Category: Innovation

The Tinkertoy Postulate

On By Gavin HenningIn Higher Education, Innovation, Student Affairs, Uncategorized1 Comment

I entered the Indianapolis Marriott Ballroom on Tuesday evening, April 1st to watch the Pecha Kucha sessions at the 2014 ACPA Annual Convention. The room was packed and everyone was enjoying the fast-paced 6 minute and 40 second presentations using 20 slides with each slide changing every 20 seconds. These presentations were fast, fun, and engaging. I, too, was captivated.

But this isn’t the focus of my story. What was going on around me is.

In between presentations I observed the crowd. People were talking and laughing with those sitting or standing close by – old friends, new friends, and ACPA acquaintances alike. With a backdrop of “edutainment,” people were connecting.

In a row near the back, I spotted two colleagues I knew sitting next to each other. They weren’t talking to each other like other folks were. I then realized that while I knew each of them, they likely didn’t know one another. One of these friends was Kristin Carpenter, a colleague from the University of New Hampshire Department of Residential Life. The other friend was Kristin Skarie from Teamworks who I have known through ACPA for a number of years.

The moment I saw them sitting together, I knew I had to connect them. Not only because they had the same first name (even spelled the same!) but also because they have a common interest. Kristin C. loves the outdoors, the environment, and intentional living. Kristin S. recently wrote a book entitled A Year of Nothing New: Tools for Living Lean and Green where she discusses how her life changed when she decided to stop shopping as a hobby which resulted in a renewed focus on deliberate, responsible, local living (check out the book here: http://www.betterteams.com/store.htm). Based on these interests, I figured Kristin and Kristin would hit it off right away. I went up to them, said hi, and introduce them to each other and suggested that Kristin S. tell Kristin C. about her book.

As I headed to another event later that night, I was reflecting on the connection that I made between Kristin S. and Kristin C. That connection reminded me of a concept I learned many years ago as a hall director at UNH. Ruth Abelmann, Associate Director of Residential Life, talked about residential life staff as Tinkertoys because they connect people to each other. The analogy is perfect for any student affairs professional.
If you aren’t familiar with Tinkertoys or Fiddlesticks (their generic kin), it is a set of wooden hubs and spokes that allow the user to create a variety of constructions. The hub has many holes around its circumference into which spokes can be inserted. In the Tinkertoy Postulate, each of us is a hub and we have connections to other hubs via spokes. Thus, I had a connection to both Kristins individually. But they didn’t have a connection to each other.

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When I connected Kristin with Kristin they created a bond. In this case people are similar to molecules. A molecule is stronger if the atoms that comprise it have many bonds to the other atoms. People are also stronger if they have more connections. They feel integrated and that they matter.

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Now, imagine if everyone were to be a hub making intentional connections between other people. We would have a constellation of connections that were integrated and interconnected.

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That would be an almost unbreakable net of relationships. Be the hub and connect others.

The Argument for Competency-Based Higher Education

On By Gavin HenningIn Assessment, Higher Education, Innovation, Uncategorized2 Comments

There has been recent buzz regarding the awarding of higher education degrees based on demonstrated competence of knowledge and skills rather than the traditional acquisition of a set number of course-based credits. In April 2013, the U.S. Department of Education approved the eligibility of Southern New Hampshire University to receive federal financial aid for students enrolled in a new, self-paced program (http://bit.ly/17IHbJ2). Then in May, the U.S. Department of Education notified colleges and universities that they could apply to provide federal student aid to students in competency-based programs and identified a process for that application (http://bit.ly/HCZvGW). Later this year (2013), Wisconsin’s extension system will start a competency-based program where students with experience and program-specific skills may be able to test out of courses (http://bit.ly/17cV4Js).

I am enthusiastic and optimistic regarding the possibility of competency-based education. There are benefits for all constituency groups involved. Here are a few of the benefits I envision. What benefits to you see?

  1. The focus of the degree is truly on skills and knowledge attainment not credits or seat time.

Currently, colleges and universities award a degree essentially based on seat time. A student satisfactorily completes 120 credits and receives a diploma. While there is an assumption that satisfactory completion of coursework suggests learning has occurred, the degree itself is not awarded based on demonstrated skill or knowledge. Aren’t the knowledge and skills what college and universities should be focusing on?

  1. Graduates are better prepared.

If the focus shifts from completed credits to demonstrated skill and knowledge, then it seems logical that college students will be better prepared than they currently are as they transition from these institution. Federal reports, international rankings, and books such as Academically Adrift decry the academic preparedness of today’s U.S. college students. Competency-based higher education can re-center degree attainment on what really matters to everyone – skill and knowledge.

