Harnessing Innovative Technology in Higher Education

Technology insinuated itself into higher education swiftly and permanently. Suddenly, the potential uses for the new technology seemed endless. Academic institutions responded quickly each trying to meet individual needs and creating varied uses. However, as the trend matured, institutions found that they were each reinventing systems that someone had already created and the cost of working this way was high. In response to these factors, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecodary Education (FIPSE) created a visionary grant program which encouraged creativity and collaboration. The funded projects were innovative and have had a tremendous impact on the distance learning. This book reports on some of those programs, along with an analysis and synthesis of what worked and why. Kathleen King and Susan Biro write in the conclusion: Innovative technology in higher education provides the opportunity to identify needs among our communities and learners, envision solutions, and identify the technology, resources, partnerships, and programs to make it happen. In the process, we learn that the pathway is not linear, and that as we are learning about technology along the way, we are also learning about our learners, our organizations, and ourselves. Working with innovative technologies to provide distance education in higher education is a dynamic and intensive process of envisioning, shaping, and discovering the future of teaching and learning and technology all at once. Readers will find though-provoking discussions and resources for harnessing the technology to do the work of the future.