a collaboratory to support interdisciplinary projects

A Collaboratory to Support Interdisciplinary ProjectsRobin BurkeGreg ScottMess HallMay 19, 2014

Outline Innovation task force Obstacles to innovation A proposal

Innovation Task Force Charged with proposing mechanisms for

enhancing academic innovation at DePaul

Two main areas Curriculum Delivery

The Role of Faculty

Tenure-Track Faculty Essential, but Expensive Long-term investment Profitability depends on “filling the seats” Passive Depreciates over time Fungible Consumer of institutional

resources

Alternative Metaphor

Tenure-Track Faculty Essential, but Expensive Long-term investment Source of energy Fuels the institution

Key findings I DePaul is relatively nimble

much easier for us to introduce new, high-quality programs

new programs tend to grow both students and revenue

But the process is unfocused, “hero-driven” support for new programs is lacking

marketing is a weak spot

Key findings II Cross-disciplinary collaboration is

particularly hard Many structural disincentives

college-centered metrics majors, FTEs, etc.

college-centered resource allocation budget, faculty lines, space, etc.

But the future is interdisciplinary

Deans’ concept AVP for Innovation

external market research: what are the needs?

internal capabilities: what can we do?

resources funding to the deans to launch and market programs

Top-down process administrators are visionaries faculty are implementers

Not interdisciplinary

An Alternative View Support faculty collaboration esp. across

disciplines Attack structural obstacles directly Let innovation arise from creative

interchange

CIRSCI Collaboratory for Interdisciplinary

Research, Scholarship and Curricular Innovation

Support faculty (esp. across colleges) to work jointly on research and curriculum projects

Email me rburke@cs.depaul.edu for a copy of the proposal

Four strategies Relax the rules

make it possible to experiment Make time

lower the cost of innovation Make space

need to be together to work together Don’t break what’s working

federate existing interdisciplinary centers

Fiscal Reality Difficult to get resources in the current

climate But innovation doesn’t come for free

Signs of progress Faculty Council Resolution on Collaboration

Approved by Faculty Council March 5 Approved by the Provost March 24

Main points QIC / URC set-asides for cross-college projects University-wide programs (Liberal studies, Honors and

Study Abroad) should support collaborative courses Faculty Council will work the Academic Affairs:

a number of potential initiatives including: “exploring ways to create free-standing units at the

university level (rather than in a particular college) to house collaborative work”

Discussion Let’s talk about collaboration

what do we need? how do we get there?

Resolution Approved by Faculty Council March 5 Endorsed by the Provost March 24