Leading Organisational Change in Education PG (9793.2)

Please note these are the 2028 details for this unit
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Leading Organisational Change in Education PG
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods Intensive
 Hangzhou, China
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Education
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
School Of Teacher Education Post Graduate Level Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit will introduce students to the processes that support positive change in educational organisations. Through the exploration of theories and concepts influencing leadership and management within a variety of learning environments, the unit will focus upon the implementation of change; that is, the putting of ideas successfully into practice through effective leadership and management, dealing with the meanings of leading change from various perspectives, and leading change as cultural transformation. Factors that support or inhibit change in educational organisations and the roles played by leaders, managers and groups involved in change processes will be examined. Students will be encouraged to apply knowledge and insights gained from conceptual writings and research findings to examples of change in their particular professional settings.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the unit, students will have:
1. Critiqued leadership and management roles and approaches as positive agents of change in educational organisations through engagement with contemporary international literature;
2. Demonstrated an understanding of concepts and models of change for the facilitation of educational development;
3. Investigated the impact that various perspectives of change may have on leadership and management capability and organisational development; and
4. Applied knowledge and insights gained from the literature to investigate examples of leading change and development in particular professional settings.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2027, 2028 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2026 Hangzhou, China Period 4 03 August 2026 Intensive Dr Bernard Brown
2027 Hangzhou, China Period 4 02 August 2027 Intensive Dr Bernard Brown
2028 Hangzhou, China Period 4 07 August 2028 Intensive Dr Bernard Brown
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

The following required readings are available on Canvas.

  1. Aslan, S., & Reigeluth, C. (2013). Leading Change for a New Paradigm of Education. TechTrends, 57(5), 18-24.
  2. Azorín, C., & Fullan, M. (2022). Leading new, deeper forms of collaborative cultures: Questions and pathways. Journal of Educational Change, 23(2), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-021-09448-w
  3. Beycioglu, K., & Kondakci, Y. (2021). Organizational Change in Schools. ECNU Review of Education, 4(4), 788–807. https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120932177
  4. Boin, A., Bynander, F., Stern, E., & ‘t Hart, P .(2020). Leading in a crisis: organizational resistance and mega crisis, Retrieved from https://anzsog.edu.au/research-insights-and-resources/research/organisational-resilience-in-mega-crises/
  5. Brown, B., Wang, T., Lee, M., & Childs, A  .(2023) Surviving, navigating and innovating through a pandemic: A review of research on school leadership during COVID-19 2020–2021.International Journal of Educational Development, 100.  
  6.  Brown, B.  & Jones, C. (2025) Adaptive leadership of schools in Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic: lessons for future crises, School Leadership & Management, 45:2, 153-173, DOI: 10.1080/13632434.2025.2473890 
  7. Cheng, Y. C., & Hallinger, P. (2009). Paradigm Shifts in Leadership for Learning: Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific. Chair Professors – Public Lecture Series Leadership for 21st Century Schools: From Instructional Leadership to Leadership for Learning. The Hong Kong Institute of Education Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change. Hong Kong. 
  8. Coutts, N. (2016). Change, Culture and Cultural  Change in Education,  The Learner's Way, Retrieved from https://thelearnersway.net/ideas/2016/10/9/change-culture-and-cultural-change-in-education
  9. Ehrhart, M. & Schneider, B. (2016). Organizational Climate and Culutre. Oxford Research Encylopedias, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.3  
  10. Fullan, M. (2007). Causes and Processes of Initiation. The New Meaning of Education Change (4th ed., pp. 64-83). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
  11. Fullan, M. (2007). Causes and Processes of Implementation and Continuation. The New Meaning of Education Change (4th ed., pp. 84-106). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
  12. Gaffney, M. (2014). Scaling Up and Drilling Down Pathways for Leading School System Improvement. Pathways to School System Improvement (1st ed., pp. 5-15). Camberwell, Victoria, Australia: ACER Press.
  13. Kaufman, K., Mitra, S., Anderson, J., Coartney, J., & Cash, C. (2020). Leading Collaborative Change in Educational Organization, Jounal of Educational Leadership, 19  (4)  https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/100133/19_4_Kaufman.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y
  14. Kezar, A., Hallett, R. E., Corwin, Z. B., & Hypolite, L. (2025). Moving toward institutional culture change in higher education: An exploration into cross-functional professional learning communities. Innovative Higher Education, 50, 687–714. 
  15. Schneider, B., Brief, A., & Guzzo, R.  (1996). Creating a Climate and Culture for Sustainable Organizational Change, Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Arthur_Brief/publication/313369409_Creating_a_climate_and_culture_for_sustainable_organizational_change/links/5a1e2135a6fdccc6b7f86e9a/Creating-a-climate-and-culture-for-sustainable-organizational-change.pdf
  16. Reeves, D. (2006). Leading to Change / How Do You Change School Culture?  Educational Leadership, 64 (4), 92-94.
  17. Todnem. R. (2020). Organizational Change and Leadership: Out of the Quagmire. Journal of Change Management. 20 (1), 1-6.       
  18. Walker, A., & Qian, H. (2012). Reform Disconnection in China. Peabody Journal of Education, 87(2), 162-177.

