Higher education has legendarily long decision-making cycles, which create a real tension for teachers and administrators who want to test curriculum ideas in new digital markets. Allison Dulin, Special Projects for the President at Davidson College, explains how the 177-year-old college has shifted its decision-making processes and used experimentation to face down the uncertainty that's rocking education markets.

1. Reinventing Decision Making at Established
Institutions
Allison Dulin Salisbury @amdulin

2. 177
“lives of leadership and service”

3. success is a barrier to change

4. why design higher education for innovation?

5. how do we remain relevant?

6. complexity requires lean startup methodology

7. the way we lead.
the way we invest resources.
the way we work together.
the way we measure impact.

8. the way we lead

9. sandbox approach

10. Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOCS)

11. Davidson
 ~15 per course
 $45,000/year
 young adults
 residential
 selective
MOOCs
 ~10,000 per course
 free
 any age
 anywhere
 anyone

12. sandbox approach
increase ability to conceptualize and drive
subsequent change

13. the way we invest resources

14. 85% operations
5% improvements
5% sustaining innovations
5% disruptive innovations

15. 85% (75%) operations
5% (5%) improvements
5% (10%) sustaining innovations
5% (10%) disruptive innovations

16. 10% shift from operational  innovation-oriented

17. the way we work together

18. hybrid, networked teams

19. the way we measure impact

20. pre-define hypotheses not outcomes

21. data-driven design

22. application of learning science

23. the way we lead.
the way we invest resources.
the way we work together.
the way we measure impact.

24. success is a barrier to change

25. innovation by design

26. Allison Dulin Salisbury
@amdulin
aldulin@davidson.edu