The National Center for Academic Transformation
Who They Are
The National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides leadership in using information technology to redesign learning environments to produce better learning outcomes for students at a reduced cost to the institution. NCAT is headed by Dr. Carol A. Twigg, an internationally recognized expert in the field. The NCAT staff has extensive experience in higher education as faculty members, administrators and researchers in both traditional and non-traditional higher education environments.
What They Do
The National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) works through a four-stage iterative process to advance the use of information technology in improving student learning and reducing instructional costs.
How To Do It
NCAT is committed to providing the expertise necessary to help higher education institutions achieve their student access, success and retention goals while reducing their instructional costs. Through constant testing and refinement of its course redesign methodology and by working with a diverse group of public and private colleges, universities and community colleges, NCAT has demonstrated that all post-secondary institutions are capable of achieving improved outcomes at a reduced cost. This is how we recommend you get started.
NCAT Programs:
Changing the Equation: a program to engage the nation’s community colleges in a successful redesign of their remedial/developmental math sequences supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Redesign Alliance: a national member organization of institutions, companies and organizations whose mission is to advance the concept of course redesign throughout higher education to increase student success and access while containing or reducing instructional costs.
Redesign Scholars Program: a program to link those new to course redesign with more experienced colleagues to whom they can turn for advice and support.
State and System Course Redesign: a program for states and higher education systems that want to produce large-scale quality improvements and cost savings, including links to current statewide course redesign efforts.
What's New?
Redesign Seminar: Getting Started on Course Redesign
Co-sponsored by NCAT and The University System of Maryland on February 3, 2012, this seminar is designed for those interested in learning how to initiate a course redesign.
The following links summarize the characteristics of the five course redesign models that emerged from the Program in Course Redesign. Download PDF version
The supplemental model retains the basic structure of the traditional course and a) supplement lectures and textbooks with technology-based, out-of-class activities, or b) also changes what goes on in the class by creating an active learning environment within a large lecture hall setting.
The replacement model reduces the number of in-class meetings and a) replaces some in-class time with out-of-class, online, interactive learning activities, or b) also makes significant changes in remaining in-class meetings.
The emporium model replaces lectures with a learning resource center model featuring interactive computer software and on-demand personalized assistance.
The fully online model eliminates all in-class meetings and moves all learning experiences online, using Web-based, multi-media resources, commercial software, automatically evaluated assessments with guided feedback and alternative staffing models.
The buffet model customizes the learning environment for each student based on background, learning preference, and academic/professional goals and offers students an assortment of individualized paths to reach the same learning outcomes.
For a full description of the five models that emerged from the Program in Course Redesign with examples from the projects, please see Improving Learning and Reducing Costs: New Models for Online Learning by Carol A. Twigg.
The Linked Workshop model provides remedial/developmental instruction by linking workshops that offer students just-in-time supplemental academic support to core college-level courses.
Educational Applications:
I recommend that Medical Educators and Education Administrators review this site for up-to-date resources to assist in the continued development of 21st century pedagogical skills. These models would be great to add to a professional development workshop or continuing education seminar at secondary schools. Even though I do not currently teach at University level these resources presented can be modified to be used in ALL classroom / integrated lecture settings. Please go to this link and sign up for the free newsletter and access to outstanding teaching resources needed for today’s Professors. The link is here: http://www.thencat.org/
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