July 7, 2025

Innovation: Beyond the Buzzwords

When you hear the word “innovation,” what comes to mind? Given the headlines there is a good chance it is something related to AI. But in higher education, understanding innovation requires looking beyond the headlines to understand its broader, more nuanced meaning and its crucial role in our work.

At its core, innovation is the application of a new, or improved idea, process, or technology in a way that creates value. The two key concepts here are something being done that is different and adding value. The something “new” or “different” doesn’t have to be a radical new invention like AI. It can be an incremental improvement, a novel application of existing ideas, or a fresh approach to a challenge. The key is that innovation moves a person or an institution beyond established norms to achieve a better outcome.

In higher education, this idea of innovation has many dimensions. Of course, creating a way to use AI to reduce faculty workload is an innovation. So is creating new kinds of learning approaches that make it possible for students to use AI in ways that help them learn. Innovation might be creating an “AI proof assignment” one that would ensure that students wouldn’t be able to make use of AI to produce the intended result. It might mean designing a curriculum that creates better connections to real-world applications or developing teaching methods that increase student engagement and learning. Innovation might involve creating new student support services that proactively address evolving needs or finding more effective ways to manage college operations. For faculty, applying this broad definition to a course, innovation often means seeking out better ways to design courses, motivate students, provide effective feedback, or personalize learning.

Thinking about innovation in this broader way could help you to refine existing practices or experiment with entirely new ones, always with the goal of adding value to the student experience.

The Center for Innovation would like to be your partner in this process. Follow this blog for ideas and information. Please contact us if you would like us to help you with something innovative!