![]() 2011 Ebert-May et al., 2015 Derting et al., 2016 Chasteen, Chattergoon, Prather, & Hilborn, 2016 Olmstead & Turpen, 2016). When efforts have been successful, such as the FIRST project in biology and the New Faculty Workshops in physics, they have improved their impact over time through iterative evaluation research and revision (e.g., Henderson, 2008 Ebert-May et al. Many efforts designed to promote change in undergraduate STEM education have fallen short of their intended outcomes (Henderson, Beach, & Finkelstein, 2011). However, translating these discoveries into tangible reforms in undergraduate education has proven challenging. Research in recent decades has greatly advanced our knowledge of effective and equitable teaching and learning in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Grounding projects in change theory allows change agents to draw on existing knowledge and to better contribute to our collective knowledge about how to achieve meaningful change in STEM higher education. This essay describes the connections between a theory of change and change theory and provides examples of how change theory can inform a project’s theory of change. Ideally, a theory of change is informed by change theories. In contrast, change theories represent theoretical and empirically grounded knowledge about how change occurs that goes beyond any one project. In addition, a theory of change is often required by funding agencies as part of grant proposals. It makes the underlying rationale of a project explicit, which supports planning, implementation, and assessment of the project. A theory of change is project-specific and related to evaluation. This commentary focuses on the difference between a theory of change and change theory, as it relates to systemic change projects in STEM higher education. ![]()
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