Dr Jonathan Westover, an associate professor of Organizational Leadership in the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University and an expert in organizational development and change, strategic human resource management, and curriculum design and assessment, completed his Fulbright Specialist program with Atma Jaya, Catholic University of Indonesia, in May 2018.

During his Fulbright Specialist program, Dr Westover was tasked with assisting in the community engagement strategic management process for the university, in addition to holding public lectures, faculty development seminars, and curriculum design/assessment workshops. The first thing that he did upon arriving on campus was to review all of the university’s current documents, curriculum, and strategic management materials and to conduct interviews, focus groups, and participant observation with students, faculty, staff, and university executives to learn more about the university to inform his recommendations for the university’s 5-year strategic plan and for curriculum and study program redesign and upskilling.  As a result of this research, Dr Westover presented his findings and strategic vision to the deans and various senior university leadership teams, followed by a presentation to the university foundation board. Additionally, he personally instituted training for university faculty about community-based curriculum design, curriculum and program assessment, and teaching diverse learners.

He admits that this Fulbright opportunity has transformed him as a leader and evolved his thinking about both global/intercultural issues, strategic management, organizational change, and faculty development.  As he has worked through the process of understanding how an institutional issue can be understood, how student learning can be influenced, how faculty training can contribute to that student learning, and how all of this can be assessed, he has learned how to be a better leader.  He had met with people from across Atma Jaya, received their input, and watched what happened as various processes, such as training and assessment, had been put into place.  He also learned how to scaffold information that people sometimes resist.

He further said that this collaboration opportunity not only had helped him to both build his own professional network and develop ongoing international collaborative projects, but also to share his expertise on teaching and learning (as well as disciplinary knowledge and expertise) to help not just his own home institution, but also other universities across the globe.

Throughout this process, he also learned that communication is key.  All stakeholders need to be identified in institutional endeavors and included in conversations, at least initially.  Extensive research needs to be done to ensure that correct training and assessment tools are developed and used. Moreover, he learned that the curriculum development process never ends.  “It is an ongoing process of review of objectives, assessment, and revision of training. It is also a continual process of communicating with stakeholders to assure that all voices are being taken into account” Dr Westover said.

For more information on the Fulbright Specialist program.