Preparing to Remain Virtual via Logic Models

(A. Solano)

April 21, 2020

UPDATE: Given the positive response to these pieces, Prepare Remote Operations for the Long Haul and In Denial: Back to Campus Plans, and questions of how to prepare to remain remote, I added the video above of a real-life logic model activity. The text below captures relevant content in the video. Another video via YouTube is also available.

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Logic Models are effective visuals to convey a plan with outcomes that are aligned with activities, outputs, and resources. As institutions of higher education plan to remain virtual for an indefinite amount of time, it's important to not only create and manage crisis settings, but to use visuals in these settings, and share them campus-wide so that everyone is on the same page. 

First, let’s review a Logic Model (LM) in its simplest form. Let’s say you have a headache. A logical approach to get rid of your headache is illustrated by this LM. Please read it from right-to-left, starting with outcomes.

Source: http://www.sedl.org/

To build an LM, start with the outcomes first (far-right column), then proceed with the outputs, strategies/activities, and resources necessary to get results. 

Now, build an LM for your campus's preparation to remain virtual. (By the way, institutions that don't think they will remain virtual for the fall, and potentially the spring, are preparing for failure. A vaccine can take 18 months or more to develop, and a mix of meds to alleviate symptoms have yet to be fully studied and peer-reviewed.)

In short,

Outcomes: The institution's desired results.
Outputs: What the institution produces.
Activities: What the institution does.
Resources: What the institution has.

STEP 1: Outcomes (start at the far-right)
Timelines to consider:
Short-Term: Remaining spring semester through June 30th

Mid-Term: Summer

Long-Term: Fall/Spring

Prompt: What does the institution expect to be completed or activities that are ongoing during these time frames?

Mid-term outcome example:
By August 30th, 100% of faculty will be trained on Canvas, Zoom, and basic remote pedagogical principles.

Step 2: Activities & Outputs
You can work on activities and outputs simultaneously. 

Prompts: 
Activities: To meet our outcomes, we will need to complete these set of activities.

Outputs: Once the activities are completed or are underway, they will produce the following deliverables.

Example:
Activities: Outline trainings, save the dates, dry run trainings
Outputs: 25 trainings will be completed.

Step 3: Resources/Inputs

Prompt: In order to complete our set of activities, we will need the following.

Example:
Instructional designer, distance education coordinator, expert faculty, software

Purpose Statement
I've worked with college teams where they felt better prepared to articulate a purpose statement after working on the LM for a bit. Other teams focused on creating a purpose statement first. Either way is fine. Choose the path that best suits your context. 

Example:
To ensure that students receive the best quality education remotely.

Assumptions
Assumptions are reality checks. What are indicators of success for planning to remain virtual? This is where you unpack issues of capacity, logistics, buy-in, etc., and write down how to address them.

External Factors
Factors that might influence the institution's ability to do the work planned or potential barriers to achieving the outcomes. 

Example:
Assumptions: Faculty will implement what they are taught.
External Factors: Not all faculty have internet access and computers at home.

For example, the student-centered crisis team could create an LM that is articulated to the other student-centered support teams. It serves as the basis for meetings, and as highly visual creatures, it allows us as human beings to literally be on the same page. The LM is a living document that will be modified overtime.

Finally, it's critical that the LM activities/strategies be put in a separate document with the names of those responsible for implementing them. This document, which could be a simple spreadsheet, allows those responsible to provide a status on each of the activities. 

Contact me if you would like a Word version of the LM (which includes directions).

Onward...

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Also visit: Settings: Operating a College in Times of Crisis | Shepherding Rapid Change: Visuals to Ponder