Getting Started with Educational Innovation


In this live 1-1.5 hour long webinar led by higher education leadership development & education innovator Darin Eich, Ph.D., we will guide you through three modules to help you become a more effective educational innovator. We will demystify innovation and walk you through a simple step-by-step innovation system that helps you to generate, develop, and launch innovative ideas. You can harness the innovation skills within you and others to begin working on a challenge that will help you and your organization advance to the next level. Refine your own challenge in this program to develop ideas ready to launch that can be anything from student learning and development enhancements, new high-impact programs, new sources of revenue, ways to do more with less at the institution, or organizational culture enhancement. You can get started with designing the innovations that are most needed by your department and in your role.

  • Just like the University of Wisconsin initiative, Educational Innovations could include course, curricular and co-curricular reforms; departmental restructuring; the establishment of new revenue-generating programs; and overhauling outdated academic structures.

Responding To Change Through Innovation

Module 1: Responding To Change Through Innovation: The Step-by-Step Process

The video below exemplifies the method, system, and stages – with corresponding activities – that you’ll use in Program Innovation. Module 1 teaches the innovation process so that participants can successfully develop new ideas and work on a challenge important to them. We identify areas for innovation, learn the process and system, and discuss how to best innovate within your organization. Throughout the duration of the program, I show you a real project I’m working on (helping an institution learn and do innovation), results for each activity every step of the way, and the ideas I’m developing that you can use too.

In this first module, you will learn that change is constant. The more you are aware of change and prepared to respond to it, the greater the impact you will have. Innovation is the vehicle we can drive to respond to change to create a more positive impact.

Activity – You will:

Create an Innovation Vision.
Be guided through beginning a simple step-by-step innovation system.

Product – You will create & develop:

A positive image of the future for your organization.
Formal steps to take your organization from challenge to innovation.
A YouTube highlight video storyboard for your successful innovation future.

Outcome – You will learn how to:

Adapt an innovation system to use in your work.
Understand that change is constant, requiring continuous response.
Recognize the need to respond to all change: good, bad, or neutral.
Use innovation as a motivator.


Innovation Skills: From Vision To Processes

Module 2: Innovation Skills: From Vision To Processes

In this second module, you will learn how to move from visualization to using the innovation process, identifying challenges to your vision. Recognizing that there is not always one correct answer or process to address a challenge, you will learn key innovation skills to get started.

Activity – You will:

Think critically about challenges that must be addressed.
Break down your challenge into parts by deconstructing it.
Reconstruct your challenge.

Product – You will create & develop:

A list of potential challenges you can work on.
Challenge building blocks.
A reconstructed challenge that presents opportunity to innovate.
Outcome – You will learn how to:

Identify challenges to your work that are opportunities for innovation.
Zero-in on innovation skills in others that you can develop and harness.
Recognize the five constructs of the Innovator’s DNA.
Appreciate the importance of hands-on experience for long-term learning.

Your Innovation Challenge


Module 3: Your Innovation Challenge: Deconstruct and reconstruct it into an innovation opportunity

In this third module, you will learn how to take your deconstructed challenge to the next level by aligning it with your strengths, interests, and values.

Activity – You will:

Structure your challenge to match your strengths, interests, and values.
Define what makes a challenge worth pursuing.
Learn about the specific pieces of your challenge.

Product – You will create & develop:

The “Three Why” list for your challenge.
A tree metaphor for your challenge – including a trunk, branches, and roots.
A Mind Map of your challenge.
Outcome – You will learn how to:

Identify a challenge that matters, where success is possible.
Identify and network with people in your organization that can help you address your challenge.
Break down and branch out your challenge into its many components.

More Program Innovation Workshop Modules can be done to keep moving step-by-step along the system to design innovations. They include:

Workshop 4: Innovation Questions for Idea Capture
Workshop 5: Structured Ideation
Workshop 6: Innovative Idea Generation
Workshop 7: Idea Analysis & Synthesis
Workshop 8: Concept Development
Workshop 9: Test and Select
Workshop 10: Communicate and Advance

Questions or ready to start innovating by design and developing your ideas? Email Darin (at) InnovationLearning.org.