| Innovation in higher education is not a new idea. Departments and colleges have implemented many new and innovative programs over the years and some of these have been successful and while others have failed (Levine, 1980; Simsek & Louis, 1994; Zaltman, Duncan, & Holbek, 1973). What seem to be neglected from the field of research are studies involving teaching and learning innovations that are adopted by individual faculty members. This lack of attention can have implications for universities, innovation support units, and faculty members who are trying to support, develop, and adopt sustainable teaching and learning innovations. This research is needed in order to better understand the crucial elements that are needed in order for an innovation to have a chance of sustaining once it is implemented. This qualitative multiple case study explores the perceptions of faculty innovators at The Pennsylvania State University regarding the sustainability of their teaching and learning innovations. The study uses a phenomenological framework in order to allow for an in-depth description of the perceptions and experiences of the faculty participants (Morse, 1994). The cases in the study are faculty-initiated course innovation projects sponsored by the Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning (an innovation support unit at Penn State) from the fall of 1997 until the spring of 1999. The study uses multiple sources of evidence including archival records, documents, surveys, interviews, physical artifacts, and direct observation to enable triangulation of the data (Yin, 1994). The findings of this study suggest that perceptions of sustainability revolved around issues involving the organization, the role of their colleagues and students in the innovation process, and the faculty perceptions of themselves as innovators. While the results of this study are specific to their setting due to the nature of case study research, lessons learned from this context could provide valuable information to others involved in the innovation process. Since innovation can be a slow and complex process in which there is not always a sustainable outcome, the perceptions of the faculty in this study may serve to inform and help adapt innovative processes elsewhere. |
