Improving Institutional Change in Higher Education: The Intermediary Capability Assessment
Colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning strive to provide the best support for the students they serve. Organizations dedicated to supporting higher education institutions also need to reflect on their own resources and capabilities to identify what they do well and where they can improve, so they can better meet institutional needs.
The ICA has helped us build a muscle in terms of change management and gives us the opportunity to see how all these things come together. There is something really valuable about having everyone in the room and...[learning] how we see things differently.
- Intermediary Organization
The Intermediary Capability Assessment (ICA) is a tool and step-by-step process that guides organizations through this self-examination process. The ICA guides staff through data collection, sensemaking, and action planning to develop and continuously improve their organization’s essential capabilities.
The Gates Foundation funded and collaborated with AIR to develop the ICA, which has been refined through use with 16 leading higher education organizations. The ICA helps institutions of higher learning achieve their institutional and student-level goals and outcomes.
The ICA offers opportunities for a variety of audiences:
- Philanthropic organizations will find a common language they can use to connect with grantees on linking goals, strategies, theories of change, and intended outcomes across intermediaries.
- Higher education organizations will identify strengths and areas for improvement, align individual and organizational development strategies, and consider guideposts for future collective learning.
The ICA Implementation Guide and Tools
We invite you to explore the ICA implementation guide and accompanying tools and apply the pieces that meet your needs and help you plan ahead. AIR is available to support you if needed. For more information, please contact Garry Davis.
These tools include:
- The Intermediary Capability Assessment (ICA) Implementation Guide: A comprehensive guide of the ICA Framework and Process, with suggestions and templates to plan and prepare for staff activities.
- Intermediary Capability Assessment Overview Video: An introductory video reviewing the purpose of the ICA Implementation Guide and its activities
- One-Pager: An overview of the history and benefits of the ICA Implementation Guide.
- Infographic: A visual overview of the ICA and the benefits of implementing it.
- ICA Survey Report PowerPoint Template: An adaptable PowerPoint template to share results of your ICA survey with participants before your Sensemaking Meeting.
- Sensemaking Meeting PowerPoint Template with Facilitation Notes: An adaptable PowerPoint template to be used to facilitate discussion during your Sensemaking Meeting. Includes talking points in the notes section of the slides.
- Introducing the Intermediary Capability Assessment (ICA) Implementation Guide Webinar Recording: This webinar with presenters from AIR, The Gates Foundation, Complete College America, and Growing Inland Achievement gives a high-level overview of the ICA’s creation, the impacts of utilizing the ICA Guide and tools, and how to access all of the resources in order to implement the ICA.
