Another Voice

Add George P. Pernsteiner, chancellor of the Oregon University system, to the list of those saying we need to fundamentally rethink the business model of education (see the Chronicle of Higher Education article).  Pernsteiner's take is that deep change is impossible unless to faculty in higher education become engaged in helping redesign the business of teaching and learning.  The problem is not only that there are precious few incentives for faculty to engage, but that everything about the education and training of professors predisposes them to recreate the existing model.

So, how do we create the incentives--not coercions--necessary to get teachers from Pre-K to grad school to begin rethinking how they do what they do?  What tactics might we pursue to get past the business-as-usual mindset?  Having heads and boards at the table is great, but insufficient to make progress.