Middle-Out Approaches to Reform of University Teaching and Learning: Champions striding between the top-down and bottom-up approaches

dc.creator	Rick Cummings
dc.creator	Rob Phillips
dc.creator	Rhondda Tilbrook
dc.creator	Kate Lowe
dc.date	2005-03-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T22:05:18Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T22:05:18Z
dc.identifier	1492-3831
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/fea63802f04c47c1a4923bc222f9530c
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/9659
dc.description	In recent years, Australian universities have been driven by a diversity of external forces, including funding cuts, massification of higher education, and changing student demographics, to reform their relationship with students and improve teaching and learning, particularly for those studying off-campus or part-time. Many universities have responded to these forces either through formal strategic plans developed top-down by executive staff or through organic developments arising from staff in a bottom-up approach. By contrast, much of Murdoch University’s response has been led by a small number of staff who have middle management responsibilities and who have championed the reform of key university functions, largely in spite of current policy or accepted practice. This paper argues that the ‘middle-out’ strategy has both a basis in change management theory and practice, and a number of strengths, including low risk, low cost, and high sustainability. Three linked examples of middle-out change management in teaching and learning at Murdoch University are described and the outcomes analyzed to demonstrate the benefits and pitfalls of this approach.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	Athabasca University
dc.relation	http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/224/307
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/1492-3831
dc.rights	CC BY
dc.source	International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Vol 6, Iss 1 (2005)
dc.subject	reform
dc.subject	change management
dc.subject	managment
dc.subject	universities
dc.subject	Australia
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.title	Middle-Out Approaches to Reform of University Teaching and Learning: Champions striding between the top-down and bottom-up approaches
dc.type	article