Culture – NSpire

NSpire - Ideas for Innovation

May 14, 2019 | In Classroom, Culture, Departmental / Program, Division, Individual, Institutional, Resources, Uncategorized

Leveraging Existing Areas of Innovation

For a couple of decades, the Honors Program languished as an underfunded afterthought to Northwestern’s academic mission, despite the yeoman work of several past faculty directors. In Spring 2016, this changed when the faculty unanimously passed a major overhaul to the honors curriculum. Among the numerous changes, two aspects of this overhaul were significant: […]

May 14, 2019 | In Culture, Higher Ed, Individual, Institutional, Resources

Reducing Time Constraints

In the survey that the Lab conducted at the beginning of this semester, we asked faculty to rate on a scale of 0-100 the most significant obstacles to innovation at NWC. The runaway winner was “lack of time”: 59% of respondents rated it in the 80-100 range, while only 3% rated it at 40 or below […]

May 14, 2019 | In Culture, Departmental / Program, Division, Higher Ed, Institutional, Resources

Break Down Departmental Silos

When one thinks of silos, the image is of a large cement structure; however, today’s silos are more of an image of grain bins connected by towers and catwalks between a cluster of bins. Perhaps a better way to think of this recommendation is not that we need to break down the silos, but instead […]

April 11, 2019 | In Classroom, Culture, Higher Ed, Institutional, Teaching, Uncategorized

Athletes to Scholars

A primary example of how we have let old habits dictate our actions in a new era is athletics. In the past 15 years, athletics have become one of the most significant draws for prospective students; in a recent survey of prospective students, athletic opportunities drew the largest percent of male applicants of all possible […]

April 11, 2019 | In Culture, Institutional, Policy, Uncategorized

Faculty Evaluation

Faculty evaluation can be an essential part of nurturing and building effective innovation into the culture and fabric of Northwestern College, but to do so well the faculty evaluation process should be reconceived and revised. Currently the criteria for successful evaluations are available to faculty in the faculty handbook, but we do not have […]

April 11, 2019 | In Culture, Individual, Resources, Uncategorized

Faculty Learning Communities

Most faculty have little training in pedagogy, and yet teaching well is the central expectation for faculty at Northwestern. Almost all faculty here spend the majority of their time on this task, and yet teaching is one of the most solitary activities in which most faculty engage. Faculty rarely share syllabi, assignments, assessments, or […]

April 10, 2019 | In Classroom, Culture, Departmental / Program, Higher Ed, Institutional, Resources, Teaching

Increased External Learning for All Programs

NWC must continue to establish strong, enduring, and multifaceted relationships with regional businesses and organizations. These relationships can take many forms such as responding to a local educational or research need; collaborating to reinvigorate civic culture; partnering to create mutually beneficial programs; and developing experiential learning opportunities. Increasing these relationships will enhance students’ educational experience and offer needed assistance to […]

April 10, 2019 | In Culture, Higher Ed, Institutional, Policy, Resources

Creative Student “Work” Exchange

Students are seeking a lower cost option for college and parents are facing “sticker-shock” for higher education in private colleges. Higher education is facing more enrollment challenges due to costs, but if those costs could be lowered through a work exchange program then more students would be able to financially afford NWC. Furthermore, research has found […]

April 9, 2019 | In Classroom, Culture, Departmental / Program, Division, Resources, Teaching

Problem and Experience Based Learning

It was less than 25 years ago that the shift in emphasis from teaching to learning was dubbed “a new paradigm” for higher education by Barr and Tagg in Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning. Yet the paradigm shift did not merely codify a new normal. Instead, learning-centered models have served as fertile ground in the development […]

April 9, 2019 | In Culture, Institutional, Resources

Core Marketability

As noted by NWC’s Strategic Planning Committee, based on a report from The Art & Science Group LLC, the value proposition associated with the term liberal arts has decreased among prospective students. This perception follows students into their collegiate experience; many students see general education courses as a “pointless” nuisance they must endure. However, general education […]