Applying the Principles of Change: What Type of Leadership Should I Provide?

But I don’t want to change. I like things the way they are.  How many times have you heard someone say that they do not want to change? Too many to count. Yet, change is inevitable. Each new day brings something different than the day before. Executive leaders contend that if organizations and companies do not change, they will not survive.  The same is true for universities.  Major leaders in the field of higher education have been calling for change for over 20 years. The change being sought is improving student learning by changing the method through which students are taught in the classroom.  Experts are calling for professors to focus on teaching techniques that engage students and help them learn. The call is for a deep learning approach that concentrates on the meaning of information learned and high-impact transfer of knowledge to the real world. Academic service-learning answers this call for change and relates knowledge to real-world settings.  Research shows that academic service-learning is the most effective teaching method for the college classroom.  Academic service-learning introduces students to hands-on learning experiences (learning by doing), real-world problem solving, group discussion and decision making, observing change in action, as well as reflecting on what has been learned. Academic service-learning allows students to put theory into practice. Students in academic service-learning courses have higher test scores, better recall, deeper knowledge of course content, better retention of knowledge learned, and better application to the real world.