The business of higher education has been turned on its head. Still coping with the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, university and college leadership are being forced to reinvent how their institutions function going forward. Everything has to be examined including course curriculum, recruitment and enrollment strategies, technology implementation and training, and strategic partnerships with other institutions and associations.
Fierce Education is highlighting those higher education leaders that are rethinking their business models so we can spotlight their vision and help others through these challenging times.
Fierce Education Leader:
Dr. Samantha Clifford, Assistant Dean, NAU Online; Assistant Clinical Professor, Applied Human Behavior
Affiliation:
Northern Arizona University
Being a Fierce Education Leader:
Dr. Samantha Clifford, Assistant Dean, NAU Online and Assistant Clinical Professor, Applied Human Behavior at Northern Arizona University spearheaded, designed and cofacilitated the training for the institution in NAUFlex, which was the synchronous hybrid model for teaching and learning that it adopted during COVID-19. NAUFlex is similar to HyFlex but with a synchronous platform.
The trainings were offered though out last Summer and Fall, and was highly attended. NAU had very positive feedback from faculty and students and provided support throughout the year. NAU is looking to conduct a survey in the Fall to ascertain what aspects of the NAUFlex learning environment faculty and students would like to retain such as recorded mini lectures, accessible materials, options for assignments and assessments etc.
“We are leading innovation through micro credentials in professional development for faculty and credentials for students,” Dr. Clifford said. “We also moved to NAUFlex during the pandemic and will continue to offer statewide sites the option of hybrid learning. Our unit comprises instructional designers, continuing education, online learning, competency based learning and educational and business partnerships.”
Under Dr. Clifford’s leadership, NAU deployed policies and processes across departments for the move to NAUFlex and it is likely that its Statewide sites will continue using the NAUFlex model to increase accessibility for students.
Because the retention of students is very dependent on communication, NAU offered several training sessions and workshops on increasing engagement, mental health issues, and communication to improve student persistence. As a result, it created a micro credential series on effective online teaching that will launch this fall. NAU has launched a foundation series that includes- Getting Started- teaching online, Best Practices, and building in the LMS. Its intermediate series “Current Trends in Engagement Strategies series-Intermediate Micro Credential” includes: Fundamentals in Leveraging Google Workspace for Education & Microsoft 365; MS Teams for Student Engagement; Collaboration for Learning in Online Environments: An Experiential Workshop and a workshop in Alternative Assessments.
Its unit also includes the Instructional Design Team, Continuing Education, Educational Partnerships, Personalized Learning and Statewide and Online Education. Dr. Clifford’s role is to coordinate among the units to expand opportunities for students.
She has also authored several articles and a book chapter on engagement strategies for students, which was and is imperative especially in light of COVID-19.
For more Fierce Education Leaders, see:
Fierce Education Leader: Dr. Joe Sallustio, Claremont Lincoln University
Also, to register for Fierce Education's "Higher Education Business & Leadership: Summer Edition" click here