5 ways to become an innovator in higher education

Being an innovator in higher education is often equated with being a disruptor. For some, disruptions to the norm are welcome developments, but others associate disruption with disturbance, destruction or even devastation. Innovation in higher education can therefore be contradictory: demanded as a path to excellence but with dissolution of norms strongly rejected at the same time. Being an innovator in the sector can mean navigating a host of unwritten rules.

Here are five ways to innovate and make a difference:

1. Offer solutions, not more problems

Working in higher education, we often identify problems and issues. We can see how admissions processes work, or not; we have concerns about how we assess our students; we worry about our research participants in conventional projects; we are troubled by the discrepancy of pay or support given to particular groups of people. The list is endless.

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Being an innovator, however, does not mean simply identifying the problem, the need or the gap; it means finding a solution and presenting that solution to line managers and members of the leadership team. To drive meaningful change, we have to be sympathetic and active listeners, and engage with all stakeholders involved: colleagues, peers, senior leaders, business and enterprise members, professional services staff, students – literally everyone who has experience of what is at stake. When we are open and truly listening to differing views, the solution to a problem often presents itself.

Let’s go back to the assessment example: industry and business leaders need graduates who can work independently on projects; the university needs to ensure equity and assure quality of courses and degrees; and some students don’t best present their work in written form. So, the solution then is to create an assessment method that will enable students to undertake project work that they present orally or as a recording.

2. Listen to criticism with an open mind

Sharing your solution to a problem often results in a barrage of unsolicited advice, unhelpful comments and reasons why the fix won’t work. At this stage, it is important to recognise how change may cause anxiety in others. For example, the shift to more student-focused learning may result in fears of losing control in the classroom; a change in assessment structures may lead to concerns about dumbing down the curriculum; or developing new processes for recruitment may lead administrative staff to worry about losing their jobs.

The less-than-helpful comments and critiques may not be directed at the innovator as such. Being an innovator here means considering the situation from others’ points of view, accepting the criticism, dealing with fallout and being vulnerable but also able to empathise.

This links back to the innovator’s role as an active and sympathetic listener. Active listening requires that full attention be paid to what is said and that the listener reflect on this information in order to act on it. It’s a skill that needs to be trained and practised.

3. Be prepared to explain your changes in different ways

Humans are emotional beings, but we are also rational. If we receive a solid justification and an explanation of what to expect, why and how, we will generally be more open to changes. Yes, as creatures of habit, we don’t particularly embrace change, but we are not opposed to making things better, easier, faster or less onerous. Any innovation therefore has to be explained and justified in such terms. And a solution offered to leadership will require a different kind of explanation from the one given to students or to colleagues.

Let me return to the assessment example. Convincing a university validation panel to value a recorded presentation of a project may require an explanation of how the experience ties in with employability skills and how the oral (instead of written) component levels the playing field for students for whom writing represents a difficult way of working because of disabilities or neurodivergence. Students, by contrast, will need to hear about the opportunities a recording affords in terms of managing their time, developing their research skills or enhancing their independence. The communication is not so much about changing the language as it is about responding to the information garnered from the active listening activities.

4. Lead by example: do as you say and be prepared to fail

In my view, the most important steps in being an innovator are personal investment and leadership by example. We should never ask of others what we would not do ourselves. Therefore, the best way to demonstrate good leadership and be a good innovator is to try things out first. If you asked me if I identified as an “innovator”, I’d probably say no, but I definitely do everything myself first. If we feel that a plan or solution does not work for us, we cannot expect others to accept it, either. However, if we feel this first plan or solution does work, then we need to try it out with trusted colleagues and student representatives before we offer it to senior leaders and line managers.

The major advantage of trialling new approaches myself first is that I can empathise more strongly with individuals involved or affected. Rather than having theoretical expertise, I gain practical, embodied knowledge of successes and failures.

Through modelling this “walk the walk” approach, I also model good practices around failure, which I reiterate as an acronym, FAIL (first attempt in learning).

5. Be willing to rethink

The final step is to listen and learn. Sometimes, what we consider a good solution turns out to be detrimental to others. Good and sustainable innovations, in particular, are those that genuinely bring about change for the better for the vast majority of people affected. Innovations that come to nothing are usually those that have not been thought through carefully enough. This is just a FAIL.

One last word on innovations and being an innovator. When we think about innovations and innovators, we often picture groundbreaking change worthy of Pulitzer or Nobel prizes. Yet, most innovations in higher education are much more modest. That does not mean that they are not important, or that we should not bother with them. Any innovation that brings some change for the better is worthwhile and should be pursued. And, who knows? Maybe it will lead to much more than we had anticipated.

Nicole Brown is an associate professor at UCL and director of Social Research & Practice and Education Ltd.

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