Leading Academic Change: National Survey 2.0 to Advance Transformation in Higher Education
Oct. 16, 2023
The pandemic reinforced a lot of lessons for higher education. The question is no longer whether universities need to innovate, but how they can evolve to bolster leadership and organizational capacity.
That’s why Quantum Thinking is partnering with the University of Michigan’s Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) to find fresh data through National Survey 2.0. By analyzing institutions across the country, this survey will uncover deep insights into the current landscape of learning innovation and leadership models within higher education. This knowledge will strengthen organizational leadership capacity and execution – a vital foundation of faculty and student success.
The study’s investigators include the Center for Academic Innovation’s Director of Research & Analytics, Cait Hayward, Ph.D., and Anne Keehn, the Founder and CEO of Quantum Thinking. They are joined by steering committee member James DeVaney, the University of Michigan’s Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation. Together, these leaders aim to unearth valuable information that advances learning for all.
“Accurate data and insights are foundational for creating capacity and pathways for innovation in higher education,” says Anne Keehn, Founder and CEO of Quantum Thinking, who is serving as Principal Investigator for this work. “Our hope is that once equipped with the latest information about how institutions are approaching innovation design, leadership will be able to spark and scale greater faculty and student success.”
An opportunity to ignite progress
In 2014, Keehn authored a grant through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to design the first Leading Academic Change national survey. As a Senior Fellow for Technology & Innovation for the Postsecondary team, she co-led the initiative to convene academic innovation leaders and understand the landscape of leading academic change – alongside MJ Bishop, Executive Director of the University of Maryland System’s William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation.
In 2015, through the contributions of a diverse group of higher education leaders – including the OLC, ACE, POD Network, APLU and EDUCAUSE – the initiative captured the data necessary to explore and analyze the larger landscape of academic innovation, identify common challenges, and find best practices to catalyze faculty and student success.
But with the pandemic and other global events, the academic world has changed dramatically since 2015. Educators and leaders need an updated view of the current state of higher education and its evolution over the last eight years. New data will be crucial for empowering institutions to inform better leadership models, technology and support structures that leverage innovative educational approaches.
Cait Hayward, co-PI of the project, shared, “We know that Academic Innovation units have played impactful roles on higher education campuses–certainly in navigating the disruption of the pandemic, but also in pushing forward crucial areas like addressing systemic inequities in our educational systems, designing personalized education, and fostering lifelong learning. I’m thrilled we’re working to understand the design and structure of these units, what these groups are charged with at different types of institutions, and what challenges their leaders see ahead.”
It takes strategic collaboration, however, to drive progress in academia and create equitable, lifelong educational opportunities for learners everywhere. Survey sponsors include Class Technologies, the POD Network, and the Online Learning Consortium, three powerhouses in the academic innovation space. These organizations are committed to transforming education and pioneering new approaches to academic leadership, and they understand the power of reliable data.
The support of key leaders from diverse backgrounds can redefine the way we engage students. If you would like to sponsor our efforts to elevate higher education and create a brighter future for students worldwide, contact Anne at anne@quantumthinking.com.
