Educational Platform

Education Platform 1

Education Platform

Jessica Stewart

December 9, 2010

Oklahoma State University

Education Platform


Introduction

Education and leadership are both facing exciting times as creativity and innovation are

emerging as themes for future education and teaching. It is increasingly important to develop the

human capital in our university students today so they can succeed in their personal and

professional lives tomorrow. At the same time, educational institutions face scrutiny in the areas

of accountability, student retention and graduation rates, expense, and student performance.

These challenges are monumental while also causing frustration as educators navigate tedious

bureaucratic institutions. Despite this reality of higher education, I am prepared to face the

challenges with passion and motivation, realizing that change is imminent with time. Within this

education platform, I will discuss my views of education, as well as why I have chosen this

career path that is, at times, both inspiring and vexing.

Written platform

What is higher education?

Within a formal definition, higher education is the pursuit of furthering one’s education

to attain a broader knowledge base at a college or university. Higher education encompasses

more than just taking core and major-specific college courses; it is the “college experience” for

which students strive, and includes quality of college courses, quality of life in the town or city

in which the college is located, and benefits of the college, i.e. extracurricular activities, clubs

and organizations, and night life. I also believe that within an informal role, “higher education” is

any experience beyond high school in which a student learns skills. This experience can be

hands-on job experience, professional development experience, or even deep personal reflection.


The purpose of higher education

The perception of the purpose of higher education in the United States is seen as a means

to attain happiness. Studies tout college graduates make more money than those who do not

attend college, and the “American dream” illustrates a happy family in a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom

house with 2.3 children. My belief is that this perception is distorted. The purpose of higher

education should be to enlighten students, expose them to diverse situations, and build human

capital. While every educator should want success to be one of the end goals, college faculty and

staff should also be cognizant of other talents and abilities that contribute to the perceived

concept of success and happiness, including the discovery of passion (leading to intrinsic

motivation and initiative), creative problem solving, and independent thinking. Thus, I believe

the purpose of higher education is not to prepare students specifically for one career

specialization, but rather instill within students the skills and abilities necessary for them to find

their passion and be more aware of how to best use their skills to accomplish an end result.

Primary clients of higher education

The primary client of higher education seems to have made a shift from student to parent.

Those in the “Millennial” generation tend to have more influence from their parents about

college choice and parents seem to have an increasingly important role in paying for all college

expenses. The student expectation is to have an enjoyable college “experience.” This might

conflict with the parent expectation to provide education for their child and contribute to his or

her success. Donors and alumni are also clients in higher education as their contributions back to

their colleges are often earmarked for specific departments or programs. Their expectation of

higher education is to use their money efficiently and effectively to make a difference in student


lives. A final clientele group is the faculty who conduct research. Their expectation is that the

university will provide all necessary equipment and resources so that they are capable of

performing their research studies. These three clientele groups are important in that they operate

on a continuum. Without faculty, innovation and research could not be presented to students;

without students and parents, tuition dollars would not be available to continue education

operations; and without successful alumni, no contributions would exist to further research and

academic scholarship.

Instructional climate and roles of faculty and staff

The environment of the college classroom affects student learning. The instructional

environment in colleges and universities should consider physical, virtual, and social

environments. Classrooms should be equipped with appropriate technology to teach all

generations of students, as colleges tend to have diverse audiences (both socioeconomically and

demographically). Technology is an important aspect of education, and virtual classrooms should

be considered with the same importance as traditional classrooms in addition to being safe and

accessible. Instructors of such courses need to be aware of the differences in the traditional

classroom versus the virtual classroom and design curriculum and instruction accordingly to

meet their student’s needs. However, instruction should meet not only the students’ needs, but

also be considerate of standard knowledge that is imperative for student success. University

faculty should consider the changing learning processes to which younger generations are

accustomed, embrace passion and initiative in students, and provide a positive learning

environment. It is the role of the instructor to teach students not what to think, but how to think.

