Fostering connections for student success: Using appreciative inquiry to promote positive growth in a university course

This paper reports on a study of the review process of the first iteration of a recentlyimplemented higher education program. Specifically, the paper discusses the inaugural review of a two-year graduate level pre-service teaching program at an urban Australian university. The aims of the study into this Master of Teaching program were twofold. First, it sought to gain an understanding of the strengths and limitations of the program from the perspectives of the staff members involved and to explore avenues for positive growth. Second, it examined the extent to which the application of Cooperrider, Whitney, Stavros and Fry’s (2008) Appreciative Inquiry (AI) framework can be used effectively in the review of higher education program reviews to foster connections for student success. The AI model promotes collegial reflective practice and the generation of positive resolutions and thus aligned with the purposes of the review which were to foster collaboration, strengthen staff morale and, subsequently, build a stronger program for students. This paper provides a perceptual account of the AI review process as reported by the three facilitators involved. The discussion and findings included in this paper contribute to international literature in the areas of higher education program evaluation, organisational reform and Appreciative Inquiry.