Associate Deans Research Articles

Commission on collegiate nursing education standards inspire a new model of shared governance

PurposeA school of nursing re-envisioned its faculty organization structure and created a Shared Governance model based on the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Standards (CCNE). The model promotes shared decision-making and encourages nursing faculty and staff to exercise greater control over their professional endeavors. Principal resultsThe Shared Governance model launched as a one semester pilot before it was formally adopted by faculty. Faculty and staff are organized into four councils, each one representing the CCNE standards: Governance, Institutional Resources, Curriculum, and Quality. The Academic Leadership Team meets regularly with Shared Governance Council Chairs to foster communication and ensure a cohesive, proactive approach to conducting school of nursing business. Major conclusionsThe Shared Governance model has provided an excellent mechanism for new school of nursing faculty and staff to become oriented to their roles and the culture of academia. It has broken down silos and increased connections across programs and campuses. Ongoing conversations about the priority work of the school of nursing and each council's coordinated effort to document fulfillment of the Standards gave structure to preparation for our accreditation visit. The accreditation process is no longer seen as the sole responsibility of the Dean and Associate Deans.

A conceptual model for program-level assessment

ABSTRACT Program-level assessment is a holistic approach for arranging assessments throughout a degree program that supports sequential development of discipline knowledge, transferable skills and career readiness. Currently, the modular arrangement of courses means that student learning is partial, limited to passing the assessment and compartmentalized into independent course learning outcomes. In effect, the current practices prevent students developing broader educational attributes that are essential for future employment opportunities. Interviews were conducted with 18 academics, Associate Deans and Program Directors, from seven Australian universities in the fields of dietetics, physiotherapy and science disciplines in order to develop a conceptual model to guide program-level assessment. The proposed conceptual model is designed to support academics’ assessment practices, enhance the quality of universities’ programs and provides students with a more coherent assessment experience.

Complexity Leadership Theory and its application in higher education: using duoethnography to explore enabling leadership during a time of uncertainty

ABSTRACT This study explores how Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT) can advance the understanding of academic leadership in HE during a time of crisis and uncertainty. A qualitative methodology was applied to address the research question, ‘How do academic leaders in higher education understand leadership during a crisis?’ We used duoethnography to garner data through recorded conversations and other artifacts about our leadership experiences as associate deans for learning and teaching. Drawing from the three CLT leadership strands (operational, entrepreneurial, enabling) for analysis, we show enabling leadership as critical to doing operational and entrepreneurial leadership. Additionally, we demonstrate that enabling leadership, beyond its functional role, is suffused with emotion work and care. Uniquely, our findings suggest the need to extend CLT’s enabling leadership to integrate compassionate leadership for personal wellbeing and to support others during challenging times. Moreover, the study contributes to existing CLT knowledge by providing useful insights to extend the concept of enabling leadership by incorporating ways of thinking and approaching leadership practices relevant to the current higher education context.

Liminality in academic middle management

Abstract This article explores the complex academic-administrative role of the associate dean in US higher education administration. Previous research in Australia, UK and USA indicates that these academic middle managers experience significant conflict and ambiguity due to their roles and responsibilities as faculty members and administrators. Victor Turner's concept of liminality provides insight into the challenges of academic middle management at this administrative level. Analysing qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with associate deans at US research-intensive universities, I find that associate deans experience changes in perspective and relationships that foreground contradictions of meaning and highlight their paradoxical social status. I argue that, as part of a process of transition from faculty to administrator, the associate deanship is essential to the social construction of the university.

Examining who is conducting and leading National Institute of Health-funded research in U.S. schools of nursing

BackgroundNursing science is essential for generating a unique body of knowledge that is foundational to the academic discipline of nursing. PurposeThe goal of this analysis is to detail the education and licensing of faculty and leadership in research-intensive schools of nursing and to present the current data on the National Institute of Health (NIH) funding patterns in schools of nursing. MethodsThe faculty composition analysis focused on the 40 U.S. schools of nursing receiving the most NIH funding through faculty serving as PIs on grants awarded in 2023. For the NIH funding patterns analysis, data were extracted from the NIH RePORTER database. DiscussionOf the top 30 NIH-funded Schools of Nursing, all the Deans and Associate Deans of Academic Affairs are educated or licensed as nurses; whereas only 55% of Associate Deans of Research are educated or licensed as nurses. In 2022, nearly half of the top-ranked schools of nursing had less than half of their NIH funding awarded to faculty who are trained and licensed as nurses ConlusionThe current trends in the research enterprise in schools of nursing implore us to assess if we are adequately training nurses to advance nursing science and more importantly to serve as leaders of nursing science.

