Radical changes to our environment are creating opportunities to reimagine higher education and Kent State’s role in serving the needs of our communities. A generation of students has just lived through a profoundly disrupted learning experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have the human resources, talent, and capability to help navigate these changes. Academic Affairs now must build upon this strong foundation with the objective to develop the agile structures and processes that create a flexible, robust, and inclusive learning ecosystem which recognizes the different ways in which our students learn. The notion of “ecosystem” includes traditional classroom-based learning and recognizes the value and importance of educational experiences that take place outside the classroom. The larger ecosystem acknowledges the role of living, working and other informal learning settings, guided by instructors and staff, peers, parents, alumni, employers, and businesses and institutions that partner with Kent State University, in enhancing our students’ learning experiences.
Strategies
- Center the learner experience around the development and demonstration of creative and critical thinking, information literacy, skillful communication, and collaboration.
- Recognize and promote innovative teaching methods and strategies that create collaborative learning spaces where freedom of expression and diverse views are honored.