Keywords

broader thinking; policy; educational technology; instructional design; leadership

Abstract

Universities and colleges are facing a variety of threats that impede traditional policy and decision-making. Institutional silos sometimes make collaboration and cohesion very difficult (Hanover Research, 2014, p. 20; Kelderman, 2016; Lederman, 2013). As institutions lose funding and political capital while struggling to collaborate, new policies and ways of thinking must be explored and implemented (Lederman, 2013). The goal of this article is to demonstrate that a policy of broader thinking is one method that can aid higher educational leaders in finding solutions; broader thinking is operationalized by finding ways to decrease wasteful spending by avoiding common pitfalls, using common principles to increase collaboration, and avoiding barriers to communication. This thinking can be applied to all aspects of institutions ranging from technology to teaching (Venkatraman, 2007; Merrill, 2012). Examples of broader thinking are already emerging in technology and instructional design and theory (Venkatraman, 2007; Merrill, 2012). Studying these successful examples can illustrate to leaders the usefulness and effectiveness of broader thinking policies.

Date Created

January 2018

https://works.bepress.com/daniel-eadens/7/download/

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