WEEK 12 - PRACTICUM WEEK - EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

“We hold the future in our hands, together, we must ensure that our grandchildren will not have to ask why we failed to do the right thing, and let them suffer the consequences.”

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 2007

Key Points

The 2 leadership challenges that I think will impact on my implementing online teaching and learning and having an impact on its future are:

      1.) Lack of Good Governance Practices

Mainly when the word good governance is used we think automatically about politics and corruption. But good governance can be applied to all institutions and as such to higher education as well. In higher education when I say good governance I mean how the education institution is managed and organised.  Is the organisation managed in a transparent manner to foster trust between the staff and management and staff and the students? Are the decisions made with collective participation from all members of the staff or do some have more power than others who make unilateral decisions?

This has direct relationship with the type of leadership that is fostered. Good governance also encompasses efficiency of processes and procedures in place. This has even more importance for online courses and whether the University is actively working towards integrating technology into the existing institutions and various departments strategy. Moreover it is important whether there is an accountability framework in place so funds go to strategic areas like improvement for infrastructure and staff capacity to support increasing number of students studying via the online mode.     

2.) Rigidity and Fear of Change

Our world is changing everyday and with the advent of technology this change is somehow even faster. Higher education institutions need to be flexible and be adaptable so it can remain relevant and effective to address societal needs and sustainable development. There needs to be a paradigm shift in thinking so that new things (like technology) are embraced and prioritised. Like Darwin said “its not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Resources

This paper discusses the impact of educational leadership in e-learning and the need for serious efforts on the part of leaders to engage in a meaningful way.
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1122/2150

This article highlights six ideas developed by Bernard Bull to help you hink differently about faculty perceptions of distance education by encouraging discussion and being mindful of individual ideas and viewpoints.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/distance-learning/a-better-way-to-talk-with-faculty-about-teaching-online/

An interesting article that suggests ways that teachers can adopt to integrate online learning in a sustainable manner.http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/brisbane05/blogs/proceedings/03_Applebee.pdf

 

Reflection

During this week I thought about what I and the administration can do embrace the potential of online learning.

The first thing would be to prioritise online learning and make this an integral objective of the institution and departments’ strategic plan. Once online learning is given formal recognition by the institution then implementation steps could be articulated. Sometimes it’s just rhetoric that online learning is important but there should be funding and flexible budgetary allocations to make sure that these objectives are achievable.

Administration should also make sure that it works with other institutions so together there can sharing of resources, a easily searchable repository of online courses for students to choose courses from  and a system in place so students can use the credits from the online courses to get cross credits at other universities without any hassle. This means that there will be fewer barriers for students to achieving their academic goals. Collaboration and integration is the key here.

As online teachers we must also reflect on our mindset and ‘be the change’ we want others to adopt so there is a paradigm shift as we embrace completely new tools of communication and lifelong learning for the next generation who can be engaged in learning anywhere anytime!

Lastly just wanted to share a picture that made me smile and feel proud....i hope it makes you feel the same.