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

Introduction

Have you ever noticed how well-intentioned change efforts can stall when perspectives diverge—or conversations become difficult to navigate? Building consensus is often the missing link. In higher education, meaningful and sustainable change depends not just on good ideas, but on the ability to bring people with differing experiences, roles, and viewpoints into alignment around shared priorities.

In this course, you’ll explore how to move from individual perspectives to collective understanding through intentional, structured Consensus Conversations. Drawing on NCWIT’s Tech Inclusion Journey (TIJ-UP) tool and framework, you’ll learn how to facilitate productive dialogue around program assessment results, surface areas of agreement and disagreement, and guide your team toward informed, strategic action. Along the way, you’ll gain practical tools, templates, and facilitation strategies to help you navigate complex conversations and translate insight into action.

Prerequisite Course: 

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

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

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

1. Explain how Consensus Conversations support strategic action planning and systemic change.

2. Prepare for and facilitate effective Consensus Conversations using TIJ-UP reports and relevant data.

3. Identify areas of agreement, disagreement, strengths, and opportunities within a program or department.

4. Apply structured facilitation strategies to move teams from assessment insights to aligned action.

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