Learning Resources

Abstract: We often think of buildings merely as structures that we design, build, and maintain. Yet in truth, these structures are also places that can make occupants feel a sense of belonging and of 'place' within a community that connects people to one another. Campus buildings that foster a sense of place and community can ignite our imaginations for delivering our institutional missions in new and meaningful ways. Join us in an exploration of how leadership at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville plays a key role in creating these welcoming campus spaces.

Abstract: Higher education campuses have changed very little since the post-industrial era despite the diverse and evolving needs of the modern student. As students seek opportunities for interaction and engagement, institutions have a responsibility to not only provide them with knowledge, but a welcoming environment in which to thrive. This session will explore the diverse experiences of students, faculty, and staff on campus and how they correlate with a sense of wellbeing and belonging. Join us for a workshop that will help you reimagine your own campus's academic environments through empathy, adopting different perspectives, and identifying elements of inclusion and exclusion.

Abstract: We’re living in challenging times and other crises are sure to follow. Having the proper skills and culture will mean the difference between success and failure. This session will introduce you to concepts about preparing for this adversity. Institutional leaders often rely on ineffective processes for crisis management, but we’ll provide you with a framework and tools that will allow you to more constructively navigate crises. We don’t learn from our experiences—we learn from reflecting on them. Come share and reflect on your experiences with your peers and learn a new framework to help you lead in a crisis.

Abstract: Many sectors in American postsecondary education are experiencing rapid growth, largely due to the maintained and increased need for educational services, research capabilities, and public outreach, community service, and civic engagement opportunities. The factors shaping the institutional responses include demographic changes, pressure for increased accountability, higher expectations, and greater competition. These factors, among others, compel institutions to rethink their present structures and activities and to envision a future designed to meet the demands of an increasingly heterogeneous group of stakeholders. This article discusses how these changes are causing academic and institutional planners to reconsider the traditional perspectives in the face of emerging concepts in the delivery of educational services. Particular attention is paid to three topics that are key to the rethinking of service delivery. First, students should be considered learners who participate actively in their own learning. This, in turn, implies that teaching practices must be reconceptualized as learning processes. In addition, educational goals must be reconceptualized to meet the needs of individual and professional goals. The implications of these emerging views for strategies for institutional planning are discussed.

Abstract: Charges institutions with the responsibility for planning beyond the immediate need for survival, and for imagining instead what might be possible. Sees the potential for colleges and universities to model what it means to be a learning organization at all levels, and suggests cultivating a spirit of innovation, experimentation, and risk taking. At the very least, the author concludes, institutions must learn what keeps them from taking action, reflecting on the needs of learners, or extending across the institution the strategies that have been proven to work.

Abstract: A review of “Assessing Educational Outcomes,” by Peter T. Ewell, (ed.), New Directions for Institutional Research Issue Number 47, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 1985.