September 17, 2024
As a leading institution of higher education, one of our most impactful opportunities is to prepare students for fulfilling personal and professional lives. We pursue this goal daily through our curricula and pedagogy, in finding ways to connect disciplinary knowledge and practice with student interest and ambition.
It’s an ever-evolving process. As students, technologies, and the times change, our instruction and programs also must evolve, aligning with new needs and opportunities. With the vital leadership of our academic deans, chairs, and faculty, we are actively developing new programs and courses and refining existing ones, especially at the graduate and professional levels, to meet the current moment.
Interdisciplinary innovation
In some cases, curricular innovation leads in new directions – bringing together diverse content and strengths across traditional disciplines, as is happening at IUB today. Aligning faculty expertise, student interest, and existing and emerging career fields, these new programs promise innovative learning experiences for students, often at key curricular intersections.
Just last week, the Kelley School and the Jacobs School received final approval from the Indiana Commission on Higher Education on an exciting new joint degree program in music business.
Three other new degree programs that we're excited about also received the go-ahead from the Board of Trustees last week and will now move to the state for final approval: Master of Design Leadership in the Eskenazi School, Master of Public Policy in O’Neill, and Master of Science in education in evidence-based practices in educational psychology in the School of Education.
Further new collaborations are popping up everywhere: Kelley and The Media School working on creative media strategy and leadership; Kelley and the Luddy School exploring how business and informatics intersect; The Media School and HLS looking at global media.
Our Accelerated Master's Programs (AMP IU) also continue to grow, now with more than 2,000 available pathways and more in development, and we're also looking into how online programs can expand our reach and provide new opportunities for students.
Curricular innovations like these are really the best of both worlds for students – allowing them to see today’s challenges from multiple critical perspectives, build a unique skill set that distinguishes them from their peers, and enjoy wide opportunities for practice.
Real-world relevance
While we're excited about our new programs, we also need to keep our existing offerings fresh and relevant.
Through initiatives like our Crimson Course transformation, which is helping faculty rethink the design of some historically difficult gateway courses, IUB instructors are embracing interactive teaching methods, integrating cutting-edge technology, and exploring new strategies to make learning both engaging and effective. I am grateful to colleagues in the College, including in mathematics and chemistry; Kelley; the Luddy School; and others who are taking concrete steps to help students be more successful.
We are fortunate to have outstanding resources at IU to support these efforts, including the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, the Graduate School, UITS Learning and Technology Services, and others.
As we move forward, I encourage you to tap fully into these resources and collaborate with your colleagues to continue to make your courses as relevant, accessible, and valuable as possible for today’s learners. While there is always some creative discomfort in refreshing a well-familiar course or content, the benefits to students can be immense. By ensuring that our curriculum and pedagogy meet the needs of today's students and tomorrow's leaders, our students will change the world in even more spectacular ways.
Thank you for your continued commitment and enthusiasm to teaching and learning. Together let's embrace this opportunity to make the future of education at IU Bloomington even more meaningful.
