How to create a faculty‐centered curriculum support system: Launching the Academic Support Center (ASC) to inspire excellence in curriculum change

Abstract

Purpose To define faculty needs and services requested for the implementation of a faculty‐centered curriculum support system (i.e., Academic Support Center [ASC]) to assist curriculum redesign. Methods Faculty and students were invited to participate in 60‐min, one‐on‐one interviews to describe pain points in teaching and identify possible support services needed. Benchmarking through surveys of academic deans was also conducted to determine what services other institutions offer. Qualitative memos from interviews and survey data were analyzed to identify salient challenges and outline possible services that could benefit the school. This information was used to create a strategic plan for the ASC. Full‐time faculty were requested to evaluate the ASC 6 and 12 months following the launch of the center in 2019. Results Fifty interviews were conducted with department chairs (n = 10), full‐time faculty (n = 36), and students (n = 4). Six pain points identified by participants were time, resources, knowledge, confidence, organizational structure, and organizational culture. Participants generated solutions related to supporting teaching and learning, enhancing faculty experience, and assisting educational evaluation. Twenty‐two schools responded to the benchmarking survey—approximately half acknowledged a centralized curriculum support service (n = 12, 54.5% of respondents). Services often focused on instructional design, education technology, and faculty onboarding to education. Faculty feedback following the ASC launch was generally positive and demonstrating progress toward the three priorities. Conclusion Needs assessment and benchmarking data can inform the design and implementation of centers that offer faculty‐centered support structures around teaching, educational scholarship, and curriculum change.