https://courseoutline.auckland.ac.nz/dco/course/EDPROFST/782/1255

EDPROFST 782 : Educational Change

Education and Social Work

2025 Semester Two (1255) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Critically examines the purposes and processes of educational change, including a reflection on practices that promote successful outcomes for change initiatives. Processes of educational change in both New Zealand and international contexts will be studied and critiqued from individual, organisational and systemic perspectives. Focuses on leadership practices that have the potential to promote change for improvement.

Course Overview

Educational change may be a given, but understanding how to make it effective for everyone involved is an important and valuable skill for educational leaders in today's complex, unpredictable and changing world. People who work in the areas of learning, teaching, educational leadership and change are often dedicated to changing people's lives and improving education. Doing this in ways that are sustaining, effective and meet the needs of our most vulnerable students is critical.

The course is designed to engage you with theoretical ideas, research and practice that increases your understanding of how to create, and support, effective educational change. But we’re not interested in just any kind of change; we focus on change that improves valued outcomes for our learners, creates a positive environment for students and staff, is culturally responsive and sustaining, and responds to the immediate and complex challenges we face in the world. Areas of study we may cover include understanding the important role that young people have as partners in change, responding to people’s emotions when they are engaged in change, and exploring the power of organisational culture in supporting effective change. We hope this course is both enjoyable and helpful to you, and look forward to working together.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Master of Educational Leadership

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Identify theories of change that support educational improvement (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8)
  2. Understand the importance of responding to the views of young people in educational change (Capability 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8)
  3. Recognise the role of emotion in change (Capability 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8)
  4. Use theories of effective educational change to critique practice (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8)
  5. Develop analytical skills to critically examine processes that promote and hinder change for improvement (Capability 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8)
  6. Communicate knowledge about effective processes of educational change with others. (Capability 1, 3, 6 and 7)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 45% Individual Coursework
Case Studies 45% Individual Coursework
Discussions 10% Group & Individual Coursework
3 types 100%
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6
Assignments
Case Studies
Discussions

To pass this course, students must submit all assessments and achieve at least 50% for the overall course.

Next Offered

Semester 1 2026

Teaching & Learning Methods

The course is a 12-week course with twelve modules. Each week follows this cycle:

1. Before or early in each week, the lecturer will orient students to the module.
2. During the week, students will:
  • engage with learning materials, readings and activities on CANVAS (a learning and collaboration tool). This mainly involves independent learning (e.g. reading articles and module materials, taking notes, listening to podcasts or watching videos).
  • interact with peers in social learning (e.g. collaborative discussions).
  • attend a collaborative session with your lecturer and their peers  to ponder questions, collaborate, and consider how the theories may be applied in practice. When students can not attend these sessions and recorded material is available, they should actively watch the recordings.
  • ask questions on discussion boards or at Zoom.
3. At the end of the week, students will reflect on and self-diagnose their learning needs.

This weekly schedule complements assignments designed to deepen learning and support theory-to-practice application. Students are also encouraged to set up study groups if they prefer social in-person learning.

Module

The course modules for Educational Change are:

  1. What is educational change?
  2. The what, the why and the how of change.
  3. Student/youth voice—why it matters.
  4. Student/youth voice—partners in change.
  5. Emotion and change.
  6. Emotions, uncertainty and risk.
  7. Theories and beliefs—their role in change.
  8. Theories and belief—an asset for change.
  9. Systemic change.
  10. The influence of organisational culture.
  11. Learning for improvement.
  12. Coherence.

Workload Expectations

This course is a 30-point course.

Students are expected to:

  • spend 20 hours per week engaging with course activities, readings and assignment-related preparation. Some weeks you may spend more time learning than in others.
  • keep up with all the readings, activities and tasks in the weekly learning cycle.
  • attend the synchronous collaborative discussions or actively watch the recording.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience or Online

This course is offered in two delivery modes: On Campus and Online. Both the On Campus and Online Delivery Modes of this course run on the University's semester timetable, with semester breaks aligned with school holidays.

Campus Experience

The on-campus experience is a bi-weekly 3-hour class.  These interactive on-campus classes are not recorded, so in-person attendance is needed to learn from these. On the off weeks, students may also attend synchronous zooms.  If students do not attend the zooms, actively watching the recording is necessary.

Outside of on campus classes and zoom, the learning is predominantly asynchronous, meaning that  students are required to complete the weekly learning and activities at a time that suits them within that week.  

Online

This is an online course, which means that all learning material and activities can be accessed via CANVAS, a learning and collaboration tool. There is no requirement to come to campus.

A majority of the course is asynchronous, meaning that students can complete the weekly learning and activities at a time that suits them within that week. However, there are there are synchronous weekly discussion activities on Zoom. Attendance at Zoom is recommended but optional. However, if students cannot attend watching the recording is necessary.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Students are required to purchase a set text. Other readings are provided on a TALIS reading list accessed via CANVAS.

Canvas materials are copyrighted: they may be used by students to improve education in educational establishments but may not be used for commercial purposes.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

SET feedback the last time the course identified that informed streamlining of materials to support student learning.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.