Far from exhaustive, this manuscript provides examples of how some commonly used change theories can inform a change project. A theory of change is a particular approach for making underlying assumptions explicit, and using the desired outcomes of a project as a mechanism to guide planning, implementation, and evaluation. Intuiting occurs at the level of the individual and involves developing insights based on personal experience that can be fed forward beyond the individual. Given the complexity of real change scenarios, efforts can benefit from drawing on multiple change theories and diverse research areas (Kezar & Holcombe, 2019). Notable methodologists, such as Huey-Tsyh Chen, Peter Rossi, Michael Quinn Patton, Helne Clark, and Carol Weiss, had been thinking about how to apply program theories to evaluation since 1980. Thus, many change agents are faced with the challenge of articulating a theory of change for their work. She challenged designers of complex community-based initiatives to be specific about the theories of change guiding their work and suggested that doing so would improve their overall evaluation plans and would strengthen their ability to claim credit for outcomes that were predicted in their theory. By using this website, you agree to our They are also helping to understand and assess impact in hard to measure areas, such as governance, capacity strengthening and institutional development. The linear format is therefore appropriate. Educational Researcher, 44(1), 5461. In the years that followed, a number of evaluations were developed around this approach, fueling more interest in the field about its value and potential application.[3]. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre. Adopting such a framework, a hiring committee may aim to see how a new hire would add to their culture, rather than just fitting in it. Terms and Conditions, Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 8(2), 020104. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.8.020104. This approach could thereby help to avoid mapping outcomes involving broad shifts in behavior and values among whole populations, which are easy to think about, but are very difficult to monitor and to attribute to any one program. The lack of clarity about the mini-steps that must be taken to reach a long term outcome not only makes the task of evaluating a complex initiative challenging, but reduces the likelihood that all of the important factors related to the long term goal will be addressed (Weiss, 1995). This can inform adjustments to planned research activities, and also take advantage of unexpected opportunities by giving users a framework to determine whether an opportunity does or does not align with the purpose and objectives of the research project or program. We have also benefitted from the support of the Accelerating System Change Network (ASCN) and the STEM-DBER Alliance. Measuring changes in state can exceed the capacity of any one actor's monitoring capabilities. Connolly, M. R., & Seymour, E. (2015). Change theory and theory of change: whats the difference anyway?. These represent the projects concrete activities. . PDF Using Theory of Change in the development, implementation and These indicators may be measured in a variety of ways, depending on the research methodologies adopted by a project. Do we need it in education? Given our intended audience of discipline-based education researchers, we have opted for lower case letters in this commentary. A major feature of a theory of change is the articulation of underlying assumptions about how change occurs. Logic models often communicate the overall vision or aspiration of the project, as well as short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes anticipated as a result of the project. Theory change is a community process of feedback, experiment, observation, and communication. It involves developing shared understanding among individuals and taking coordinated actions. Yosso, T. J. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. How faculty learn about and implement research-based instructional strategies: The case of peer instruction. NSF appears to be referring to drawing on existing theory about how change occurswhat we will call change theory. American Journal of Physics, 76(2), 179187. We introduce two theoretical frameworks that can inform preconditions and rationale in a theory of change, including one framework relevant to achieving behavioral change among individualsthe theory of planned behaviorand one framework relevant to achieving organizational changethe 4I framework of organizational learning. Become a Center for Theory of Change partner and get access to experts, trainings and more! The degree to which theories of change draw on change theory and research varies considerably. Many Theory of Change outcome pathways include an accountability ceiling, often a dashed line drawn across the pathway that separates outcomes the organization will monitor and claim credit for attaining from higher-order outcomes that are beyond its power to achievee.g., a just society.[19]. Appreciative inquiry achieves change by discovering, magnifying, and eclipsing positive attributes and successes in an organization, rather than focusing on identifying and solving problems (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2001). Your US state privacy rights, Cooperrider, D., & Whitney, D. (2001). Ideally, a theory of change is informed by change theories. This work culminated in a 1995 publication, New Approaches to Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives. Partial support for this work was provided by the National Science Foundations Improving Undergraduate STEM (IUSE) program under awards 1830897 and 1830860. Using theory of change to design and evaluate public health In addition to a Logic Model, a wide variety of other related terms are used. Its personal: Biology instructors prioritize personal evidence over empirical evidence in teaching decisions. (2019). Some interventions that have been implemented and studied are solidly grounded in existing change theory and others have less robust theoretical underpinnings.
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