 

For Unit readings and resources in the University of Canberra Library

Link to search page for Unit Readings (print materials)

Link to search page for eReserve (electronic materials)

Supplementary reading and further references

Barber, M. (2009). From system effectiveness to system improvement, in A. Hargreaves and M. Fullan (eds) Change Wars. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Crowther, F., Andrews, D., Morgan, A., & O'Neill, S. (2012). Hitting the Bullseye of School Improvement: The IDEAS Project at work in a successful school system. Leading and Managing.18 (2), 1-34.

Mourshed, M., Chijioke, C., & Barber, M. .(2010). How the World's Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better. McKinsey and Company. Retrieved from 

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/how-the-worlds-most-improved-school-

 

Section of Unit Outline Check points Checked by Peer Moderator (Y/N) systems-keep-getting-better

          Peng, C., Wang, B., & Schaubroek., J. (2020). Can Humble Leaders Get Results? The Indirect and Contextual Influences of Skip-Level LearCan Humble Leaders Get         Results?  The Indirect and Contextual Influences of Skip-Level Leaders. Journal of Leadership and Organisational Studies, 27 (4), 329-339.

 
 
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Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

All assessment items required to be submitted online must be submitted via the appropriate Canvas drop box. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item to the right submission section. Assignments must be submitted in a format accessible to the assessor(s), as stated on the relevant canvas site. If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

Special assessment requirements

Normally an aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit

Provision of valid documentation

Please note that the University takes student conduct very seriously. All documentation provided to University staff must be valid and the provision of fraudulent documentation carries with it potentially serious consequences, including suspension and/or exclusion from the University. Note that all allegations of student misconduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Education (ADE) as a prescribed authority for investigation.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

The workload for this unit is expected to be 150 hours:

1. Online reflections and engagement 15 hours

2. Attendance and engagement in workshops 25 hours

3. Prescribed readings and private study 50 hours

4. Research and assignment preparation 60 hours

Participation requirements

Your participation in both class and online activities will enhance your understanding of the unit content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items.

Required IT skills

Canvas is the delivery management tool for this unit. Basic computer literacy is assumed. 

In-unit costs

N/A

Work placement, internships or practicums

Not applicable

Additional information

Provision of information to the group

Notifications through the Canvas Announcements Forum or the Canvas Discussion Forums are deemed to be made to the whole class.  It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they check for announcements on the Unit's Canvas website (forum messages are also emailed to student email addresses only).  Students should ensure they check their student email regularly.  The Canvas discussion forums will be checked by staff regularly.

Use of student email account

The University Email policy states that "students wishing to contact the University via email regarding administrative or academic matters need to send the email from the University account for identity verification purposes".  Therefore all unit enquiries should be emailed using a student university email account. Students should contact servicedesk@canberra.edu.au if they have any issues accessing their university email account.

Theoretical foundations:

This unit has a strong basis in theoretical models and frameworks which guide leadership and change, they are applied to different levels and contexts in education.

Research Led Education:

This unit involves research-led education and/or work-integrated learning. There are active researchers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to students their passion for the research they are carrying out. Recent research published by the unit convener is also integrated into the unit content. 

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