Ohio State Teams Work on “Wicked Problems” at the 2024 Opportunity Institute

In June, institutions across the United States came together virtually to participate in the three-day 2024 Opportunity Institute led by Georgetown University and Penn State University in collaboration with the American Talent Initiative. With the tagline, “Come with a goal, leave with a plan,” this dedicated time allowed four Ohio State teams to buckle down and accomplish an immense amount of work.

With a strong focus on improving student academic experiences and outcomes, the Institute was well-aligned to Ohio State’s Shared Values. Yolanda Zepeda, interim vice provost of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and lead of the Leveraging Personal Essays team, noted that it was inspiring to recommit to the Shared Values through this work. Dr. Zepeda said, “The Institute provided space and time to think deeply with my colleagues about concrete ways that we can operationalize our shared commitment to educational access and equity.”

At key points throughout the three days, participants participated in virtual national sessions that provided the opportunity to think in different ways and learn about programs that other institutions have implemented to improve student success. Topics ranged from supporting neurodiverse students in the classroom to data-driven transformation of structures and systems.

The rest of the time, teams worked in person to define goals and map out an implementation plan for their own project. The Implementing ePortfolio across ODI Programs team, led by Taja Hammond, program coordinator for MSP, could be seen using sticky notes, large and small, to organize their plans as well as creating their own PebblePad page in order to better learn the software application they want to implement in their programs.

The Ohio State teams included faculty and staff across the university, and each tackled a different project:

• The Improving Outcomes for STEM Students Placed into College Algebra team focused on brainstorming and analyzing possibilities for improving outcomes for STEM students placed into College Algebra, including a more accelerated pathway into Calculus I.
• The Best Practices in Data Literacy team focused on how to promote data literacy around inclusive analytics among the university’s community of student records data analysts, including aligning reporting definitions between different units.
• The Implementing ePortfolio across ODI Programs team focused on developing an implementation plan for integrating ePortfolio frameworks and tools across the ODI Scholar programs.
• The Leveraging Personal Essays team focused on how to implement application review practices and train reviewers to evaluate applications in a way that does not consider protected class status, but that also advances program and university goals of inclusive excellence.

Norman Jones, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education and lead of the Improving Outcomes for STEM Students Placed into College Algebra team, felt privileged to work with a team of experts, many of whom worked in different units and campuses, and had not previously had the opportunity to partner together. “We learned a great deal from each other about how we might strengthen student success,” Dr. Jones said.

Mitsu Narui, director of institutional effectiveness and assessment, who led the Best Practices in Data Literacy team, similarly felt the Institute provided a unique opportunity for data analysts to work together; while analysts provide a vital function to the university, they are often isolated in the work they do. “The Opportunity Institute gave us the chance to come together, learn from each other’s best practices, and do focused and meaningful work,” Dr. Narui said.

During the final day, teams presented their plans to their fellow Ohio State teams and Wendy Smooth, senior vice provost for inclusive excellence, for feedback. Dr. Smooth was impressed by the work being accomplished and proud that they were tackling “wicked problems” – important but complex problems that are often difficult to clearly understand, let alone solve.

The Institute was just the beginning of the teams’ work. Ohio State’s teams now can begin implementing their plans in their respective units. Dr. Narui said, “We came away with templates and a strategy on how we can promote inclusive and consistent data analytics throughout campus. We look forward to continuing the work during the upcoming year.”

The planning team, Meg Daly, associate dean of undergraduate education, Shanna Jaggars, assistant-vice provost, Yolanda Zepeda, interim vice provost of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Katie Dean, executive assistant, are all very grateful to the dedication and hard work that teams put into their projects.

Learn about past Institutes: https://equitysummerinstitute.georgetown.edu/institutes/

Watch recorded 2024 Opportunity Institute sessions: https://www.youtube.com/@opportunityinstitute2024