Peter Smith
Senior Vice President of Academic Strategies and Development, Kaplan Higher Education (KHE)
Problem
Smith believes that for “every piece of learning you do in school in an organized fashion, you probably do seven outside.” He believes higher education has done a terrible job of taking that learning and giving it value. He believes that we need to understand who learners are and where they are developmentally in order to meet their needs. His philosophy is that learners should be at the center of education, and the systems, policies, practices, assessments and instruction should be built around them. He rejects viewing assessment or testing as a judgment but instead embraces it as a “reflective, developmental device.” Innovation Smith has led major innovations in experiential and reflective learning across several organizations. He was an innovator in experiential learning early in his career when he worked for the Commissioner of Education in Vermont. He then used that knowledge to design what became the first community college of Vermont. Later he became the founding president of California State University of Monterey Bay (CSUMB), where he identified five characteristics for the curriculum: interdisciplinary, active, reflective, team-based, and learner-centered. His innovations continue to define CSUMB to this day. Later in his career he developed KNEXT, a software application designed to help universities more easily and effectively recognize students’ prior learning. Smith’s most recent innovation is Qualified, an online career-based portfolio and assessment system that will allow individuals an opportunity to define and package their experience and learning for employers. Although the model varies from institution to institution, at the heart of Smith’s work is his focus on taking what is happening both inside and outside the classroom and helping learners understand how those experiences have changed them and helped them grow. Impact Because Smith’s approach recognizes that learning happens both inside and outside of a structured educational experience, it gives students who may have struggled in a traditional classroom an opportunity to redefine themselves. The thousands of students who have studied at the Community College of Vermont, Cal State Monterey Bay, or at an institution using the KNEXT platform have benefitted from Smith’s innovations in education. Not only does experiential learning change learners’ perspectives, it improves their chances for degree completion. Students who participate in prior learning assessment have an almost three times greater likelihood of earning their bachelor’s degree regardless of academic ability, GPA, age, gender, race/ethinicity, and whether or not they received financial aid (Klein-Collins, 2010). Participating in Smith’s experiential, reflective processes can truly change a student’s life. As one of the first graduates of the Community College of Vermont shared, “As I built my portfolio and got that recognition, I learned that I am a learner and will always be a learner, and no one can take that away from me.” Skills Smith employs a variety of practices and skills as he innovates. He questions, uses a strategic process in approaching innovation, builds teams with complementary skills, and uses associations to brainstorm and communicate. An avid questioner, Smith ensures his team focuses attention on the right projects by asking, Where is your passion? Where is your own innate bias about how you want to spend your time? Does it put learners first? Is it interesting? Are we going to learn something from it? Does it serve someone well? Is the problem a real problem and are we solving it? In practice, Smith employs a strategic process in developing new innovations. First, every initiative should solve a problem or at least part of a problem. Smith warns against doing something new just because it’s different and exciting. In addition, how an initiative is developed is critical to its success. He says, “Don’t import a solution from somewhere else and try to modify it. Build your own solution and make sure everything you do is aimed at solving the problem.” As an innovator, Smith is well aware of the importance of finding individuals with complementary skills, particularly execution skills, and makes sure his team includes someone who is a “beast on logistical details.” He shared that he has the vision and is able to keep a team on track but he must have someone who is able to manage the details. Smith also relies on networks, which are broad and ranging. He stresses the importance of making valid, serious contributions as part of a network. He also emphasizes the role of reciprocity in networking, which is “a two-way street.” Smith draws connections across a variety of disciplines, and one way he associates is by referencing literature for inspiration. His office is filled with works of fiction and non-fiction, as well as framed quotes by writers who inspire him. He shared, “I work a lot with metaphors. Metaphors communicate a lot, sometimes way better than data or technical conversation.” Reference Klein-Collins, R. (March, 2010). Fueling the Race to Post-Secondary Success: A 48-Institution Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes. Chicago, IL: Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. |
Bio
Dr. Peter Smith is the Senior Vice President of Academic Strategies and Development for Kaplan Higher Education (KHE). Smith, who holds a Doctor of Education from Harvard University, has been the primary driver of several major innovations at KHE, including the launches of a KNEXT, an online prior learning assessment tool, and his latest project, Qualified, a work experience and educational e-portfolio tool. Prior to joining Kaplan Higher Education, Dr. Smith was the Assistant Director of UNESCO and the founding president of both the first community college in Vermont and California State University at Monterey Bay. |