Transform organizational challenges through practical improvement science methods proven across education, healthcare, and social service contexts. This course builds practitioner capacity to move beyond one-off initiatives toward disciplined, iterative improvement. Participants learn to frame problems rigorously, map system causes, design and test changes using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, measure what matters with an equity lens, and build structures for sustainable improvement. Grounded in equity and systems thinking, the course emphasizes informed testing over endless piloting, helping practitioners understand the foundational logic well enough to adapt tools to their own contexts. Designed for beginners through mid-level practitioners across education, healthcare, nonprofit, and public service sectors; no prior improvement science experience required.
Number of Units: 3.0 graduate level extension credit(s) in semester hours
Who Should Attend: This course is designed for public service professionals across education, healthcare, nonprofit, and government organizations who implement or influence policy. Ideal for leaders, managers, administrators, community organizers, and advocacy professionals.
Grading and Feedback: This course is entirely self-paced and automated. Unlike our standard courses, it features no instructor interaction, and no feedback. The final assessment is automatically graded utilizing internal systems.
Required Materials:
Lewis, C. (2015). What is improvement science? Do we need it to improve teaching? Educational Researcher, 44(1), 54–61.
Berwick, D. M. (2008). The science of improvement. JAMA, 299(10), 1182–1184.
Bryk, A. S. (2015). Accelerating how we learn to improve. Educational Researcher, 44(9), 467–477.
Guimaraes de Carvalho, D., & Rangachari, P. K. (2021). Bridging the silos: A comparative analysis of implementation science and improvement science. Frontiers in Health Services, 1.
VanGronigen, B. A., & Hunter, S. B. (2024). Improvement science and school leadership: The precarious path to dynamic school improvement. Frontiers in Education, 9.
Bryk, A., Gomez, L., Grunow, A., & LeMahieu, P. (2015). Learning to Improve: How America's Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better. Harvard Education Press. Chapter 6 or 7 on networked improvement.
Instructor-created course materials: PDSA Protocol, Driver Diagram Framework, Measurement Planning Guide, Equity Integration Checklist. [Original materials; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0; embedded in Canvas] → Modules 1–7
Prerequisites:
None required. Participants should be currently working in or closely connected to an organization or professional context where improvement work is relevant, as all course activities apply directly to a real challenge in their setting. Familiarity with organizational change efforts is helpful but not required.
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