My last full update on PROPEL, American College of Education’s innovation incubator, was in 2020 and included a summary of what PROPEL teams accomplished in 2019. As I work towards bringing you up to speed on current organizational change and innovation efforts at the College, let me start by sharing a summary of what PROPEL teams accomplished in 2020 as well as an update on the status of all 2019 innovations.
In 2020, three PROPEL teams designed and proposed innovations to improve how the College serves students and meets strategic goals. These teams included a total of 15 faculty and staff from across departments including academic affairs, enrollment, student services, HR, academic programs, and admissions. Together they explored initiatives by researching best practices, engaging stakeholders, gathering data, and synthesizing their ideas and findings to propose initiatives that would add value for students, employees, alumni, and more.
Check out what these teams have accomplished!
- ACE Course Test Drive – In 2019, this proposal was approved, and a mock course was developed and implemented that enables prospective students to experience an example of an online course before enrolling. Status: Operational
- Virtual Affinity Groups – In 2019, this proposal was approved, and in 2020, the ASK Network was launched to facilitate mentoring, collaboration, alumni-to-student support, relationship-building, and more. This launch began with alumni and is progressing to include students. Status: Operational
- Recognition of Military/Veterans/First Responders – In 2019, this proposal was approved, and the College began offering additional benefits for students who are part of the military and first responder community. Status: Operational
- Video Presentations Showcasing Doctoral Dissertation Research – In 2020, this proposal sought to provide doctoral students with an opportunity to showcase their dissertation research via a short video. Lack of evidence of demand resulted in this proposal not progressing. Status: Not Approved
- Dual Credit Offerings for High School Students – In 2021, this proposal sought to offer high school students dual credit courses through the College’s online offerings. Due to lack of alignment with the College’s mission and business model, this proposal did not progress. Status: Not Approved
- Open Dissertation Defenses – In 2020, this proposal was approved, and in 2021, the College implemented a process for doctoral students to open their dissertation defenses to audiences beyond their dissertation committee. Status: Operational
- Scholarships for HBCU Graduates – In 2020, this proposal was approved, and in April 2021, the College began accepting applications from HBCU graduates seeking to secure one of two full ride scholarships. Status: Operational
- Course Design Competition – This proposal is the first to be developed in 2021 and will be presented for consideration in August. Status: Proposal Pending
- Lifelong Learning/Career Coaches – This proposal is the second to be developed in 2021 and will be presented late this year. Status: Proposal Pending
Its important to remember that we don’t expect all ideas we prototype to be implemented. Vetting ideas and only developing those that clearly add value is part of the innovation process. The role PROPEL teams play in exploring and evaluating ideas for innovation is critical to the College’s ability to systematically and sustainably innovate.
PROPEL teams prototype the innovation and propose an approach to implementation, but they are not necessarily the same people who must follow through with implementation. Each team consults with the critical stakeholders connected to their innovation, but once approved, an implementation team is identified to put the idea into action. Reflecting on this part of the process, as well as data gathered over the prior two years of PROPEL, led to some significant changes in how we manage innovation. Stay tuned for more info about how this process has evolved in 2021 and what is on the horizon for 2022 and beyond!