Enablers and barriers to program-level assessment planning

ABSTRACT Assessment underpins students’ learning in higher education and provides evidence of knowledge and skills. Program-level planning refocuses the assessment from being content and siloed at the course level to being program oriented with alignment to program learning outcomes and graduate attributes. Program-level assessment has been gaining momentum and shown to create positive assessment practices that support the quality agenda driving the higher education sector; despite this, program-level assessment is not widely adopted in Australian universities. This article explores the factors that academics in health and science programs identify as enablers and barriers to adopting program-level assessment. Grounded Theory was the methodological approach used to construct the semi-structured interviews with 18 Associate Deans and Program Directors from seven universities. Thematic analysis revealed the enablers and barriers to participants’ undertaking program-level assessment. The enablers of program-level assessment included having a shared responsibility through whole-team collaboration, effective leadership, and professional development. Conversely, barriers included resource constraints, ownership issues, and siloed practices, a lack of assessment literacy and university policies. The identification of these enablers and mitigating the barriers can help facilitate program-level assessment planning to enhance the assessment experience and drive students’ purpose of assessment within a university program.

‘Hidden assets’ in higher education administration: the structures and lived experience of ‘organisational power’ among associate deans at US universities

ABSTRACT This study uses the concept of ‘organisational power’ – control over the environments in which others interact – to investigate the structures and lived experience of power among academic associate deans at public, research-intensive universities in the US. Previous research claims that the associate dean role lacks ‘legitimate power.’ Through in-depth analysis of semi-structured interview data, this study shows that the associate dean role requires a strategic mode of power that is not socially recognised in universities. Associate deans therefore must manage perceptions of power in order to be effective in an environment that does not acknowledge such power. It is argued that higher education’s failure to legitimise organisational power obscures the role and limits leadership capacities. Empowering academic and administrative staff with knowledge regarding power and power practices in academic middle management through continued research is essential to safeguarding collegial processes and ensuring the longevity and vitality of the university.

In Service of Others – Connected Leadership in a Post-Secondary Context

In this article, three associate deans, who each lead one of three Academic Support Offices in a School of Education at a Canadian research-intensive university, feature their reflections, leadership approaches, found synergies, and collaborations to cultivate and advance connected leadership and resilience. The Offices of Research, Teaching and Learning, and Internationalization are located in a common physical space. Each associate dean manages their own portfolio in addition to collaborating with one another on identified points of intersection and joint initiatives. These three Offices were formed to support faculty members and students in the two programs areas in the School—Undergraduate Programs in Education and Graduate Programs in Education. The work of the Academic Support Offices is supported by two administrative support individuals and two facilitators who work across all three Offices.
 Over the past 23 months, this team of seven transitioned to remote and virtual work in response to COVID-19. Opportunities and challenges pertaining to communications, collaborations and how leadership and resilience is lived amongst the three associate deans, in particular, are discussed. Authors apply the lenses of relationality and connectivism to make meaning of and reimagine their leadership through reflections on foundations of learning, such as autonomy, connectedness, diversity and openness, and how these essences contribute to collective and collaborative leadership and resilience. Authors assert that building on the relational and connectivity to support collaborative and generative work and learning communities that thrive is essential, moving forward.

From crisis management to multi-level interinstitutional partnerships: Development of the southeastern conference deans nursing coalition.

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) Nursing Dean's Coalition is a purposeful alliance organized to collaboratively address several challenges that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last three years, this strategic team of academic leaders has evolved from a crisis response team to a multidimensional support team, leveraging both individual and collective strengths, to provide several benefits to the dean members, as well as other SEC nursing faculty members, students, and institutions. Participation has grown from the original 12 deans to engage a broader team of associate deans and nurse leaders in faculty development, research, service, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. This article describes the origin, evolution, and outcomes of this coalition to date, as well as visions for the future.

