Why Innovate?

Innovation is the path to successful changes that improved life as we know it. If it was not for innovation we would not be typing in a discussion board hundreds of miles away from our university. We would not have all the creature comforts that so many of us enjoy in our daily lives. So why should we be innovative in higher education? Something I read resonated with me deeply. "Don't take courses. Take professors." (Christensen & Eyring, 2011, 252) This is the response of a university dean to his nephew when he asked about what courses he should take.

When I am advising a student and helping them register for prerequisite courses for my program, I am asked almost every single time, which instructor should I take, or does Mr. or Mrs. Blank have an opening in their class? The reason is that the sought-after instructors are the ones that engage students and are innovative educators. Students are known to stay up until after midnight on the first day of registration just so they guarantee their spot in a particular instructor’s course. Innovation is what students seek, they desire technology, active learning, and engagement in the classroom. Therefore, if higher education institutions want to attract students to their classrooms, they must decide to be innovative and embrace a new generation of learning and enhance the learning environments to provide the best educational experiences for the students.

References

Christensen, C. M., & Eyring, H. J. (2011). The Innovative University (First ed.). Jossey-Bass.