Study #3: Measuring Participant Learning & Institutional Culture
We were particularly curious about whether participants who developed more learning-focused courses, determined through syllabi analysis, adopted more learning-focused pedagogical practices in the classroom. The results here were mixed. While many participants did adopt more learning-focused pedagogical practices, the degree of change did not match the change observed in their syllabi. This work also helped the CTE team better understand the prevailing Institutional Culture at the institution and ultimately guided our development of longer-term learning communities that synergistically deepen the impact of our CDI.
Participants experienced significant increases to both dimensions of their sense of belonging to the institution with large practical effects. Participants increased their sense of connectedness after participating in CDI and maintained these levels throughout their FLC experience. For most participants, CDI marked the beginning of their cohort experience and with it their sense of being connected with members of the institution outside of their departments.