Embedding Systemic Change in Higher Education: Maintaining Momentum & Building on Impact

Introduction

If you’ve ever led a change effort that started strong but slowly lost momentum, you’re not alone. Sustaining change in higher education requires more than enthusiasm and well-designed plans—it requires intentionally embedding change into the structures, culture, and daily practices of a department or program.

In this course, you’ll explore an evidence-based approach to maintaining, scaling, and adapting systemic change efforts within higher education. Building on earlier phases of the change process, you’ll learn how to move beyond implementation toward institutionalization—ensuring that successful initiatives endure leadership transitions, evolving priorities, and external pressures. Through research-backed strategies and practical examples, this course focuses on maintaining momentum, addressing change fatigue, scaling what works, and building adaptable programs capable of continuous learning and improvement. You’ll also gain access to tools, frameworks, and resources designed to help your program embed change in ways that are sustainable, resilient, and aligned with long-term goals for student success and engagement.

Prerequisite Courses: None

Recommended Prerequisite Courses:

1. Beyond One-Off Efforts: A Systems Approach to Driving Sustainable Change in Higher Education

2. Stronger Together: Forming Effective Change Teams in Higher Education

3. Leading Sustainable Change in Higher Education: Building Collaboration & Communication

4. Turning Vision into Action: Leading Change Projects and Teams in Higher Education

5. Assessing Readiness & Opportunities to Plan Impactful Change with NCWIT’s TIJ-UP Platform

6. From Perspectives to Alignment: Building Consensus in Higher Education Change Efforts

7. Using Insight to Plan for Action: Strategizing for Systemic Change in Higher Education

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Learning Objectives: By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Explain why sustaining and embedding change is essential for achieving long-term, systemic impact in higher education departments and programs.

2. Apply evidence-based strategies to embed change into departmental or program policies, practices, roles, and decision-making structures.

3. Recognize and address organizational change fatigue using approaches that support collective sensemaking and resilience.

4. Plan for scaling and succession, ensuring successful initiatives endure leadership transitions and evolving institutional contexts.

5. Strengthen long-term program adaptability and responsiveness while maintaining core mission and values.

Click on the first lesson below—or the “Start Course” button above—when you’re ready to begin.