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Four Strategies for Innovation in Education

In response to our study on innovation at universities of applied sciences, Consultancy.nl has published an article on innovation strategies for educational institutions. The four strategies for innovation in education are highlighted in the article below.

Four Strategies for Innovation in Education

Educational institutions face the ongoing challenge of adapting to the changing needs of the professional field and students. Innovation in products, services, and the organization itself is essential to this—experts from Turner outline four different approaches to achieving educational innovation.

1: Organic

The organic strategy focuses on encouraging local initiatives and experiments. The main emphasis is on giving enthusiasts the space they need. The vast majority of educational institutions follow this approach.

It greatly encourages a sense of ownership, and sometimes really wonderful things come out of it. Plus, it involves very little hassle. But it also offers little guidance on the pace at which the renewal takes shape. It often gets stuck at the stage of a few nice, small initiatives.

2: All at Once

The “all-at-once” strategy aims for a large-scale transformation in the way work is done all at once. Major renewals often require a coherent set of changes to the organization and its systems, and this strategy makes that possible.

A prime example is using a merger to build momentum for the planned renewals. The downside, however, is that it often requires a long lead-up period during which nothing happens yet, and there is a greater risk of serious disruptions to day-to-day operations.

3: Phased

The phased strategy is more systematic in nature, involving careful advance planning on how the overall renewal can be achieved in manageable steps. A number of colleges of applied sciences are adopting this approach, which has the advantage of creating greater focus that can lead to more significant steps toward renewal. A disadvantage of this strategy is that it leaves limited room for professionals to choose their own appropriate pace. As a result, the most enthusiastic members may be unnecessarily held back by the rest of the organization.

4: Separate

The fourth strategy, “separate,” focuses on establishing a distinct new division alongside the existing operation. The advantage is that you are not hindered by the issues of the day or the culture of the existing operation, and you can truly create something new or different.

Examples include an “innovation lab,” a separate learning environment for instructors, or a new academic program. The challenge, however, is to then establish a connection with existing operations or to transfer those operations to the new, separate unit.

Topics that are receiving a great deal of attention in the field of innovation include personalized learning paths with appropriate guidance, making the talent pool more flexible, digitization, lifelong learning, 21st-century skills, modern teaching methods, pedagogy and tools, public-private partnerships, and linking Education with research.
You can read more about education strategies in the study: “Universities of Applied Sciences: Where Is the Real Innovation?”

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