Do We Need the Provost to Lead Digital Transformation?
Concurrent Session 9

Brief Abstract
At the conclusion of the successful ACAO Digital Fellows Project in June 2019, we reviewed the findings of a project that included 32 chief academic Officers, 84 courses, 103 faculty members and 7,500 students across the country. The 32 of us who are Provosts and Chief Academic Officers launched campus projects that were completed using adaptive digital courseware in piloted courses on their campuses. Most of the Digital Fellows experiences anywhere from modest to significant success with their pilot projects as measured by course retention, reduced DWFI rates, and other metrics. But did the provost need to lead the project, or could someone else have stepped in? This article seeks to identify the advantages of having the Provost lead digital transformation on their campuses.
Presenters


Extended Abstract
At the conclusion of the successful ACAO Digital Fellows Project in June 2019, we reviewed the findings of a project that included 32 chief academic Officers, 84 courses, 103 faculty members and 7,500 students across the country. The 32 of us who are Provosts and Chief Academic Officers launched campus projects that were completed using adaptive digital courseware in piloted courses on their campuses. Most of the Digital Fellows experiences anywhere from modest to significant success with their pilot projects as measured by course retention, reduced DWFI rates, and other metrics. But did the provost need to lead the project, or could someone else have stepped in? This article seeks to identify the advantages of having the Provost lead digital transformation on their campuses.
Here is what we found:
- Faculty engagement with digital learning is key, and they are more willing to follow the lead of the CAO than his/her direct reports or the CIO and his/her direct reports.
- CAOs use transformational change management to create change if they view digital learning as one of their strategic priorities and get these priorities into the university wide budget.
- CIOs become more engaged in the educational mission of the institution when partnering with the CAOs.
- Partnerships develop between the CIOs and the CAOs when the CAO leads this process.
- Whether or not the initial pilot program scales depends on the leadership of the CAO in the change management process.
- Data from the projects needs to be analyzed by the Chief Academic Officer and Institutional Research.
- Leadership from the Provost’s Office gets the attention of the President. Initiatives and funding are provided, which would not have happened without the intervention of the CAO.
- Most importantly, the ACAO project identified the importance of bringing digital learning to the attention of the CAO when that person may not have been aware of its potential.