University Innovation Hubs & Technology-Enhanced Learning in K12 Environments

Colleges and schools of education serve K12 educators very well in many areas and there are instructional design programs housed in traditional academic units that produce high-caliber scholars and researchers that impact our field. However, this article suggests that partnerships between university innovation hubs and K12 schools fill a gap of programming focused on developing practical skills related to digital transformation of learning environments. This article presents a case study of an innovation hub developing such programming. Anderson University (SC)‘s Center for Innovation and Digital Learning (CIDL) staff began offering external professional development offerings for K12 educators and leaders who were seeking to use design thinking and emerging technologies as the university had been doing with its own initiatives, such as its one-to-one program. Over time, these relationships led to the development of a uniquely structured professional master’s degree intentionally aligned to national K12 and post-secondary educational technology association standards as well as state online teacher endorsement criteria. The program is administered and taught by instructional design personnel in the CIDL, a university innovation hub outside of a traditional academic unit. The article offers insight into the development and alignment of external programming as well as specific insights from the learners, instructors, and the program leaders: (1) the importance of having practitioners as faculty in digital transformation programs; (2) the role of practitioner-faculty in professional community development; and (3) the organizational advantages and impact. Implications and further research opportunities around this type of programming will be identified as well.