  1. There is a clear delineation of acquired skills and knowledge for employers/grad schools.

As I talk with colleges working in career development, they discuss the inability of seniors to articulate what they have learned during their undergraduate careers. Yes, they can list off all 1.3 million items on their resume (that they actually started developing in kindergarten). However, they cannot explain what skills and knowledge they acquired from these experiences no how they can apply what they learned to different situations. Developing competency-based educational program would require clearly defined sets of skills and knowledge that would have to be demonstrated to graduate. This delineation would make it easier for students to describe these knowledge and skills. This explanation would also make it easier for employers and graduate schools decipher resume’s to determine what students know.

  1. Alternate college journeys are validated.

Competency-based higher education is student-centered. Rather than making students conform to an antiquated, mode of education most appropriate for the industrial age, this model focuses solely on competencies and acknowledges the real fact that students can acquire these competencies multiple ways. This model honors the multiple journeys students take to achieve their degree. Students can swirl between institutions to acquire the skills and knowledge required to graduate. They can also double-dip by attending two institutions at the same time. Students may acquire skills and knowledge when they stop out of college because they are developing skills on the job or in other settings. As the number of diverse paths to a college degree increase, a model for degree completion is needed to align with these myriad journeys.

  1. College will be cheaper for students, colleges, and the federal government.

Competency-based education would be cheaper for most higher education stakeholders. If the focus is competence, students wouldn’t need to take courses at the same institution and articulation agreements wouldn’t be needed. In addition to coursework, students could also acquire skills in a variety of ways including working a job, volunteering, or serving in the military, etc. All of these options could decrease the cost of degree attainment for students. With decreased costs for a college education comes a reduced need for financial. A reduction in need for financial aid would ease fiscal burdens for individual institutions as well as federal aid programs. It is important to note that a shift to a competency-based model would include an initial investment at the institutional and possibly federal and state level for development and implementation.

  1. Assessment will be easier.

It also seems that assessment would be easier in a competency-based system, or at least much more clearly focused. Right now, it seems challenging for many academic departments and institutions to identify learning goals and outcomes and find ways to document their achievement. In this new model, goals and learning outcomes would have to be clearly articulated (which would take time of course). Competency milestones on the path to degree would need to be developed to help a student know if she was on track. The assessment process wouldn’t be easy. However, the end result for student learning would be much clearer that it currently seems to be.

While there are benefits to competency-based higher education, the process to implement this model nationally would be a long, challenging road. It would require agreement that this model is the best for students and the U.S. higher education system. Once that understanding was reach, the conversation regarding which skills and knowledge would need to be demonstrated for each discipline would begin. This discussion couldn’t be resolved during a weekend retreat. It would take longer. But, that conversation has started and I am interested to see where it leads.

What benefits and challenges do you see to competency-based higher education?

Suggestions for Summer Reading

On By Gavin HenningIn Higher Education, Innovation, Leadership, Student AffairsLeave a comment

As the semester has come or is coming to an end for most of us, it is time to think of the intellectual stimulation we didn’t quite have time to during the year. It is challenge enough trying to balance student needs with our personal life, let alone make committed time for one’s one professional development. There are many self-directed professional development opportunities out there including blog posts, Twitter feeds, and video series such as TED Talks. These may be easier to partake of during the academic year because of the small amount of time needed. However, books provide a more in depth exploration of a particular topic. Here is a list of 15 books to consider placing on your summer reading list from a variety of categories including education, business, leadership, and philosophy.

  1. Tribes by Seth Godin http://amzn.to/ISlqbX
  2. Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation: Tim Brown: http://amzn.to/ISl7hr
  3. Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business: Luke Williams: http://amzn.to/ISkYKG
  4. Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney: Lee Cockerell: http://amzn.to/ISl9pz
  5. Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard: Chip Heath, Dan Heath http://amzn.to/ISlCIb
  6. The Art of Power (9780061242366): Thich Nhat Hanh: http://amzn.to/ISlwAr
  7. The Naked Presenter: Delivering Powerful Presentations With or Without Slides (Voices That Matter: Garr Reynolds http://amzn.to/ISlXKX
  8. Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide: Linda Suskie: http://amzn.to/ISmUD9
  9. Student Engagement in Higher Education: Theoretical Perspectives and Practical Approaches to Diverse Populations: Harper and Quaye:  http://amzn.to/ISm35s
  10. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable: Patrick Lencioni http://amzn.to/ISlLeJ
  11. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die:  Chip Heath, Dan Heath:  http://amzn.to/ISlzfr
  12. Linchpin: Seth Godin: http://amzn.to/ISlhoP
  13. 15 Minutes Including Q&A: A Plan to Save the World From Lousy Presentations: Joey Asher: http://amzn.to/ISl2u2
  14. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time: Brian Tracy: http://amzn.to/ISlf0c
  15. Read this before our next meeting: Al Pittampalli http://amzn.to/ISlVTl

What would you add to this list? Share your thoughts and keep the list growing.