INNOVATIVE
LEARNING COMMUNITIES: EDUCATIONAL AND LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY
My
vision of innovative learning communities and my educational philosophy
are grounded in a strong belief in the virtue of the liberal arts tempered
by a number of years of struggle to convince colleagues of the value to
students of internships and other experiences and to persuade students
that practical activities must be linked to theoretical perspectives for
learning to occur. Many contemporary students come to higher education
with explicit career goals, family backgrounds in which support for education
may be not fully developed and a need to work while attending college.These
students may possess little faith in "learning for the sake of learning"
and present a special challenge in forging symbiosis between theory and
practice.
I
sensed in the early stages of graduate work that the ideas emergent in
the courses and reading while stimulating and vital intellectually lacked
something "real" in comparison to my roots in a political family or my
experience in political campaigns. Consequently, I
have tried to involve myself and students in "field experiences” during
my professional career. I particularly enjoy the rich and varied experiences
of students who bring "real life" stories to the learning process because
they are adults or are seeking learning which has fairly immediate application
to their lives. The colleges and universities serving these students are
on the "cutting edge" of the nation's efforts to increase educational effectiveness.
As the first decade of
21st century comes to a close, the tendency for students to reflect fairly
concrete objectives usually linked to present or future job expectations
continues and is likely to increase. I strongly believe strongly that the educational
products we offer must address these expectations directly as well as provide
a life-enriching exposure to the liberal arts, especially to liberal arts
subjects which have immediate application to life. Colleges serving a large
adult or regional clientele play an absolutely fundamental role in this
regard. These colleges offer a “second chance” to students who have either
deferred higher education or have had earlier unsuccessful encounters with
higher education by providing the opportunity to realize a dream previously
deferred or forsaken.
I
have been sensitive to curricular matters and their impact on students
ever since my second year of doctoral work and have had a number of opportunities
to exercise academic leadership. In graduate school, I led a successful
struggle to reform doctoral field examinations, helping to create a system
which still is in place almost thirty years later. During my years at SUNY
Plattsburgh, I chaired a Faculty task force which studied the College's
academic structure and made recommendations to the President, which eventually
were adopted .In my years at SUNY Empire State College, I played a leading
role in building the College's graduate programs, including an innovative,
web-based, competency-oriented MBA. I also developed a preference for independent,
individualized and interdisciplinary pedagogical approaches as well as
an appreciation for technology-assisted learning. In the most recent years
of my career, I have had the opportunity to apply my curricular sensitivity
to the analysis and assessment of learning outcomes.
It
is clear that higher education is under growing pressures for change. Although
higher education is different than the health care industry, changes in
American society and the role of the U.S. in the world are likely to have
an equally profound impact. It is not clear whether there is too much capacity
as was clearly the case in health care thereby creating the demands for
"managed care." Consequently, higher
education may survive more intact than the health care industry but the
convergence of increasing costs, the availability of technology and changing
consumer needs are having an impact and will continue to effect the role
of higher education institutions. There is pressure, in particular, on
smaller institutions with learning objectives rooted in the liberal arts
and sciences rather than a more practical, career-oriented curricula. It
is crucial to the nation that liberal arts institutions educating the whole
individual, and not just his or her short-term, career interests, survive
these pressures.
The
outcome of the struggle to survive is not likely to result in dichotomies
between traditional and non-traditional approaches or liberal arts versus
professional curricula but rather will reflect choices along intersecting
continua depending on the extent to which institutions employ technology
in instruction; offer study which is less dependent on class schedules,
i.e. greater time flexibility; seek to offer programs that convey important
life skills with both long-term, indirect and direct career applications
as a result of completion; and/or engage in fruitful partnerships with
other higher education institutions and organizations outside of the higher
education sector.
Change,
of course, is fraught with anxiety - some imagined and some real. In the
health care industry, responsibilities have descended to less costly para-professionals
and technology is replacing the need for some staff. Some in higher education
fear that impending changes will reduce the need for full-time, tenure-track,
PhD. trained faculty who will be replaced by technicians and adjuncts.
Pressures in this direction will no doubt occur as institutions struggle
to retain significant student enrollments but reduce costs. A more positive
view is that the role of faculty is changing but not lessening in importance
although on on-line or other packaged course development and focused, highly
interactive contact with students are replacing lecture formats. High quality
interaction between faculty and students is likely to continue to be valued
significantly. Partnerships with corporate or not-for-profit entities also
will be increasingly useful. These arrangements bring dependable student
cohorts, opportunities to utilize networked learning systems and fruitful
symbioses between training and study for certificates or degrees. Highly
focused marketing is becoming the norm.
The
key to success, if not survival, in the competitive years just ahead, is
for higher education institutions to adapt to consumer expectations within
a set of practices reflective of missions and to acknowledge that the need
to instill the capacity for “life-long learning” is no longer just the
shibboleth of openly non-traditional institutions. Other than a few elitist
institutions which can hold on to past, highly traditional practices a
bit longer, the institutions with the best chance of success will have
two fundamental qualities: a student-centered, flexible approach to learning
which is sensitive both to the career needs of enrollees and the changing
nature of careers as well as a commitment to harness technology to enhance
learning and empower faculty and students to take advantage of the “information
era.The formation of student-centered,
learning communities is necessary to embody these qualities.
Other
than the views above, I would summarize my personal beliefs with one observation
and three principles. A variety of challenging positions. as
well as an open, consultative style, have combined to produce much success
as an academic administrator. I have solid experience as a faculty member
and continue to maintain currency in my discipline (political science)
with the consequence that I am able to “stand in the shoes” of the college
or university faculty I strive to lead. In terms of principles, most importantly,
one must stand for something and set forth clear objectives. Secondly, consultation
is crucial and must be more than providing information. One must listen
and be willing to alter a position because of the views of others. Finally,
involvement and commitment are necessary. One needs to be vitally involved
in his/her institution and its programs and to evidence a strong commitment
to its mission. I believe strongly in the mission of extending learning
by serving students in innovative and life-enhancing ways and have frequently
defended this prerogative to colleagues in other academia settings who
occasionally are insensitive to the critical role performed by institutions
serving non-traditional or regional populations or employing innovative
educational approaches. Our fate as a civil society, our competitiveness
as an economic entity and our place in the international community will
be determined in large measure by the job we do.
Dennis
R. DeLong, Ph.D.
Ossining,
NY
November
6, 2009