Thus, instructors should challenge students not only with fact-based knowledge, but also


encourage analysis of ideas and research. Ethical standards should be a priority to all who handle

student information. Every member of a university should consider how their actions and

behaviors represent their educational institution and consider how others view their personal

brand.

Beliefs and experiences

It is my belief that students who graduate from today’s public and private school systems

are not prepared to be the independent thinkers that are needed in many of today’s careers.

Unfortunately, the college graduates with whom I have had experiences have not exhibited this

important quality, either. While I believe every student can learn, I think traditional instructional

methods are insufficient to trigger creative and independent thinking in future generations. They

have the capability; they need leadership to activate their intrinsic motivators. Because of my

beliefs, I am pursuing a Master of Science in Educational Technology in an effort to gain

knowledge not only in teaching methods, but also in new approaches for education. Technology

is not viewed as a solution for education’s problems, but rather a tool to aid education and

improve learning environments.

Because of experiences I had as an undergraduate, I believe that it is the instructor who

can instill a passion for learning and make a subject interesting, or completely kill the learning

atmosphere. I was fortunate to experience a myriad of instructors during my undergraduate

career, some of which have become my mentors and friends. I have met the professor who is

determined to instill facts and figures into the student’s minds, while others have had more

flexibility in learning and focused more on thought development rather than remembering

statistics. It is the classes that focused on thought development that I remember most vividly and


they are the classes from which I retained information and aptitude. Thus, those experiences have

shaped the way I approach my workshop attendees or students when I have the opportunity to

teach.

Leadership

While leadership development is important, follower development should also be a

priority. Without followers, leaders do not exist, and followers must also have the skills

necessary to recognize when a strong idea is presented. I think this concept is increasingly

important in education, where an instructor must present ideas in a way that followers (primarily

students) will consider it something worthwhile and relevant. Curiosity gaps are especially useful

in education as well as the element of surprise to hold interest. Perhaps it is best put that to

cultivate creative followers and leaders, an educator must be a creative leader as well. Within my

own leadership construct, I use the leadership values of determination, authenticity, transparency

and balanced processing to guide my leadership decisions, ensuring that all sides are considered

and the best decision is made. I believe much of my leadership will be situational due to the

diversity of students, other faculty, and situations that occur within an academic system. This

system of leadership may be in conflict with the expectations of a university in that my

leadership approach may not embrace “doing what has always been done” or “research has

proven that this method is what should be used.” However, I believe that sometimes new

problems require new solutions, and what has always been done will not solve the issue.

External Influences of Higher Education

The external influence of higher education is the public at any public university, as well

as the administration and governing board (such as the Oklahoma Regents for Higher


Education). However, in the next century, global competition will become a larger factor in how

universities operate and what is deemed as important in academics and social education. Parents

and students are also influences, and the consumerism viewpoint of education may also play a

large part in how colleges evolve. Finally, for-profit education institutes, such as the University

of Phoenix, may have an influence in how traditional universities operate in the future. Finally,

technology is an external influence of higher education in the sense that virtual classrooms and

technological advances may change the method in how students attend a university as well as

how quickly they progress through curriculum and classes.

Preparation for a career in higher education

Although my Bachelor of Science degree is in agricultural communications, the

experiences and abilities I developed during my undergraduate coursework prepared me to be an

effective communicator and understand the importance of credibility and realizing my strengths

and passions. In my current role as a marketing coordinator for a youth development

organization, I have had the opportunity to present workshops on a variety of topics to not only

youth but adults as well. These experiences have only provided encouragement to me in that I

know my life accomplishments should include lifelong learning and sharing the knowledge I

learn. I have also attended professional development seminars in the areas of communication,

public relations, education, youth development and creativity.

Upon completing my Master of Science program, I plan to pursue my Doctoral degree in

Educational Leadership or Educational Studies-Curriculum Development.

