You can’t help wonder whether the introduction of the book led to something like this:

You can’t help wonder whether the introduction of the book led to something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMPcsDQPAHo

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To innovate or not to innovate, that is the question

Eric Baber

Educational Technologist

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• What is innovation?

• What’s in a name?

• Of innovators and others

• What makes an innovation “fly”?

• Measures of success

• What to expect

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Overview

Could be...

• Completely new technology• New technology to a particular environment• Previously used technology in a particular environment, but new use of it• “old” activity but implemented differently• new activity

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What is innovation?

• Term “innovation” could be said to be meaningless: different people = different understanding of the term• Can help focus the discussion of a “new” tool/activity and whether to implement it

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What’s in a name?

Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 2003

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Of innovators and others

• Innovators• Early adopters• Early majority• Late majority• Laggards

Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 2003

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What makes an innovation “fly”?

• Relative advantage• Compatibility• Complexity• Trialability• Observability

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What makes an innovation “fly”?

Form of implementationtop-downinnovator-led

Institutional support

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Measures of success

• Numbers. (Of users, installations, words written, replies, uses….)• User satisfaction. Feedback from individual activities or larger-scale implementations• User motivation. More frequent participation…

cont...

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Measures of success (II)

• Achieved learning outcomes• Better results than previous learning/ teaching modes

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Example of an innovation

University of Strathclyde - Personal Response Systems

JISC Case Studies, http://tinyurl.com/2j6lag

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What to expect

• Potential chasm between (enthusiastic) innovator and (conservative/realistic) institution• The need to convince various stakeholders: instructors, students, management, for which facts will be imperative (some advice from the Dragon’s Den)

cont…

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What to expect (II)

• The need for a realistic roadplan• Realistic expectations!

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Roundup

To innovate or not to innovate?

Only if…• there are relative advantages• innovation is compatible• complexity is manageable• innovation is trialable• advantages are observable

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Thank you for joining!

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