Dive Brief:
- Colleges of all types and sizes are building innovation centers to attract new students and faculty and better serve current ones, but in the rush to join the trend, there are key tips to keep in mind.
- Campus Technology reports it is important to keep the goal in mind — whether it be an innovation center, makerspace, accelerator, or incubator — and have a long-term plan that includes strategic leadership, not just a space and funding to turn it into something new.
- Investing in new spaces sends a message about an institution’s commitment to innovation, and it has the ability to break down silos between departments and respond to student demand — researching case studies of how these centers worked on similar campuses is a good place to start the planning.
Dive Insight:
Educators are so often criticized for moving too slowly, but in some ways, institutions have moved too quickly with new technology. In the K-12 realm, this has been more obvious as districts spend millions on 1:1 device programs, giving every student an iPad or a Chromebook and putting SMART technology in every classroom.
Colleges run the risk of going down the same path by building too soon. Collaborative classrooms help engage students and let them work in groups, mimicking workplace projects, but if faculty don’t know how to use them to their full potential, the space is wasted. Innovation spaces, if built and stocked with the best technology but not run or located well, could fall flat.