RESPOND TO POST

The issue I will be focusing my research on is how NLU faculty researching Adverse Childhood experiences share their expert knowledge across the institution. NLU is growing rapidly. Student enrollment in the Undergraduate College has increased every year since 2015. Adopting the framework, the model for improvement,  presented by the Institute of Education Sciences (2017) video, poses three questions to identify the systems needed to produce the desired outcome. The first question asks, what is the desired outcome. In the case of my study, it is to identify how NLU faculty researching ACEs can improve the processes for sharing their expertise with peers throughout the institution. The second question of the model for improvement framework is what changes will be made to reach the desired outcome. With the support of the provost office, a change committee would include college deans, program chairs, and faculty. 

Faculty can propose a calendar of professional development activities centered on growing NLU’s body of knowledge on ACEs. The data collected during the cycle of PD can inform additional changes. The first cycle of PD should be treated like a mini-experiment whose results can inform future research and yield immediate action steps for change (Russell, Bryk, Dolle, Gomez, Lemahieu, & Grunow, 2017). The third and final question is, how will the change committee know that the desired outcome was reached? The use of post PD surveys the change committee can have instant feedback on the impact and effectiveness of the PD. Improvement science offers frameworks were faculty can use their expertise and engaged in disciplined inquiry with their peers to improve teaching practice (Lewis, 2015).