The Draft Report of the Education Innovation Committee is now available for your review and feedback. Please review the committee’s recommendations and provide feedback by Friday, Aug 26, 2022. 

There are two easy ways to provide feedback:

• Use this online form 
• E-mail provost@brown.edu

In spring 2021, Provost Richard M. Locke convened the Education Innovation Committee to build on the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee was charged with identifying ways to enhance the model of providing a Brown education in the following ways:

• increasing pedagogical attention to access, flexibility and equitable assessment;
• promoting access and academic excellence for generations to come; and
• ensuring Brown’s reach, impact and capacity to contribute at the very highest levels locally and globally.

Framing the committee’s work was the understanding that, for Brown to continue to serve the community, the nation and the world through education, research, discovery and service, it must play a critical role in addressing pressing issues facing our society today and in the future — from global health crises and consequences of climate change to the effects of persistent systemic racism and the need to address inequities and promote social mobility.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee of faculty, staff and students was encouraged to rethink and reimagine how Brown could fulfill this important role by leveraging new capabilities that advance student-centered learning, promote greater flexibility for academic staff and learners alike, and create new pathways of access to diverse populations around the world.

Over the course of spring and summer 2021, the committee divided the work between three distinct working groups focused on:

• promoting greater flexibility for academic staff to advance research and scholarship, as well as teaching and advising;
• enhancing the residential learning experience by leveraging innovative models for teaching, including new technologies;
• promoting more flexible modes of instruction and new models of education to meet the diversity of needs of student learners;
• creating pathways of access to attract new and diverse audiences across the globe through an expanded portfolio of residential, hybrid, and online programs; and
• redesigning and modernizing University policies and practices to support more flexible models of teaching and learning.

The committee’s work was also guided by the following principles:

• Academic Excellence. Promote innovative pedagogical and learning experiences that support and strengthen Brown's academic mission across all divisions, schools, centers, departments and institutes. Develop plans that protect and advance the University’s commitment to excellence in research, teaching and service, and to cultivating a diverse and inclusive community of students, staff and faculty.
• Equity and Inclusion. Advance Brown’s plans to create a more diverse and inclusive academic community by extending the University’s reach locally, regionally and globally. Recommendations must reflect the University’s commitment to equity, ensuring that the most vulnerable populations are protected from any potential disproportionate impact.
• Access and Affordability. Sustain the University’s commitment to excellence, opportunity and social mobility by attracting and supporting the most talented undergraduate, graduate, medical and non-degree students to Brown, regardless of socioeconomic status.
• Flexibility and Community. Reinforce Brown’s commitment to providing an “academic home” for all members of the community while expanding opportunities for teaching, learning, research and service around the world. Ensure that students can benefit from signature elements of the Brown experience — academic freedom and flexibility; active participation in creating, sharing and applying knowledge; spirited collaboration and partnerships with faculty, staff and fellow peers; and vibrant programming regardless of place of study, whether on campus or around the world.
• Financial Sustainability. Cultivate a culture of fiscal and environmental sustainability among faculty, staff and students — one that strives for continuous improvement, excellence, efficiency and environmental stewardship. Leverage the ad hoc committee’s work to raise awareness of best practices that may enhance savings, generate revenue and promote more sustainable operations.

The following members were appointed in spring 2021:

Chair

• Richard M. Locke, Provost

Faculty and Administrators

• Sheila Bonde, Christopher Chan and Michelle Ma Professor of Art; Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World
• Jonathan Collins, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs; Professor of Education
• Ugur Cetintemel, Professor and Chair of Computer Science
• Johanna Hanink, Professor of Classics
• Sylvia Kuo, Senior Lecturer in Economics
• Lawrence Larson, Sorensen Family Dean of Engineering; Professor of Engineering
• Govind Menon, Professor of Applied Mathematics
• Asabe Poloma, Assistant Provost for Global Engagement; Director of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program
• Joel Revill, Senior Associate Dean of the Faculty; Associate Provost for Special Projects; Interim Chair of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies
• Betsy Shimberg, Senior Associate Dean of the College for Co-Curricular and Experiential Learning
• Katherine Smith, Senior Associate Dean for Biology and Curricular Affairs, Assistant Professor of Medical Science
• Jane Sokolosky, Director of the Center for Language Studies; Distinguished Senior Lecturer in Germanic Studies and Language Studies
• Mary Wright, Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning; Executive Director of the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning
• Rashid Zia, Dean of the College; Professor of Engineering and Physics

Students

• Amir Tamaddon, Undergraduate Student
• Yoonah Lee, Undergraduate Student

Staff Members

• Mary Jo Callan, Stark Family Executive Director of the Howard R. Swearer Center for Public Service; Associate Dean of the College for Engaged Scholarship
• Matthew Donato, Director of the Center for Careers and Life After Brown
• Matthew Salvatore, Director of Data Analytics and Strategic Marketing, Advancement

Staffed by

• Shankar Prasad, Deputy Provost and Vice President for Academic Innovation