Instructional Leadership in Higher Education: Practicing Sound Leadership for Students and Instructors.

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1 INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION 23 Instructional Leadership in Higher Education: Practicing Sound Leadership for Students and Instructors. Yassaman Raouf, University of Washington This paper addresses the historical, political, and social context of instructional leaders in higher education. Embedded within the framework of adult learning theories, I provide a unique lens to chief academic officers in their efforts to lead teams and promote learning. Too often academic leaders are overcome with administrative responsibilities, leaving them little room to improve learning for both faculty and students. This paper explores how leaders might navigate political, legal, and social landscapes while staying dedicated to student learning in an inclusive environment. Keywords: instructional leadership, curriculum development, instructional methods A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE CONTEXT OF LEARNING Although the concern for the acquisition of knowledge extends to a wide range of disciplines, educational institutions have historically been at the forefront of developing methods and approaches for the teaching-learning experience. A ubiquitous interest in the field of education has been creating the best methods possible to disseminate knowledge and educate whole populations. The one who instructs is at the heart of this dissemination; they have the special task of combining best practices (as produced by researchers) with their own unique teaching styles. They must also adapt these practices to the social environment in which they are instructing. Social environments are shaped by a variety of forces including socio-political factors, cultural dynamics, and the institution s leadership. This paper will discuss the role of instructional leaders in higher education settings and is organized as follows: the discussion will begin with a definition of an instructional leader and then move to the social and political environment that instructional leaders in higher education must navigate. The latter part of the paper discusses the key duty of an instructional leader in overseeing curriculum and implications for best practices for both students and instructors. DEFINING THE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS While traditionally the use of the term instructional leadership has been synonymous with K-12 school principals, higher education institutions also have leaders that oversee curriculum and the teaching-learning dynamic. For instructional leaders in higher education institutions, this is the role of the chief academic officer. Murray, Murray, and Summar (2000) defined the chief academic officer as the administrative head of academic programs with responsibility for all academic affairs at the institution. A key component of academic affairs is overseeing the way in which curriculum is developed at an institution. They must ensure that curriculum content and its instruction follow state rules and regulations. Chief academic officers must collaborate with faculty and administration in creating a curriculum that meets both the faculty s needs and the state s guidelines. Since the general tasks of a principal at a K-12 institution and a chief academic officer at a higher education institution

2 INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION 24 have overlapping functions, this paper will borrow from the literature on school principals in the K-12 system. In the Three Logics of Instructional Leadership, Rigby (2014) notes that principal preparation programs define the goal of instructional leaders as to increase student achievement and build or maintain teacher satisfaction. She goes on to explain that overall, the logic called for principals is to focus on learning and instruction, establish relationships with teachers, and to guide teachers to improve instruction to lead toward increased student achievement (Rigby, 2014). Gurr, Drysdale, and Mulford (2007) explain in Instructional Leadership in Three Australian Schools that principals can create positive learning environments through rallying a school toward a common vision of achievement. Furthermore, the principal s ability to build strong relationships with teachers and reinforce the vision of high expectations to work towards student achievement had a direct effect on student success. A survey of chief academic officers in 160 two-year higher education institutions further demonstrated that an instructional leader must develop critical interpersonal skills in order to facilitate an effective teaching-learning environment (Townsend & Bassoppo-Moyo, 1997). The chief academic officers in the same study saw specific interpersonal skills, such as team building, participatory governance, and conflict resolution or mediation as critical to the success of their role (1997). From this analysis, it can be understood that a definition of an instructional leader should at its basic level be described as someone who is a dynamic leader that provides direction in a way that promotes an environment where all participants work towards a common goal. Under this general framework, an instructional leader s other defining roles, such as providing direction for curriculum development, balancing rules and regulations with school needs, and measuring learning outcomes for students, can be effectively managed. INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER S SOCIO-POLITICAL CONTEXT: LEGAL IMPLICATIONS Higher education institutions are faced with a wide array of demands: how to address the increasing diversity of the student population, effective instruction and curriculum content, managing the ongoing threat of budget cuts, and facilitating sound administration-faculty relations, to name a few. Furthermore, public institutions are strictly bound by state laws and procedures. Hence, the legal context is a prominent feature that shapes the direction and socio-political climate of college campuses. Townsend and Bassoppo-Mayo (1997) note that contextual competence, or the understanding of the environment in which higher education administration is practiced, was the most frequently expressed need. Respondents indicated current administrators lacked awareness of legal issues and government rules affecting higher education (Townsend & Bassoppo-Moyo, 1997). Since regulations and interpreting the law have multiple layers and nuances, it is not always clear what actions an administrator should take to implement a policy or regulation. In this climate, administrators are typically faced with the dilemma of creating a positive teaching-learning campus environment and, at the same time, ensuring that

