1. Making a lasting difference: Program sustainability/ scalability and infrastructure Jeff Kelly, University of Oklahoma, and Cathleen Barczys Simons, Evaluation Consultant NRT Annual Meeting, May 3, 2016

2. Overview ▪ Why “scalability” and “sustainability”? ▪ What do “scalability” and “sustainability” mean? ▪ What are some examples of scaling and sustaining learning innovations? ▪ What challenges do we anticipate? ▪ What questions do we have about scaling and sustaining? ▪ Tackling the challenges and questions: Small-group break-outs ▪ Pulling our collective wisdom together: Large group reconvenes 2

3. Why “scalability” and “sustainability”? ▪ Federal strategic priority (NSTC): Broader implementation of effective instructional practices and advances in STEM education ▪ Emphasis on evidence-based methods for broadly improving interdisciplinary STEM graduate education through NRTs (relative to IGERT). That is, what training elements are scalable and sustainable? ▪ Parallels a general paradigm shift toward entrepreneurship: ▪ Traditionally, faculty publish and present, raising AWARENESS of their innovations ▪ Now, faculty called to raise ADOPTION of their innovations => “entrepreneurial mindset” 3

4. What do “scalability” and “sustainability” mean? ScaleSustain Expand one’s innovation beyond one’s own implementation Keep the innovation going over time Within one’s institution Within one’s field Beyond one’s institution – to other similar institutions Beyond one’s institution – to different types of organizations 4

5. What are some examples of scaling and sustaining learning innovations? ScaleSustain Expand one’s innovation beyond one’s own implementation Keep the innovation going over time Within one’s institution  ‘Tapestry’ curriculum approach for interdisciplinary programs  New certificate or program Within one’s field  See upcoming presentation, Institutional and disciplinary scalability of NRT innovations  Presented by Lorenzo Ciannelli Beyond one’s institution – to other similar institutions  Replicating NRT 2 other institutions in Yrs 2 & 3 of NRT  Fees – membership fees, use fees, consulting fees, subscriptions Beyond one’s institution – to different types of organizations  Professional society  Industry group contributes to professional society’s foundation which contributes to university’s research in that field 5

6. What are some examples of scaling and sustaining learning innovations? ScaleSustain Expand one’s innovation beyond one’s own implementation Keep the innovation going over time Within one’s institution  ‘Tapestry’ curriculum  Project scoring rubric  Diversity recruitment strategy  New certificate or program Within one’s field  See upcoming presentation, Institutional and disciplinary scalability of NRT innovations  Presented by Lorenzo Ciannelli  11 am in the Atrium Beyond one’s institution – to other similar institutions  Replicating NRT in Yrs 2 & 3  4-yr institutions scaling to 2-yr institutions, and vice versa  Fees – membership fees, use fees, consulting fees, subscriptions Beyond one’s institution – to different types of organizations  Professional society  Company  Industry group contributes to professional society’s foundation which contributes to university’s research in that field  Company uses project’s database 6

7. What challenges do we anticipate? 1. Sustaining within institution: Overcoming the institutional positive feedback that supports our silos (departments and colleges) – for example: ▪ Student recruitment and retention - It is easy when there are NSF fellowships to use as carrots, but once those go away students gravitate back to their disciplinary homes. ▪ Faculty buy-in – Grant funding will make faculty venture out of their comfort zone, but not many want to live in the interspaces. ▪ Administrative support – Creating your own silo takes resources that are in short supply (space, in-load teaching credit, graduate student support). 2. Scaling across institutions: ▪ Each institution is unique and will have to adapt any program or curriculum to fit. ▪ Are there best practices for adapting programs developed at other institutions? ▪ Is it possible to create federations of institutions that create institutional support? 3. Other challenges – your ideas? 7

8. What questions do we have about scaling and sustaining? Two questions we were asked to think about beforehand: 1. What will it take to sustain the innovations of your program beyond the life of the NRT grant? 2. How easily could the innovations be adopted more broadly without additional funding? Other questions: 1. When is the best time to start working on scaling and sustaining an NRT program? Near the end of the grant? In the beginning? In the middle? Or…? 2. Who are your “customers” in your NRT now? Who else – i.e., what other “customers” – inside or outside of your institution would be willing to pay for some parts, or all, of what you offer in your NRT? 3. How much, roughly, does your NRT cost, including costs borne by the institution? In other words, what’s the total cost if an institution or funder was interested in replicating what your NRT is doing, or if you were interested in scaling it up to other institutions? 4. Your questions? 8

9. Tackling the challenges and questions: Small-group break-outs ▪ Break into small groups (~25 min) For each group: ▪ Focus on 1-2 of the above questions/challenges, and work together to develop creative solutions or strategies. ▪ Designate a secretary to save ideas in the Google doc; it will be used for other team activities during the meeting. 9

10. Pulling our collective wisdom together: Large group reconvenes ▪ Groups report back to the larger group [~30 mins]: and synthesize major ideas and common themes. 10

11. Closing Thank you! ▪ Resources: Contacts: ▪ Innovation Corps for Learning (I-Corps-L): Jeff Kelly, jkelly@ou.edu https://www.asee.org/i-corps-l/about Cathleen Simons, cathleensimons@gmail.com Coming up next, additional Scalability Session: Spreading the Gospel: Institutional and Disciplinary Scalability of NRT Innovations Lorenzo Ciannelli, Atrium, 11 am 11 What 1 or 2 next steps can you take now, on your path to scale and sustain your NRT?