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This conversation is with the authors of the chapter “The Post-Pandemic University: Critical Questions for Infrastructure, Practice and Culture” in our new co-edited book, Recentering Learning: Complexity, Resilience and Adaptability in Higher Education (JHU Press, 2024). The book (in paper and ebook form) is available for order from JHU Press and Amazon.
Kathryn E. Linder is the interim vice chancellor for strategic enrollment and student success and associate vice chancellor for academic innovation and strategy at the University of Colorado at Denver. Constancio Nakuma is the provost and executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the University of Colorado at Denver. Monique L. Snowden is the interim associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
Q: What main themes of your chapter would you like readers to take away and bring back to their institutions and organizations?
A: Organizational change in higher education is both complex and ongoing. Colleges and universities face challenges at every level—individual, departmental and institutional—that require adaptive solutions. Effective change involves recognizing opportunities across these levels and aligning them to create a ripple effect that improves infrastructure, practices and culture.
To make this possible, institutions must build the capacity of individuals and teams to identify and act on the right opportunities for change. Inclusion and diverse perspectives are key drivers of this process.
Q: What are potential opportunities and levers to recenter learning in research-intensive colleges and universities?
A: Research-intensive universities are not monolithic, and they vary widely in how central research is to their mission and how they balance it with a focus on student learning. These institutions have a unique opportunity to redefine the relationship between research and education, treating them not as separate priorities but as interconnected strengths.
By reconsidering the boundaries between research and learning, institutions can create new ways to fulfill their missions. This is especially important for public land-grant universities, which have a responsibility to serve society by integrating research and education in ways that directly benefit their communities.
Q: How might the rapid evolution of generative AI impact the work of recentering learning?
A: While we have seen other technologies evolve the higher education landscape in the past, it certainly seems like generative AI is reshaping the educational landscape faster than we’ve seen with most other innovations.
Unlike gradual changes, this technology brings rapid and ongoing shifts in how students learn and how we teach. With generative AI, traditional limits on learning—like time, place and access to resources—are less restrictive, creating new possibilities. To navigate this complexity, educational developers will need to become the “astronauts” of learning missions and exploration—skilled in leading and supporting curricular complexity, resilience and adaptability.