Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

3 proven ways to improve higher-ed collaboration

Collaboration across departments has been identified as the fundamental differentiator in achieving strategic objectives in not only the business community but also in higher education. Today’s challenging higher-ed environment can benefit from more collaboration, particularly between IT, business, and finance leaders.

The EDUCAUSE/NACUBO 2017 Enterprise IT Summit identified four main areas that can markedly enhance collaboration:

  • development of institutional relationships and partnerships
  • improvement of analytics and data governance initiatives
  • a forward -thinking leadership team to align unit goals with university goals
  • cultivation of a better understanding of IT costs and strategic value

eCampus News highlighted one example that showcased the fruits of collaboration at Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia, where IT, finance, and housing collaborated to transform the campus into one of the most digitally connected campuses of its size. Business Officer magazine wrote about a private university where close collaboration between the vice president for advancement and chief business officer during a capital campaign allowed the vice president to tie his asks to strategic initiatives. By working together, they devised a feasible multi-year capital and operating budget that furthers the work of both divisions.…Read More

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How my university is disrupting higher education

If higher education is a ship, it has struck an iceberg. It’s taking on water rapidly, and while the situation is urgent, many people on board simply refuse to acknowledge what’s happening.

The lifeboats in this metaphor? Disruption.

That may sound a little dramatic, but it’s undeniable that many colleges and universities are stuck in 20th-century—or even 19th- century—models of higher education. In our 21st-century world, that’s no longer acceptable. Institutions are floundering, and if they don’t start to catch up, they are going to sink.…Read More

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Looking back on education in 2016: Things to be thankful for

As the semester closes and the year ends, I have time to reflect and appreciate my profession. I am thankful to have opportunities in a variety of roles in education. Each setting offers different challenges, but each stretches me to consider the transformation occurring across at all levels.

My high school setting offers a glimpse of technology’s impact in a very structured system. So much of k-12 education is dictated by factors other than academics. In addition, accountability is heavily weighted on the institution rather than the student. This demands a true understanding of the positives and pitfalls technology programming offers. Experiencing the year-to-year integration of ideas at this level allows me to see impacts and issues that other educators don’t.

My face-to-face classroom work at the community college level exposes me to so many unique individuals. I love the variety of people that I come in contact with and the perspectives they all bring to the classroom. I particularly enjoy helping older adults re-acclimate to the academic setting.  This semester I will be instructing a blended class for the first time. I am a vigorous proponent of this model of coursework, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to lead the class. I’m especially curious to see how the format impacts the relational dynamic between teacher and student.…Read More