The role of creativity in higher education


Creativity seems as though it would be commonplace in a university or research

institution. It is my view that creativity is still stripped from students as they navigate through

college coursework. Within many undergraduate lower-level courses, students are provided a

model of which they should follow for papers and assignments. This approach may make

grading easier for the instructor, but it also limits students to following exactly that model. When

students begin upper-division work, they lack the independent thinking and creative skills

necessary in completing assignments that provide no model. Worse yet is the recent graduate

who is unable to produce an assignment in his or her first professional career, where frequently,

no model is available. Thus, I believe creativity is a requirement in higher education for students

to be successful in their professional lives. We cannot continue to produce “cookie-cutter”

graduates.

Reflection

The significance of the situation I am in today seems surreal: I am in a master’s program

with intentions of going farther and completing a Ph.D. I am the daughter of a man who did not

attain a high school diploma and a woman who achieved an associate’s degree. If a study of my

family’s dysfunction had been conducted during my childhood, it would have concluded that I

was a high-risk child who would probably not attend college. I remember one of my first English

I class essays, titled, “Realizations of an Alternative Education,” in which I was unhappy with

the school I was attending and contemplated the idea of not going to college. I was sure I could

find something better to do at the time. I also remember a subsequent paper I wrote for another

class in which I mocked those who had a Master’s degree and how they seemed to hold it with

such great esteem. While it was intended as a humorous piece, I remember feeling some truth to


it as I typed scathing remarks about graduate degrees. However, in finding my passion and my

interests, I have realized that education is my destination. I remember this epic change occurred

during my senior year of college when I met two professors who became my mentors and gave

me opportunities to succeed, lead, and reflect. It is because of my experiences with Dr. Sitton

and Dr. Blackwell that I became inspired to pursue education as a career, a mindset, and a

lifestyle.

My ideas have not changed during the creation of my platform, but they have been

developing and evolving since the beginning of college. Many of my viewpoints have changed

during the past several months during my time in the Educational Leadership course. I become

uncertain on a daily basis whether a Ph.D. and teaching is what I should be pursuing. However,

with each discussion and assignment, my goals have become more concrete and I feel as though

education and research is where I “fit.” This platform will be interesting for me to review after I

have completed my Master’s and Ph.D. programs. Perhaps I will laugh at the naivety of my

youth and ignorance.


Personal Code of Leadership Ethics

In the area of educational technology, ethical issues involve not only knowing what is right

versus what is wrong, but also solving ethical dilemmas that may involve sustainability,

ergonomics, cyber-ethics, and determining technology’s real purpose in the classroom as a

learning tool. This personal code of leadership ethics will be my beginning guidelines for how I

will conduct myself, but because I continue to change and evolve, I expect my code of leadership

ethics will as well. I will review this document and revise it as necessary. I realize this code is

not all-inclusive, and that the future experiences I have may alter my code of ethics greatly.

1. I believe that education is knowing what to do when you don’t know. I will always seek

to know the unknown. I will be a life-long learner.

2. I will strive to respond to other’s requests appropriately, effectively, and efficiently.

3. I believe real creativity requires work, risk, and failure. I will encourage those three traits

in future colleagues and students.

4. I believe that surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you leads to

success. I will listen for brilliance in others.

5. I believe that by teaching others, you teach yourself. I will always rise to the challenge of

sharing my knowledge with anyone who wants to learn.

6. I believe change happens from conversations. I will not turn down the opportunity to

engage myself with others.

7. I believe technology spans farther than computers and Internet. I will encourage thinking

differently about issues, ideas, and concepts.


8. I will never intentionally humiliate a student or colleague in a classroom.

9. I will encourage creativity and different thinking, but I will not accept mediocre thinking

from my colleagues, my students, my friends, or myself.

10. I believe that through reflection, one can learn more about him or her than any course can

teach. I will always reflect on my decisions and encourage others to reflect as well.

11. I will teach educational technology as it should be taught, not for personal benefit or

based on personal bias.

12. I will bring the best technology to students, not just what I think is best for them, but also

technologies in which they show an interest.

13. I will always strive to produce the best decision, which may not always be considered the

“right” or “traditional” decision.

Educational Platform

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