Musings of Two Administrators for Those Considering a Career Change

There is a learning curve when stepping into an administrative position, whether you have been planning the change for years or find yourself asked to replace someone who has left unexpectedly. Two associate deans offer perspectives on things we wish we had known prior to taking on our current position. Some are practical skills that can also be helpful in any faculty position, while others relate to the different perspectives an administrator needs. We also point out some experiences we feel helped set us up for success, which should be available to anyone considering a similar change of career. Our experiences may offer some benefit for individuals considering administrative positions by helping them reflect on what questions to ask themselves while choosing their next career step.

Professional development for academic associate deans in higher education administration: a case for decision-making as an essential skill in learning to lead

ABSTRACT The inadequacy of training and support for academic middle managers in the US, UK, and Australia is well documented. What remains unclear is what would make for better professional development. This study fills this gap by investigating what associate deans at US research universities report learning ‘on the job’. Drawing on their perspectives and experiences, as documented via semi-structured interviews, this study found that associate deans spend significant time and effort learning how to make administrative decisions, learning how the university works for the purposes of making decisions, learning how to manage people relative to decision-making processes and outcomes, and learning how to manage themselves with regard to their decision-making role. It is argued that professional development for associate deans should focus on administrative decision-making as an essential skill in learning to lead. Recommendations for a curricular framework that can be adapted to individual-, role- and context-specific needs are offered.

Cultural Competence in Academia

Introduction:Teaching and becoming culturally competent are concepts that have and continue to evolve partly due to the language being used such as culturally competent, culturally sensitive, and cultural humility. With such an influx of ethnically diverse populations, nurses need to become competent in the care of patients from many cultural backgrounds. Faculty must first be culturally competent to provide this pedagogy for nursing students. This paper explores and analyzes the cultural competence of Baccalaureate Nursing Faculty in the United States.Method:This study was conducted using a quantitative, descriptive approach among baccalaureate nursing faculty. The Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills Survey (MAKSS) tool was used for this study. The survey was sent to 70 randomly selected baccalaureate nursing program Deans and/or Associate Deans listed on a public web site. The sample was purposely chosen to represent at least one program from each of the 50 states across the United States.Results:Ninety-four responses were received. Of the 94 responses, 37 surveys were incomplete, leaving a sample size of 57. An analysis was completed on the 57 completed surveys. Limitations include the length of the survey (60 questions) as the authors found that some participants did not answer all the questions. Although faculty rated themselves high regarding being able to identify cultural biases, faculty highlighted the need for more education on culture.Conclusion:Faculty appear to be culturally aware and recognize the need for more education to achieve a culturally competent skill set. With the increase in the influx of immigrants from all over the world, the population of the United States is changing. Cultural competence needs to be included in curricula to ensure that patients are advocated for and respected.

It “Made Me Who I Am”: Using Interpretive and Narrative Research to Develop a Model for Understanding Associate Deans’ Application and Development of Academic Identity

Interpretive and narrative research approaches, the experiences of academic administrators other than deans, chairs, and presi-dents, and academic identity work beyond graduate students and beginning professors are all areas that are underrepresented in the literature on higher educational administration. This article builds on recent narrative research by applying higher educational admin-istrative theories as interpretive lenses to propose a model for helping to understand the development and application of associate deans’ academic identities. Among the findings were that academic identities helped explain associate deans’ approaches to their roles, their views of their surrounding organizations, and their reasons for assuming the role. Further, the associate deans who partic-ipated in this research did not experience their transition to the role as an identity crisis in the ways typically described and assumed by higher educational leadership scholars. Instead, they drew upon their well-established academic identities and, in keeping with the nascent research on academic identity work, were intentional in their efforts to maintain their academic identities.

Program-level assessment planning in Australia: the considerations and practices of university academics

Quality assessment in higher education needs to drive learning to produce graduates with disciplinary knowledge and employable skills. Performance-based funding requires universities to focus on graduate outcomes and future employment status. Research was conducted to investigate how program-level assessment planning is occurring within Australian universities, to determine academics understanding what aspects they consider and the assessment practice they identify as essential at the program-planning level. Constructivist grounded theory underpins the methodological approach and 18 academics were interviewed. Participants included Associate Deans and Program Directors (or equivalent roles) from seven Australian universities, in the accredited disciplines of dietetics and physiotherapy and non-accredited degrees in biomedical science and science. The results indicate that academics consider a myriad of factors including policies, curriculum, skills, and accreditation. Assessment practices identified as essential incorporate constructive alignment, a range of assessment tasks, authentic, and continuous assessments. The goal of program-level assessment planning is to holistically sequence assessment tasks to enhance students’ employability, so they become successful graduates and secure employment, which enables universities to acquire future funding.

