Design Process Detail

The proposal for the development of a new learning ecosystem at UNT derives from conversations with UNT faculty and staff about the many models for student success they have already developed across the curriculum, their commitment to scholarly work that deepens our understanding of students and learning, and the myriad connections individuals at UNT have built with the local community.

These conversations showed great potential at UNT for new synergies within the ecosystem that can advance the work of faculty and staff as a collective effort in support of the university's mission. Each member of the UNT community holds part of the solution, and each is necessary to reach our shared goals for student and faculty success. What is missing are structures that effectively connect and support individuals in their work as teachers, scholars, and community members.

The design process has spanned the '24-'25 academic year. We provide a brief timeline below of the nature of the work that has led to the deign of this new learning ecosystem.

Fall 2024

September to December

• Listening tour of UNT faculty, staff and meetings with more than 150 members of the UNT community
• Intensifying focus on “student success” and the need for a new, innovative ecosystem to support the challenges of being a broad access R1 university

Winter 2024

January to February

• Transition from listening to design phase
• Alignment with President Keller’s strategic processes (strategic planning and budgeting)
• Planning for the design charrettes

Spring 2025

March to May

• Five design charrettes brought together faculty and staff with particular expertise and interest in one or more of the three units.
• We initially recruited approximately 50 faculty/staff to be a part of the first four design charrettes to balance a breadth of perspectives with nimble productivity. The full list of these participants is shown below.
• The fifth design charrette took place May 15 during the UNT Student Portraits Data Symposium.

Design Charrette Goals:

• Co-create an architecture for a new ecosystem to support and advance student success, faculty success, and learning innovation at UNT.
• Flesh out a vision for each of three new units, tentatively called “Learning Initiative”, Teaching Hub”, and “Curriculum Connector”. This work will include defining the goals, functions, structure, and metrics of success for each unit, as well as plans for how the three units will interact and strengthen each other, and how they will connect to other existing resources and units at UNT and in the larger community.
• Develop a plan for how the ecosystem will support faculty, staff, and student contributions to both the research and educational missions of the university, and how this work can be officially recognized and valued within the prescribed workload of participating individuals.

Design Charrette Target Outcomes:

• A charter for each unit to allow for its creation and official charge by President Keller
• A fund-raising prospectus for each unit, contextualized within the new learning ecosystem
• A timeline for proposed activities in the 2025-2026 academic year to allow for the launch and development of each unit individually and the network connectivity

Design Charrette Guiding Questions:

• What are the functions of each unit?
• What artifacts, products, or deliverables should each unit be producing?
• Where/how should we be building mechanisms for feedback loops?
• Where does each unit sit in a 3D network map of the university and region?
• Where are the key connections to other nodes?
• How does the work of each unit make the other learning ecosystem units better?
• What data are important to each unit (as input and output)?
• How is each unit contributing to a shared data ecosystem?
• What are the metrics of success of each unit?
• Where does each unit sit in the institutional structures?
• What kind of leadership and internal structure does each unit need?
• What types of recognition and rewards are needed to allow faculty, staff, and student investment in the work of the new learning ecosystem?

The Design Group

• Shahla Alai-Rosales, Behavior Analysis, College of Health and Public Service
• Mark Albert, Biomedical Engineering/Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
• Carrie Allen, Educational Psychology, College of Education
• Yunjo An, Learning Technologies, College of Information
• Amy Anderson, Educational Psychology, College of Education
• Karen Anderson-Lain, Communication Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Molly Atkinson, Chemistry, College of Science
• Rose Baker, Learning Technologies, College of Information
• Brenda Barrio, Assistant Vice President for Research and Innovation
• Rachel Black, Art Foundations, College of Visual Arts and Design
• Heidemarie Blumenthal, Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Eileen Buecher, Assistant Vice President, UNT Career Center
• Joe Dracobly, Behavior Analysis, College of Health and Public Service
• Erin Friess, Technical Communication, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Nolan Gaffney, Department of Management, G. Brint Ryan College of Business
• Lucy Gafford, UNT WISE, Rehabilitation and Health Services, College of Health and Public Service
• Xun Ge, Learning Technologies, College of Information
• Courtney Glazer, Director of the Core, UNT Accreditation
• Karen Monique Gregg, Sociology, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Jill Harold, Technical Communication, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Lee Hughes, Academic Associate Dean, Biological Sciences, College of Science
• John Ishiyama, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Karen Johnson, Learning Technologies, College of Information
• Raina Joines, English, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• David Keathly, Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
• D. Teo Keifert, Educational Psychology, College of Education
• Brenda Kihl, Senior Associate Vice President, Enrollment Partnerships
• Brittany Landau, UNT Staff Senate Chair; Assistant Director, Orientation and Transition Programs
• Youngjin Lee, Learning Technologies, College of Information
• Donna Marquet, Dance and Theatre, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Fred McMahan, Learning Technologies, College of Information
• Michael Monticino, Advanced Data Analytics
• Alena Moon, Chemistry, College of Science
• Tesa Morin, Interdisciplinary Art and Design Studies, College of Visual Arts and Design
• Nirmala Naresh, Mathematics, College of Science
• Mariela Nuñez-Janes, Anthropology, Latino/a and Mexican-American Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences 
• Mayra Olivares-Urueta, Counseling and Higher Education, College of Education
• Amy Petros, Chemistry, College of Science
• Wesley Phelps, History, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• April Prince, Music History, Theory and Ethnomusicology, College of Music
• Rebekah Purvis, Physics, College of Science
• Kathryn Raign, English, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Jeffrey Rous, Economics. College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Anthony Ryals, Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Anondah Saide, Educational Psychology, College of Education
• Brian Sauser, Supply Chain Management, G. Brint Ryan College of Business
• Anna Sidorova, Information Technology and Decision Sciences, G. Brint Ryan College of Business
• Calvin Sims, Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Daniella Smith, Information Science, College of Information
• Steve Wolverton, Geography and the Environment, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences