Revitalizing Institutional Identity Post-COVID: A Pan-African SoTL Study Grounded in Kotter’s Change Model and African Ontologies

Angela Owusu-Ansah; Earle Abrahamson; William Annoh; Verissa Owusu

Prof. Angela Owusu-Ansah Ashesi University
Prof. Earle Abrahamson Hertfordshire Medical School
William Annoh Ashesi University
Verissa Owusu Ashesi University

Keywords: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Kotter’s Change Model, African Epistemologies, Institutional Culture, Student Partnership

Abstract

This study examines how the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) can address complex institutional challenges beyond classroom practice by revitalizing a disrupted university culture in a Pan-African context. Guided by Hutchings’ (2000) future-oriented question of “What could be?”, we applied Kotter’s eight-step change model within a narrative participatory inquiry design that positioned students as partners in co-creating knowledge. The intervention integrated African philosophies of Sankofa (reflection for action) and Sunsum (interconnectedness), alongside storytelling as a traditional pedagogical tool, to foster cultural renewal. Felten’s (2013) pillars of good SoTL and Hamilton and McCollum’s (2024) emphasis on epistemological and ontological depth informed the approach, ensuring cultural responsiveness and collaborative engagement. A five-week catalytic intervention provided students with a lived experience of the original institutional culture, resulting in increased academic motivation, enhanced campus engagement, and a strengthened sense of identity. The process achieved short-term wins and accelerated change compared to the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), reaching integration a year earlier than expected. Findings underscore the importance of care-driven practices, student partnerships, and indigenous knowledge systems in sustaining transformation. The study offers a model for addressing grand challenges in higher education and calls for future research on culturally grounded change frameworks, longitudinal sustainability, and the role of storytelling in SoTL.

Author Biographies

Prof. Angela Owusu-Ansah, Ashesi University

Angela Owusu-Ansah is Provost and Professor at Ashesi University and the Regional Vice President (Africa) of ISSOTL. She previously held leadership roles at Elon University and Samford University. Her research focuses on the impact of higher education, digital instruction, intercultural learning, and women’s leadership in African higher education. She may be contacted at aowusuansah@ashesi .edu.gh

Prof. Earle Abrahamson, Hertfordshire Medical School

Earle Abrahamson is the Head of Anatomy for the MBBS program and the only Professor of SoTL at the University of Hertfordshire (UK). A Principal Fellow and National Teaching Fellow of Advance HE, Earle co-edits Teaching and Learning Inquiry and is a Board Member of Euro SoTL and a Co-Founder of ISEEC. He may be contacted by email at e.abrahamson@herts.ac.uk.

William Annoh, Ashesi University

William Ohene Annoh is the Assistant Director of the Adei Research Studio at Ashesi University. He supports research development in collaboration with the Dean of Research and the Provost, and works closely with faculty on grant applications, sponsored programs, and related scholarly initiatives. His experience spans academic quality assurance and accreditation, and his research interests include higher education, start-ups and entrepreneurship, strategic succession planning, and the sustainability of African family businesses. He may be contacted by email at william.annoh@ashesi.edu.gh.

Verissa Owusu, Ashesi University

Verissa Owusu is a PMP-certified Management Information Systems specialist with experience in business systems analysis, supporting IT and information systems scalability, and managing projects and student affairs within academic affairs units in higher education institutions. She serves as Program Officer at Ashesi University. She may be contacted by email at vowusu@ashesi.edu.gh.