If What You Are Offering Isn’t Digital – They May Not Be Coming

Dwayne Harapnuik —  March 24, 2015 — 2 Comments
http://newsroom.accenture.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=6261#rel

Accenture Newsroom: Majority of Students Cite Digital Capabilities and Services at Universities as Key Factor in Higher Education Choice, Accenture Survey Finds via kwout

The Accenture Higher Education Will Never Be the Same! The Digital Demand on Campus and Beyond survey of 1,500 students in Australia, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States found:

Eighty-five percent of high school seniors, 81 percent of higher education students and 72 percent of higher education graduates say that how well a higher education institution embraces innovation is an important factor in deciding which institution to attend.

Because Universities, Colleges, and Polytechnics still control the parchment (degrees, diplomas and certification) we haven’t seen the same sort of external disruptive forces taking students away. What we are beginning to see is a shift in where students choose to attend within higher education. Institutions that have gone digital and provide fully online, well designed blended programs, or other innovative and flexible approaches to learning are drawing students who are looking for flexibility and relevance in their learning experience. The Accenture survey revealed that just over 50% of students are still considering a traditional education, so if your institutions is part of the Ivy League or other highly regarded brand then you may still have a strong draw. If you are offering the same traditional courses as your competition across town or across the state or province then you may be in trouble.

The report authors suggest that to remain competitive higher education must engage, satisfy and sustain relationships with always-on students by doing the following:

  • Delivering on-demand learning. As digital natives, students expect on-demand, self-led learning with access to content and instruction online at any time. Institutions must enable a type of learning via mobile and social tools that involve video and content curation that make learning highly engaging.
  • Working with new teaching partners. Education innovation such as on-demand learning models requires different educational delivery systems. No higher education institution will have access to a variety of models without building partnerships and strengthening its ecosystem by collaborating with other universities, the private sector and government.
  • Cultivating lifelong learning. By using digital tools, higher education institutions can extend and strengthen alumni relationships through online and on-demand learning.

This is a very positive opportunity for higher education. Institutions that are proactive and use digital technologies to enhance learning are going to find that to do this well they must focus the learners needs and create significant learning environment rather then just deliver content.

Read the full report – Higher Education Will Never Be the Same! The Digital Demand on Campus and Beyond

In Online Learning , , ,
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Sense of Urgency: Create It Now or React to It Later

Dwayne Harapnuik —  March 23, 2015 — Leave a comment

Every time I think about creating urgency at the start of a change process I immediately think about this old Fram commercial. You can be proactive and create a sense of urgency to start a change process or if you ignore the reality that change is the new constant and that all organizations are going to be forced to change then you will have to deal with the sense of urgency that will be forced upon you and your organization as you attempt to stay relevant.

The choice to be proactive and create a sense of urgency is ours but we often first have to get out of the reactionary rut. In the post Paradox of being proactive I point to the unfortunate fact that the busyness that reactivity spawns is rewarded because it appears that people are working hard to deal with the situation.

We need to stop reinforcing the incorrect reactive behaviors and start reinforcing the proactive activities that will enable an organization to really move forward. This requires the conviction of looking into the horizon and peparing for the technological and cultural issues that will be impacting your organization.

Pay me now or pay me later…Create the sense of urgency now or react to the tyranny of urgency later. The choice is yours.

Don’t take my word for this. John Kotter one of the world’s foremost authorities on change argues ignoring to create a sense of urgency is the biggest mistakes being made in leading change.

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Commitment takes Heart

Dwayne Harapnuik —  March 19, 2015 — Leave a comment

In his daily blog post The difference between commitment and technique Seth Godin makes the argument that we (society) would be a lot more successful if schools created an environment where teachers used commitment as a foundational part of the learning environment. Students with access to resources are almost unstoppable if they are committed to learning.

Instead we have created an environment where learners can say:

“teach me, while I stand here on one foot, teach me while I gossip with my friends via text, teach me while I wander off to other things. And, sure, if the teaching sticks, then I’ll commit.”

This is another example of the principle of “The head won’t go where the heart hasn’t been.” Genuine commitment must involve the affective domain and until we are willing to engage emotionally our heads will not follow.

I agree with Godin that “great teachers teach commitment.” I would add that great teachers use passion to teach commitment.

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Embrace Change in Education

Dwayne Harapnuik —  March 18, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Organic Learning

Dwayne Harapnuik —  March 16, 2015 — 1 Comment

organic-teaching
In a recent 3260 Professional Practice class (part of the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program) one of my learners was sharing an Ah-Ha! moment that was inspired by Ken Robinson’s Bring on the Learning Revolution TED Talk. Robinson argues that we need to move away from the industrial model of education where we stamp out standardized students and move toward an organic model in which we create the environments where learners can grow and develop in their own unique ways.

The ensuing class discussion reminded me of Mortimer Adler’s insight in How to Read a Book that teaching is an art that shares special characteristics with two other disciplines:

Without going into learning theory as psychologists conceive it, it is obvious that teaching is a very special art, sharing with only two other arts—agriculture and medicine—an exceptionally important characteristic. A doctor may do many things for his patient, but in the final analysis it is the patient himself who must get well—grow in health. The farmer does many things for his plants or animals, but in the final analysis it is they that must grow in size and excellence. Similarly, although the teacher may help his student in many ways, it is the student himself who must do the learning. Knowledge must grow in his mind if learning is to take place (p. 11).

To teach organically we need to create the environment in which the learner can do the learning, grow and flourish. We need to become proactive, start with a learner centred focus, and purposefully assemble all the key components of effective learning into a significant learning environment so that we can help our learners to learn how to learn and grow into the people we all hope they will become.

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