ELI Day One, Part Two

Here some notes on the sessions for the first day of this year's ELI (Educause Learning Initiative).

The keynote by Bernard Bull, Concordia University in Wisconsin focused on Experiments, Entrepreneurs, and Innovations that are Shaping the Future of Higher Education. As academic transformation remains the leading issue at higher education institutions across the spectrum, his talk reminded us that we are again seeing education in unconventional ways and places. He watches trends and is interested when, for example, a trend jumps out of its domain (eg, health care) and into a different one (eg, education) as it shows that more than one small group of the population value the idea, and he is also very much interested in the concept of self-organized learning, which you may have seen in the amazing Hole in the Wall example.  

He stressed that one piece of the teaching and learning is the choice of educational institution, and if there were better ways for students to choose which institution is a good fit for them, then they could be more successful (he did not address how these students would then go about and pay tuition if they were to be selected for one of the very expensive institutions). This kind of alignment may also lead to more holistic measuring, and he reminded us that measures and algorithms, while more reliable, can either amplify or muzzle values and beliefs.

One of the examples of innovative education was Promazo, a group that connects students with companies for paid internships to solve problems that would be outsourced anyway.  The Wayfinding Academy helps students become clearer in their passions and interests making a traditional higher ed degree more meaningful as it cuts out multiple changes of majors that can extend time students put into a degree.

Finally, he considered that methodological and philosophical pathways can be a useful addition to curricula and programs, giving students additional choices for the path of study, but also giving institutions the chance to rethink their curricula away from simple compliance and accreditation.

 Second session of the day focused on Student Success with two short presentations, one focusing on the importance of stressing growth mindset, the other showcasing the development of a portal to pull together disparate online platforms to create a learning community. The first discussion is grounded in Carol Dweck's research on growth and fixed mindsets, and how clear communication about the two mindsets can already change attitudes and thus improve chances for success.  Students who are exposed to these two mindsets will make better choices in non-cognitive skills. Key takeaway from this session is also how you articulate your praise.  As growth mindset assumes that anyone can improve any skill through practice, feedback needs to focus on the practice and effort part, not create an environment that focuses on innate qualities.

Secret Decoder Ring

Third session of the day focused on the Secret Decoder Ring:  Why Faculty Choose to Pass on Faculty Development.  Three universities presented their approaches to faculty development, Northwestern, Wisconsin-Madison and Purdue, and their findings focused on empathy but also on focusing on culture and influencing change through this awareness.