What does innovation mean in higher education?

Recently I was confronted with the question, "what does the innovation part of your title entail anyway?" The question was asked with a little snark, but also with genuine curiosity. I engaged in a brief discussion with my inquisitor, which revealed that innovation is a pretty misunderstood and murky concept, especially in higher education.

I've been thinking about the aforementioned conversation a lot since. And, while I think I provided some good examples of what can be considered innovation in higher education, I probably missed an opportunity for clarity.

So, I'll take this opportunity to offer a couple of thoughts of what innovation means in higher education from where I sit.

A lesson from my watch collection

As I reflected on the concept of innovation, I was drawn to some of the timepieces from.my watch collection. You'll see a few in the photograph above. Why reference my watch collection? Well, these five timepieces offer some clarity (in my mind) about what innovation in higher education can look like.

Why? Let's take a look at each.

• The first watch (left to rights), my grandfathers Hamilton watch is one of my treasures. It's a great watch that tells time perfectly. It's from the 1950's and requires winding each time I wear it. Winding a watch was pretty common technology for the time.
• The next watch is a Tag Heuer that was a groomsman gift from a dear friend. This watch, with its Swiss movement, is powered by a battery and keeps impeccable time. It also has a date function that ensure I know what the date is. This watch is ready to go each time I reach for it, unless the battery is dead.
• The next watch is a Wenger compass watch. It's a pretty nifty watch that includes a compass under the watch-face. It's battery powered, too. It also has a date function. But, what makes this special is its compass function for hiking and navigating.
• The forth watch in an American micro-brand made by Oak & Oscar, a cool company in Chicago. This watch is an automatic watch, that winds itself based on human movement and will run for 40ish hours off of the wrist. It also has date function and a feature that allows for easy time translation when one is in different time zones. If the Oak & Oscar Humbolt is worn daily, it never runs out of battery or requires winding, which is pretty awesome.
• The final watch is my Garmin Instinct Solar. This watch keeps time, monitors aspects of my health, has GPS and receives all kinds of notifications about weather, texts and emails. It also can charge via the sun.

(Before I get to the innovation part, I want to be clear that I purchased only one of these watches. The others are gifts.)

My watch collection is a great example of innovation and I think is connects to what innovation is most likely to mean in higher education.

While each timepiece's primary function is to tell time and all do a great job, the technology has advanced to meet the interests and needs of users. Additions and changes have added new value. For example, the battery improved upon winding and the automatic movement improved upon both. The addition of a date added value and function beyond time-keeping. GPS replaced the need for a compass. I can't tell how many miles I've covered on my bike it I am wearing my grandfather's Hamilton, but my Garmin can tell me how far, how long and what roads I traveled on. Yet, none of the changes or improvements were revolutionary or took the piece away from its core function, telling time. This is important to note.

Innovation is more likely to involve small improvements or additions, rather than revolutionary or cutting-edge change. This is even more likely in higher education.

Innovation is not revolution

Two years ago I wrote a LinkedIn article called "Reinvention and elegant solutions: Innovation in higher education." It remains relevant today and emphasizes that innovation and invention are not the same thing. Too many want innovation to be revolution or invention, it seldom is. instead, innovation is more like the evolution of my watch collection.

Schumpeter is probably the best guide when it comes to innovation in higher ed

I wish I had been quick enough on my feet to recall Joseph Schumpeter thoughts that "new combinations that add value" are at the heart of innovation. Innovation in higher education, especially at the institutional-level is most likely going to include new or renewed academic or co-curricular programs; new facilities or functions; or, new and extended services. But, the true test is whether they new combinations add value, which probably translates to enrollment, revenue or desired results.

A couple of examples of innovation from Augustana College

The Gerber Center for Student Life--In 2013 we opened a renewed/new facility that combined Augustana's library, student activities and dining hall under the same roof. This new combination of functions added value for Augustana students and enabled them to move seamlessly from student to play to fellowship over a meal. At the time, there were few similar facilities with same core functions all in the same place. The Gerber Center combined functions that would typically be separated and established the heart of our residential campus.

The addition of majors in environmental studies, graphic design and neuroscience--Over the course of the past several years, we've added a number of new majors that respond to student demand and attract students who may not have chose Augustana otherwise. In the case of environmental studies, graphic design and neuroscience, we had a strong foundation in each academic area, but made investments to ensure these programs were offered as majors. In a world of online searching, even if a college has a strong emphasis in interdisciplinary areas, the major still matters and if a college doesn't have the major students want, the college is at a competitive disadvantage. Each of these programs required some new combination courses and efforts to add value. Enrollment trends in each of these have added value and revenue for the college.

Women's and Men's Water Polo--We added women's and men's water polo as varsity sports in the last few years and the addition of these programs certainly represent innovation in the sense that they built upon an already strong commitment to athletics and they expanded the pool of students attracted to Augustana. In the case of water polo, we opened new geographic markets in California and Texas, which helps offset declining population in the upper midwest. Furthermore, of our five new Academic All-Americans this year, two are water polo student-athletes. Their achievements raise the overall profile of the college, the athletic program and water polo. Again, new combinations or additions that add value.

Augustana Possible--Two years ago we had a donor step forward with a $40 million challenge gift that when matched by other donors will add a minimum of $80 million in endowed financial aid to Augustana's financial aid budget. Students who are eligible for and Augustana Possible grant are high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need. When this program was launched we committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need up to our comprehensive fee for qualified students. The program has driven enrollment and revenue. It's a remarkable combination of things that has added great value. New student enrollment adds revenue and gifts to our endowment add revenue that support the college's mission.

While none of these examples represent a revolutionary or cutting-edge initiative, each represents new combinations or additions that added value for our students and for Augustana College; that's innovation in higher education. Looking for more is probably folly.