3 INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION 25 the university community is in compliance with rules and regulations. Chief academic officers have the special duty of marrying institutional policies and academic affairs. Since faculty members typically have the most interaction with students, training faculty members effectively becomes crucial. Title IX, for example, is a policy that rightfully demonstrates how regulations impact the role of an academic officer. According to Title IX, all university personnel are mandated by law to report sexual assault violations to their institution s Title IX coordinator. University administrators, such as deans of students and academic officers, are charged with the duty of ensuring that all faculty and staff have appropriate training to deal with such incidents. Thus, perhaps the question for an academic officer in this case would be, how can I provide effective training and education for faculty to ensure that sensitive student issues are handled appropriately? How can administrators and faculty collaborate to provide an environment where students feel safe to disclose such information? These challenges and unique circumstances require that chief academic officers develop strong problem-solving skills within their organization. In The Dean as Chief Academic Officer, Erwin (2000) explains that a chief academic officer can effectively manage their staff through the Covey Model of empowerment: empowering staff to become effective problem solvers and decision makers. Erwin (2000) explains that, Many CAOs face a constant barrage of crises from the time of arrival in the morning until the day s work is done. Problem solving skills can be developed within the staff through shared management so that crises do not consume the entire time of one individual and more professionals gain experience in dealing with pertinent matters. By delegating functions and duties to multiple staff members, individuals develop effective solutions to the challenges they frequently face. This practice can bring about increased morale and satisfaction among both students and staff because empowered individuals can positively influence the culture of the institution. INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER S PRIMARY TASK: CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION WITHIN THE SOCIO- POLITICAL CONTEXT Having discussed some legal parameters that shape the instructional leader s role, we now turn to the primary duty of the chief academic officer. Instruction and curriculum development lie at the heart of the duties of an academic officer. Here, again, the leader is faced with the act of harmonizing state regulations and academic needs. State agencies have requirements which include course hours, contact and lab hours, and degree requirements (Erwin, 2000). This dilemma is explained well in Erwin s (2000) article: There is a delicate and complicated boundary where the life of the community college meets the life of state government. San Jose City College, for example, lists curriculum in the context of community college mission, budgetary constraints, balance of offerings, and an appropriate number of courses required for various degrees as key items for their curriculum planning priorities (Erwin, 2000). While San Jose City College s planning objectives aim to provide a well-structured range of degree programs to students, their planning process focuses mainly on