How far has the digitization of medical teaching progressed in times of COVID-19? A multinational survey among medical students and lecturers in German-speaking central Europe

Background To ensure successful medical education despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for online instruction has substantially increased. Fast and efficient teaching in a digital format poses a great challenge for medical students and lecturers as well as the universities.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to capture the readiness of medical students and faculty members to participate in rapidly- evolving online education.MethodsThis cross-sectional study is based on two questionnaires distributed among medical students and associate deans for education in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Questions included decision- making questions, categorical questions, and open-ended questions, all addressing the frequency and format of the digital education offered, the perceived quality of digital education, and medical student satisfaction with digital education. Questions about missing content and areas for improvement from the perspectives of medical students were included. The associate deans were asked for their opinions about the impact of the pandemic on teaching, the organizational setup and implementation of digital education by universities, and plans for future initiatives.Results Three thousand and thirty medical students (m = 752 and f = 2245) from 53 universities participated in the study. The study showed that 92% of students were affected by the pandemic, and 19% of the students viewed the changes as entirely negative. 97% of the medical students were able to participate in digital courses, but only 4% were able to learn exclusively online. For 77% of the medical students, digital offerings accounted for over 80% of the education offered. In terms of content, medical students complained about a lack of practical teaching, such as contact with patients, lecturers, fellow medical students, and a poor perceived quality of teaching due to dubbing, frequent changeover of seminars, problem-oriented learning groups and in-person teaching, a lack of interaction possibilities and a lack of technical equipment, such as lecturers’ knowledge and server capacities, at the universities. Overall, almost half of the medical students (42%) rated the implementation of digital teaching at their universities as good or very good. Forty-one of the 53 associate deans responded to the questionnaire, and 35 felt medical education was influenced by the pandemic. The associate deans (80%; 33/41) felt that the digitalization of medical education was negatively influenced by the pandemic. Only 44% (18/41) felt that their universities were well or very well positioned for digital teaching. All the associate deans believe that digital teaching in medicine will continue after the pandemic.ConclusionsIn the German-speaking world, the rapid conversion of medical teaching to a digital format has been well implemented in many cases. The perceived quality of the implementation of digital education still lacks practical relevance and the use of new digital media, such as learning games, VR, and online question time. The digital format of medical education will likely continue beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

ORAL MEDICINE EDUCATION IN PRE-DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN U.S. DENTAL SCHOOLS

<h3>Objectives</h3> The aim of this study was to investigate the current standing of the oral medicine (OM) curriculum in the predoctoral dental programs in the United States and its relation to the students' perceptions of OM as a postgraduate specialty program option. <h3>Study Design</h3> A cross-sectional anonymous electronic survey was distributed by email to the academic deans of all Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)-accredited dental schools in the United States. The survey consisted of 2 parts: (1) Part A was completed by the fourth-year dental students and (2) Part B was completed by the academic deans or faculty members serving in a similar role. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the responses using JMP 15.0 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). <h3>Results</h3> A total of 4 rounds of surveys were sent between November 2020 and January 2021. The response rate from the associate deans was 28.4% (n = 19). The mean number of American Board of Oral Medicine–certified specialists involved in teaching OM in each dental school was 1.6 (range, 0-5). OM specialists were involved in teaching OM courses in 74% of the schools in addition to other specialists, including oral pathologists (n = 11), oral radiologists (n = 2), oral surgeons (n = 2), and 1 orofacial pain specialist. Oral pathologists alone or with oral surgeons were responsible for teaching the oral medicine courses in 21% and 5% of the schools, respectively. A total of 224 dental students responded to the survey. Most students (n = 114; 51%) reported their first introduction to OM was during their second year of dental school, 39% (n = 87) during their first year, and 8% (n = 17) during their third year. Sixty-four percent of the students thought the OM specialty was not known, 12% thought it was very poorly known, and only 13% thought the specialty was known. Only 1% of the respondents expressed interest in pursuing OM as a future postgraduate specialty choice. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Although OM specialists were involved in teaching OM in the majority of dental schools, students' perceptions and understanding of the specialty appeared to be low. Additional efforts are required to increase students' awareness around OM to better serve the important needs of our patient population.

