IMPROVEMENTS and
INNOVATIONS
MATTHEW C. LEE, PH.D. | IEPI PROJECT DIRECTOR | JUNE 2018
I MPROVEMENTS AND I NNOVATI ONS IN T H E PA R TNERSHI P RESOURCE TEAM ( PRT) PROC E SS
INTRODUCTION This report is the third annual summary of improvements and innovations made to the PRT process based upon formal and informal feedback from the client institutions, PRT team members, and IEPI leaders. The goal of the report is to demonstrate actions taken to: »» Improve the impact of the PRT Process on the Client Institutions »» Increase the value gained by participating in the PRT Process by both the Client Institutions and the PRT Members. »» Implement training and technical assistance techniques, tools and concepts that positively impact PRT visits and best assist Client Institutions in addressing the identified Areas of Focus. The IEPI Project Director (PD), independently and in collaboration with the IEPI Technical Assistance Workgroup (TAW) and the external evaluator of the PRT component of the initiative, regularly reviews a variety of sources of qualitative and quantitative evidence, including cyclical and cumulative evaluation reports, surveys, interviews, visit debriefings, informal meetings and communications, and PRT documents (including the Letters of Interest and the Innovation and Effectiveness Plans (I&EPs)). The PD also gathers evidence on the effectiveness of training after each of these events, principally in the form of participant surveys and discussions with PRT Leads and members
VISITS The Project Director gathers information at the end of Visit 1, Visit 2 and Visit 3 (the Follow-Up Visit) in the full PRT cycle primarily through separate surveys of PRT Client Institutions and PRT members and through debriefings with PRT Leads and selected client CEOs, to examine the effectiveness of the visits themselves. In addition, the PD reviews in detail all Summaries of Initial Visits, Menus of Options (MOO), Innovation and Effectiveness Plans, and PRT Process Summary reports as sources of information on possible process improvements.
TRAININGS In each cycle, the Project Director conducts an introductory webinar as well as in-person workshops for PRT teams. Surveys are administered to attendees addressing content, process and logistical items for improvements. Workshops have been expanded and refined based on content analysis and participant feedback.
CO M M U N I T I E S O F P R AC T I C E Full implementation of the first of the Partnership Resource Communities of Practice (PRCOPs), regional groups of institutional leaders and others focused on improving in areas of common interest and need, began in December 2017. PRCOPs extend the PRT colleagues-helping-colleagues approach, with the Client Institutions providing venues for dialogue and assistance to each other, supplemented by IEPI resources. They thus build local and regional capacity to improve and sustain institutional effectiveness.
MINI-PRTS Mini-Partnership Resource Teams (Mini-PRTs) differ from full Partnership Resource Teams, primarily in that they consist of two to three volunteer content experts helping institutions address relatively narrow areas of focus in a single visit. As with the PRCOPs, evaluation efforts have just commenced, but findings are already being used for formative improvements to the process.
R E C E N T I M P R O V E M E N T S & I N N O VAT I O N S The main improvements and innovations implemented since the publication of the last report are summarized in the following tables, together with the evidence that led to each improvement or innovation. Robert Pacheco, Ed.D., External Evaluator | BOB@PACH3.CO
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