Presentation at the ALA's Midwinter Symposium, discussing educational innovation and what it means for the future of higher education.

1. Harnessing NegotiatingInnovation
Rolin Moe, EdD
Assistant Professor
Director of Academic Innovation
Seattle Pacific University
@rmoejo

2. Innovation has been key to
many of humanity's greatest
successes and our curiosity
is therefore seen as one of
our most valuable qualities.
- Sir Richard Branson, How
Innovation Can Inspire the
World (2014)
Machinery by Charles Demuth (1920). Provided by
the Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)
The Wave of the Future

3. Tomorrow’s solution is
not merely better than
those we can conceive
of today, but it is outside
the bounds of
contestation. It has no
normative content; it
just works, and we’ll all
recognize that.
- Simon Waxman,
Against Innovation
(2012)
The Unicorn is Killed and Brought to the
Castle (1495-1505). Provided by the
Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)
Is ‘The Future’ a
Proper Indicator?

4. Defining Innovation
Innovation is considered a widely
understood term, but its historical
signification and present uses are
often contradictory and problematic.
Operational Innovation
(Political, Religious, Social,
Technological)
Aspirational Innovation
(New Product, New Process, New
Perspective)
Typical Innovation Usage
(Unmodified Hooray Concept)
Frankish Glass ‘Claw” Beaker (5th-6th Century) in
Germany. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public
Domain.

5. A (Remarkably) Brief History of Innovation

6. Innovation is a…
Product Process Mindset False Idol
Joseph Schumpeter,
Economist
Everett Rogers,
Sociologist
George Couros, Educator Thorstein Veblen,
Economist & Sociologist
The Theory of Economic
Development (1934)
Diffusion of Innovations
(1968)
The Innovator’s Mindset
(2016)
The Vested Interests and
the State of the
Industrial Arts (1919)
Introducing something
new to a population
Introducing a new way
for a population to do
things
A human-driven
framework for social
problems & institutional
challenges
Safeguards must be in
place, or the allure of
progress will circumvent
the population slated to
benefit
Moe, R. (2019). What is academic innovation? An historical look at an emergent phenomenon. In
K. Linder (ed) The Business of Innovating Online. New York: Stylus Press.

7. Measuring
Innovation
Enrico Moretti, The New
Economy of Jobs (2012)
Innovation Hubs:
Places with significant
patent requests
typically combine the
necessary education
level and population
density for both
dynamic and sustained
growth initiatives.
These spaces, through
technological and
social innovation, will
be the world’s engines
of prosperity.
For Magritte, from Femfolio (2006) by
Lauren Ewing. Provided by the
Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)

8. Innovation By-catch
Via Watkins (2016), a secondary
analysis of Tang’s (2014)
research on relationship of US
population growth shows the
greatest disparities between
total population growth and
minority population growth in
cities which fit Moretti’s label of
innovation hubs; innovation hubs
see significantly less minority
population growth than all other
fast-growing cities.
Kolympiris & Klein (2017) found
the presence of an innovation
incubator on a college campus
coincides with a decrease in the
quality of campus innovations.
The Human Condition (1933) by Rene Magritte. Provided by the Metropolitan Museum of
Art (CC0)

9. Innovation – A Non-concept and a Hurray Concept
Spectrum V (1969) by Ellsworth Kelly. Provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)
The major use of ethical judgments is not to indicate facts, but to create an
influence. Instead of merely describing people's interests, they change or intensify
them.
- C.L. Stevenson, Mind (1937)

10. Orienting Innovation
White Flag 1955 (1955) by Jasper Johns. Provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)

12. Conclusion
Alpha-Pi by Morris Louis (1960). Provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
(CC0)

13. Step 1 – Idea
What is the obstacle the innovation will address?
Ideas come from all stakeholders:
*Students
*Faculty
*Staff
*Administration
Step 2 – Incubation
Where is the best space to grow the innovation?
How can a unique process be cultivated amidst
day to day operations?
Three areas to house an academic innovation:
*Existing Process
*Sandbox
*New Apparatus
Innovative learning is, by design,
a broad definition, requiring
flexibility for buy-in and process.
An innovation can be small or
large, and each requires different
operational requirements. It
recognizes the local environment,
the distributed network of
stakeholders, and the campus
community. An academic
innovation is typically Essential,
Effective, & Efficient.

14. Step 3 – Development
What are the objectives of the innovation? Who and what
must work together to realize objectives?
*Set common goals and realistic timelines
*Ensure operational congruence
*Ensure buy-in and support from directly
and indirectly affected stakeholders
Step 4 – Implementation
What needs to happen so this innovation puts its best foot
forward, and the results can be properly measured?
*Support innovation with staffing and
needed funds
*Support innovators with assistance,
workflow necessities & shared vision

15. Step 5 - Assessment
What did agreed-upon measures indicate about the innovation?
What unintended outcomes shaped the project and the perceptions
of stakeholders?
Assessing an academic innovation must adhere to academic rigor
while continuing to embrace nimble thinking.
*Action Research (qual, quant, mixed methods &
the relationship of the innovator to the study)
*The indicators from initial development are a
starting point for discussion, not the entirety of the
schema.
“BioCORE has allowed me
to have a real relationship
with people going through
the same things…it is a
reminder that we have
people we can lean on and
work together with. I am
not the only person
struggling, and I am not
the only one who will
succeed.”
- First Year
BioCORE Scholar

16. Step 6 – Future Iterations
After the first iteration, what does the future hold for the innovation?
1) End of Service – decision that the innovation will
not significantly and/or practically address the
obstacle.
Wind up the project, supporting stakeholders through the
process.
2) Continued Testing – whether a sandbox or an
apparatus, make a decision to invest more time in
the research & development. Use design thinking to further
shape the process.
3) Production – Make a commitment to the innovation as an
operational process on campus.
How to do Production
*Build a coalition of new and existing
stakeholders around a rationale for the innovation.
*Develop an operational plan years 1-3: financing, staffing,
benchmarks, evidence metrics.
*Organize staffing – evidence of benefit for existing staff.
*Herald the innovation and its uses