4 INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION 26 technicalities and compliance (and only briefly addresses the life of the community in the first step). It fails to address some common pedagogical methods useful to curriculum development in the context of adult learning. Despite popular literature that suggests adults prefer freedom in content choice, many adult learners also desire structure and variety in teaching methods. A study of 75 undergraduate and graduate adult learners showed that adult learners prefer an eclectic approach to learning, where a combination of lecture, class discussions, and activities encapsulates methods of instruction (Check, 1984). It is not uncommon to find instructional leaders barraged with technicalities of curriculum development, which distracts their attention from quality of instruction. Methods of teaching are often left to individual instructors to devise. This could lead to two possible extremes: positive experimentation of eclectic approaches or traditional lecture-style teaching. Dan Turner, Associate Dean for Master s Programs at University of Washington, described that his day-to-day responsibilities do not allow him the flexibility that his fellow faculty colleagues have when teaching a course (personal communication, March 28, 2016). Despite not being able to pay as much attention to his courses as he would like, Turner often experiments with teaching methods; for several years now, he has employed the flipped classroom model (personal communication, March 28, 2016). Students listen to lectures prior to coming to class and the entire class content is devoted to implementation of lecture through small group activities (personal communication, March 28, 2016). Turner also noted that because he serves as the dean and that low student ratings do not impact his job security, he is able to experiment with a variety of approaches, whereas other instructors (such as tenure-track faculty) might not want to risk creative approaches to their content delivery (personal communication, March 28, 2016). Meeting state guidelines and fiscal constraints demands a significant allocation of time and resources on the part of instructional leaders (Erwin, 2000). Considering the cultural, developmental, and social context of student learning is an added complexity that is often left to various student services such as multicultural or tutoring centers. While each instructor has a different teaching style, a common understanding of best practices in teaching methods is necessary. Then, within this common understanding, instructors can deploy their own creative measures of pedagogy. For example, the San Jose City College curriculum planning process could incorporate a recommendation for methods of instruction, drawing upon some consideration from the basic tenets of andragogy. CONCLUSION: IMPLICATIONS FOR LEADERSHIP AND TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION In this paper, we have examined the impact of governance on the role of the instructional leader. What might be the relationship between the instructional leader and the student? How might the leader train its staff so that the students are best served? Today s higher education institutions are comprised of diverse learning styles that are a manifestation of cultural, social, and economical backgrounds. While some may view this as a

5 INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION 27 challenge, this diversity is necessary, and is a positive contribution to the student s learning environment. There are challenges in understanding how to best respond to this diversity, but it presents a positive challenge. And perhaps this is where the instructional leader can best situate her or himself: helping staff to facilitate student learning through a curriculum that embeds student development and identity. Such a curriculum would show appreciation for, and pay particular attention to the student s cultural, social, and cognitive backgrounds. A curriculum that appreciates a student s cultural background would not merely resort to the surface-level notion of celebrating diversity, but rather acknowledge the historical roots of the student s marginalized or dominant identity. This acknowledgement should lead to empowerment, where the instructor is able to help students deeply reflect on their own upbringing and connect their personal experiences to course content, and to their real-life community settings. This can be done in any class setting, even though one might think this sort of instruction or environment is only useful for liberal arts education. Yet, what good would a math education do if it is disconnected from the myriad of injustices caused by the manipulation of money in every corner of the globe? How might one s math and science education prepare students to lead better and healthier lives for themselves and others? These are just a few examples to explain that our responsibility for justice and universality within curriculum is not part of a liberal arts agenda. Rather, we must step outside of the bounds of its political context (liberal, conservative) and discern the critical need to align curriculum with real-life practice, and to align that with the purpose of building capacity in students to utilize knowledge towards positive contributions to societal needs. REFERENCES Erwin, J. S. (2000). The dean as chief academic officer. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2000(109), 9. Check, J. F. (1984). Teaching learning preferences of the adult learner. Education, 105(1), 107. Gurr, D., Drysdale, L., & Mulford, B. (2007). Instructional leadership in three Australian schools. International Studies in Educational Administration (Commonwealth Council For Educational Administration & Management (CCEAM)), 35(3), Murray. J. P., Murray, J. I., & Summar, C. (2000). The propensity of community college chief academic officers to leave an institution. Community College Review, 28 (3), Rigby, J. G. (2014). Three logics of instructional leadership. Educational Administration Quarterly, 50(4), Townsenda, B. K., & Bassoppo-Moyo, S. (1997). The effective community college academic administrator: Necessary competencies and attitudes. Community College Review, 25(2), 41. Yassaman Raouf is an assistant director of MBA student affairs in the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington Seattle. She will earn her MEd in Student Development Administration from Seattle U in August 2016.