A Comprehensive Survey of Research Library Organizational Structure

Research library structures have grown in size and complexity over the past several decades. There is no single template for how to organize a library in the 21st century, but it is unclear how much variance in structure truly exists between libraries. This study sought to identify the essential features and characteristics of these structures through the collection and analysis of organization charts. Specifically, this study analyzes the roles and position of senior leaders (e.g. Associate University Librarians, Associate Deans, etc.) as well as how scholarly communications activities are positioned within research libraries. Findings indicate wide variance in the structure of senior leadership roles as well as how a relatively recent library function fits with other units.

Constructing a roadmap to measure the quality of business assessments aimed at curriculum management

Assuring the quality of education is a concern of learning institutions. To do so, it is necessary to have assertive learning management, with consistent data on students’ outcomes. This research provides associate deans and researchers, a roadmap with which to gather evidence to improve the quality of open-ended assessments. Based on statistical methods, we used our results to discuss the validity and consistency of six assessments applied in Insper—an AACSB accredited school in Brazil. The roadmap was capable of targeting aspects needing improvement, which is better than having to discard the assessments and developing new ones, and stimulating faculty awareness to consistent metrics to accurately manage the curriculum.

Teaching of professional skills in US colleges and schools of veterinary medicine in 2019 and comparisons with 1999 and 2009

To quantify the extent that professional skills topics were presented to veterinary students at US colleges and schools of veterinary medicine (ie, veterinary schools) in 2019 and compare findings with similar data collected in 1999 and 2009. All 30 US veterinary schools in 2019. An electronic questionnaire was sent to the associate deans for academic affairs of all 30 veterinary schools in the United States during fall of 2019. Results were compared with published results of a similar survey performed in 1999 and 2009. A 100% (30/30) response rate was achieved for 2019. A total of 173 courses on professional skills topics were reported, of which 115 (66%) were required. The most common topic was communication (79/136 [58%] courses). Overall, courses were most frequently delivered in the first 3 years of the curriculum (129/158 [82%]), with required courses most common in years 1 and 2 (79/112 [71%]). Most courses (116/150 [77%]) were assigned 1 or 2 credit hours. These results represented continuation of a substantial increase in the teaching of professional skills, compared with findings for 1999 and 2009. Results suggested a growing commitment to the teaching of professional skills on the part of US veterinary schools and the willingness to change on the basis of the current perceived needs of their graduates. The observed increases align nicely with the emerging framework for competency-based veterinary education and its substantial focus on assessing competency in professional skills as an important outcome of veterinary medical education.

Critical reflections on academic leadership during Covid-19: Using Complexity Leadership Theory to understand the transition to remote and blended learning

This analysis provides a reflective account of leadership by two Associate Deans in a Higher Education Institution during the first wave of Covid-19. It could be argued that adaptable academic leadership has never been more critical than during the global pandemic when major transformations were needed, not just in how higher education (HE) is delivered, but in how staff work and interact. Literature associated with change identifies the significance of context and leadership. Understanding supportive leadership practices that enabled successful change during this time has the potential to influence future leadership. It will also inform ambitions to innovate and enhance remote and blended learning. &#x0D; The transition to remote and blended learning through the pandemic continues to be important and complex work, aiming to support positive student experiences and learning. Using Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT) (Uhl-Bien &amp; Arena, 2017) as a reflective tool, this analysis considers this transition. CLT allows for exploration within a richly interconnected system that requires continual and flexible changes and adaptations, such as an HE institution. CLT proposes that innovative responses emerge from the tensions between entrepreneurial thinking and operational practice within an enabling environment. &#x0D; The authors draw from a series of reflective artefacts to deepen understanding of how their academic leadership practices had adapted during the time of a major system shock. These artefacts informed the analysis and included recorded conversations between the authors (March – November 2020), focusing on the experiences and sense-making of leadership and changes in learning and teaching in one HEI. More specifically, the contribution of CLT is explored, proposing the value of this lens in illuminating not just what happened but also how leaders enacted change. The findings offer new perspectives on enabling innovation, leadership, and the implications beyond this crisis.&#x0D;