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Rethinking the university: a case study

Rethinking the university: a case study This study aims to describe and illuminate the ways in which Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) – an urban, undergraduate institution with a strong focus on teaching, learning and related research and scholarship, and a substantial international student population – adapted to pandemic conditions in 2020 in an effort to meet community and pedagogical priorities, institutional/legal responsibilities and strategic goals.Design/methodology/approachThree institutional leaders at KPU draw together their respective insights and experiences, reflecting on how governance, pedagogy and operations were impacted by COVID-19.FindingsAfter two years of continuous operation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the strong support of its learners and the faculty, KPU has undergone significant pedagogical and technological shifts to become a multi-modal university for study, teaching and administration.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a “practitioner paper” with a practical focus on institutional leadership and adaptation in a period of rapid adjustment. It is more of an accounting and reflection piece than a critical analysis.Practical implicationsIt offers post-secondary leaders’ insights into ways in which institutional values and community needs inform policy-making, operations and innovation in education.Social implicationsKPU’s domestic and international student constituencies are complex and required unconventional post-secondary strategies regarding faculty autonomy and growth, de-colonization and inclusion.Originality/valueKPU has a distinctive mandate in British Columbia and its commitment to experiential learning – typically associated with hands-on education – presented unusual challenges for delivery. While research-and-teaching universities were tested by COVID-19, their tests were largely alike. KPU’s experience illustrates what practical- and teaching-focused institutions confronted. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png On the Horizon Emerald Publishing

Rethinking the university: a case study

Davis, Alan R.; Jhangiani, Rajiv; Purvey, Diane
On the Horizon , Volume 31 (1): 13 – Feb 2, 2023
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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
1074-8121
eISSN
1074-8121
DOI
10.1108/oth-08-2022-0044
Publisher site
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Abstract

This study aims to describe and illuminate the ways in which Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) – an urban, undergraduate institution with a strong focus on teaching, learning and related research and scholarship, and a substantial international student population – adapted to pandemic conditions in 2020 in an effort to meet community and pedagogical priorities, institutional/legal responsibilities and strategic goals.Design/methodology/approachThree institutional leaders at KPU draw together their respective insights and experiences, reflecting on how governance, pedagogy and operations were impacted by COVID-19.FindingsAfter two years of continuous operation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the strong support of its learners and the faculty, KPU has undergone significant pedagogical and technological shifts to become a multi-modal university for study, teaching and administration.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a “practitioner paper” with a practical focus on institutional leadership and adaptation in a period of rapid adjustment. It is more of an accounting and reflection piece than a critical analysis.Practical implicationsIt offers post-secondary leaders’ insights into ways in which institutional values and community needs inform policy-making, operations and innovation in education.Social implicationsKPU’s domestic and international student constituencies are complex and required unconventional post-secondary strategies regarding faculty autonomy and growth, de-colonization and inclusion.Originality/valueKPU has a distinctive mandate in British Columbia and its commitment to experiential learning – typically associated with hands-on education – presented unusual challenges for delivery. While research-and-teaching universities were tested by COVID-19, their tests were largely alike. KPU’s experience illustrates what practical- and teaching-focused institutions confronted.

Journal

On the Horizon – Emerald Publishing

Published: Feb 2, 2023

Keywords: Teaching; Innovation; Inclusion; Leadership; Open

References

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    Gedak, L.; Waddington, L.
  • BCPHO, to post-secondary institution presidents
    Henry, B.
  • Wireless availability
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    Moman, S.
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    Rashid, T.; Di Genova, L.
  • Who comes first in the ‘new normal’ of pandemic pedagogy? The teacher or the learner?
    Sudlow, G.