Theorising Risk for Cohere

If it’s so great, why isn’t everyone doing it?

The diffusion of innovation in post-secondary environments

Anastasia KulpaGrant MacEwan University

The Project

Gamification in post-secondary classrooms› Relevant detail: different from what you’ve

seen› If you want to know about it, ask me later

› Experiences with talking about it Thinking about diffusing innovations in

systems How do we convince people it’s a good idea?

Diffusion of Innovation Evett Rogers, plotting and

understanding innovation, mostly in commercial or consumer contexts

What we Know about Innovators and Early Adopters

Compared to the rest of their peers, innovators and early adopters are likely to be:› Better educated› Wealthier› More socially connected› More cosmopolitan

Innovations in Education – Parts of that that Work

General pattern of diffusion› Carlson shows this in education in the

1960s, repeated since Patterns of communication

› “someone like you” talking about it› Culturally relevant reasons for adoption

Physics faculty and beliefs about pedagogy, difficulty of education innovators

What Maybe Makes Less Sense

Education predicting adoption› Little variation – mostly graduate

education (original doesn’t distinguish between Master’s and PhD)

Wealth predicting adoption› Individuals don’t pay for educational

innovations (most adopted in single classrooms)

› Most of them don’t have upfront costs in the way fertilizers do

What Does Rogers Measure Through Wealth?

Sociologically, wealth isn’t just a means to an end – marker of status – we actually use it AS a proxy of status

Wealth as “resources you can afford to lose”?› Questions of managing risk in innovations

(perception of risk changes adoption)› For agriculture, seems to be that people

who can’t feed their families if this fails, don’t innovate.

Resources You Can Afford to Lose in Post-Secondary

Time ?› Biggest faculty complaints about

innovation are: Lies about how much time it takes

(perceived) Time required to modify to make it relevant

to “this” class Lack of recognition of faculty’s tacit

knowledge/experience of pedagogy (culturally relevant reasons to adopt?)

So What?

Distribution patterns› Wealth accumulates at the top – to the

highest status members of a group› Time in post-secondary?

Looking at different understandings Don’t throw out diffusion of innovation

› Consider modifications and conceptualisations – what ARE we measuring

› A way of understanding, of framing research about new practices

If you want to know more about this work…

Email me: KulpaA2@macewan.ca

› The paper on gamification is almost through review if you want to see that

› Paper on this theoretical question is forthcoming – I’d appreciate your thoughts

› I can also pass along sources/readings if you’re interested