While the focus on student learning has come to the forefront of institutional planning, there has been very little discussion of the magnitude of this proposed systemic change. Instead the focus has been on classroom pedagogy with most of the effort and literature on the learner-centered paradigm and the scholarship of teaching focused on strategies for faculty. And although incremental change has occurred, the larger, systemic change that defines a paradigm shift has not. The first four chapters that constitute Part I are about systemic change.
Lee Shulman, president of the Carnegie Foundation, noted how change occurs through critical reinterpretation: “Scholars develop powerful skeptical and critical capacities to reexamine old truths using the lenses of new conceptual frameworks” (Shulman, 2008, p. 7). A reinterpretation of old truths using a new lens is what we offer in Part I. While others have documented the market influences affecting higher education, the shortfalls of the current system, and the impact of demographic changes and offered solutions for various facets of this multifaceted challenge, we offer a systemic and sustainable solution by examining our core values in relation to the current paradigm and extend a framework for moving to a new paradigm. The focus in Part I is on the role of leadership in bringing about a transformation to a new paradigm.
Transformative experiences trigger new ways of perceiving and defining one’s world. Often these experiences are life changes, for example, becoming a parent. Such a transformational experience leads individuals to redefine their roles and their purpose. The birth of a child often leads new parents to reevaluate their priorities, to become intentional about their choices, to examine their fundamental beliefs. Simply put, “When people critically examine their habitual expectations, revise them, and act on the revised point of view, transformative learning occurs. Transformative learning leads to perspectives that are more inclusive, discriminating and integrative of experience” (Cranton, 2006, p. 19). The process that we outline in the first part of this book is based upon transformative change, specifically examining our habitual practices in light of the instructional paradigm and critically examining them through the lens of the learner-centered paradigm in order to gain a new perspective.
Lee Shulman, president of the Carnegie Foundation, noted how change occurs through critical reinterpretation: “Scholars develop powerful skeptical and critical capacities to reexamine old truths using the lenses of new conceptual frameworks” (Shulman, 2008, p. 7). A reinterpretation of old truths using a new lens is what we offer in Part I. While others have documented the market influences affecting higher education, the shortfalls of the current system, and the impact of demographic changes and offered solutions for various facets of this multifaceted challenge, we offer a systemic and sustainable solution by examining our core values in relation to the current paradigm and extend a framework for moving to a new paradigm. The focus in Part I is on the role of leadership in bringing about a transformation to a new paradigm.
Transformative experiences trigger new ways of perceiving and defining one’s world. Often these experiences are life changes, for example, becoming a parent. Such a transformational experience leads individuals to redefine their roles and their purpose. The birth of a child often leads new parents to reevaluate their priorities, to become intentional about their choices, to examine their fundamental beliefs. Simply put, “When people critically examine their habitual expectations, revise them, and act on the revised point of view, transformative learning occurs. Transformative learning leads to perspectives that are more inclusive, discriminating and integrative of experience” (Cranton, 2006, p. 19). The process that we outline in the first part of this book is based upon transformative change, specifically examining our habitual practices in light of the instructional paradigm and critically examining them through the lens of the learner-centered paradigm in order to gain a new perspective.
