Ways to be distinctive: innovation
Signposts to examples of innovation in Higher Education, which might spark ideas about how innovation could add to the blend of characteristics that make your HEI distinctive.
In our thought piece Ways to be distinctive - delivery models, we shared examples of innovation as distinctiveness from outside higher education. The following are examples of innovation in the sector, which might spark ideas about how innovation could add to the blend of characteristics that make your higher education institution (HEI) distinctive.
How might innovation be applied to an HEI to form part of its distinctive identity?
- In most cases to date, innovation in HE has been about applying technology. For example, Coventry and Aberystwyth were using podcasts in the middle of the last decade: http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications-reports-articles/web-articles/Web-Article498
- More recently Ulster’s Creativity & Innovation working group produced a report which then informed that institution's Teaching and Learning Strategy, 2008/9-2012/13: www.ulster.ac.uk/centrehep/CandIReportFinal.doc
- And elsewhere, a multimedia lecturer at Glyndwr has been extolling the benefits of live blogging: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/2011/may/12/live-blogging-social-media-teaching?CMP=twt_gu
- The Guardian's Higher Education network has posted several contributions from people in HE describing their experiences of and views on introducing new technologies: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/innovation.
- A 2010 report on how HE might better meet the needs of employers of engineering graduates, highlighted innovation in the practical experience offered to students, in the design of placements, in activities within the course, in the development of the experience of lecturers, in the use of industrial simulations and of guest lecturers with specific expertise or experience: http://www.engsc.ac.uk/journal/index.php/ee/article/viewArticle/231/225
- You can also find a range of examples of innovation on the JISC website, covering 27 projects under two themes: Institutional Approaches to Curriculum Design and Transforming Curriculum Delivery through Technology: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/curriculum/projects
- Innovation, per se, is not necessarily the answer. The HEFCE-funded project on innovation in the market assurance of new programmes (i-MAP) aims to help institutions to innovate successfully.
Topics: Establishing your distinctiveness.