November 11, 2014

News Flash:  All over the world, graduate students are being forced to take improv classes to improve their communication skills.  This dramatic story has been reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education, who, of course, immediately make it premium content on their website, meaning only the people and institutitons willing to pay the exorbitant price of a Chronicle subscription will see the whole article.  Faculty members and administrators, everywhere, please review the article, summarize it and forward it to the poor graduate students who can't afford premium content.

More importantly, I predict the emergence of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credit coming from higher education administrators and faculty all over the country.  In case you don't know, PLA is the awarding of credit for a course to someone who has work (sometimes, not work, sadly) experience in the subject matter of the course.  Through a process of validating how the experience led to outcomes recognized by the course, the PLA requestor can get credit without taking the course.  Thus, here's my Veterans Day tie-in.  Much prior learning credit is justifiably granted to military veterans who learn a lot of skills while in the service.

However, let's turn to the less admirable world of higher education veterans.  I picture a university administrator very soon creating a PLA path for his administrators well-versed in the rules and roles of improvisation as part of their everyday lives.  Imagine a mostly empty press room at your local university.

President I. M. Pompous:  Thank you all for attending my press conference today. I am really excited to share the news that Bromidic State University is now awarding Prior Learning Credits for Theater 138, Improvisation For Non-Theater Majors, to our own administrators and faculty.

Reporter:  Dr. Pompous, why have you decided to do this?

President Pompous:  Improv is built into everything we do as Bromitic administrators.  The day-to-day work of running a university, as it is probably for any institution, is a give and take of ideas to problem-solve.

Reporter:  Could you give us an example?

President Pompous:  Sure.  Think about the strategic planning process we did last year.  My executive team and I met with every constituency on campus to get feedback and to alter the plan per employer need.  Each of us has to get into a character prior to those discussions. The second a faculty member says, "why aren't we addressing the needs of our liberal arts students," I am putting on my conscientious, caring hat to respond, "we discussed that concern at length, and in the end figured it was understood to be embedded in the 42nd bullet point, 'assess programs.'"  Trust me, you can't deliver a line like that with a straight face, unless you have learned the art of improv.

Reporter:  Where else does it get used?

President Pompous:  Hell, right now as I am talking to you.  You don't think I wouldn't rather be back in the boardroom with a whiskey talking football with the athletic director than talking to one reporter about this.  Of course I would rather be there, but this is an important part of my job.

Reproter:  So, why grant the PLA credit now?  Don't all university administrators have terminal degrees?

President Pompous: Many of us do, but we are naturally career hoppers, so being able to add this to our transcripts shows our next institution just how dedicated we have been to the theatrical give-and-take that is naturally part of our jobs.

Reporter: Another thing that confuses me is that the press release says you also expect faculty to apply for these prior learning credits?  How is that relevant in their roles?

President Pompous:  Are you kidding?  First off, think back to the strategic planning process.  Any faculty member who has been here more than 3 months knows that those meetings are just part of the fictional dramatic world.  That liberal arts faculty member who asks the questions about support for his programs is going back to his office afterwards, knowing the scene played out just like he wanted it to.  He asked the question that makes him look concerned in front of others, got the answer he expected from me or my team, and can then go back to his office and play Tanks online.  More importantly, the art of improvisation is the best strategy for faculty to take in an era of student engagement.  We can no longer afford to have our faculty slam doors in the face of apathetic students, to ignore emails for days on end, to publicly humiliate students when they ask dumb questions.  We basically have had to re-wire their brains.  The ones who act concerned and listen to students are engaging in the most powerful form of improv.

Reporter:  Wow!  You really are on to something, aren't you, President Pompous?

President Pompous:  You got that right. 

It's only a matter of time.