Next fall, the Andover community will have a new space to develop, test and assess new ways of experimental and experiential learning. Currently in its “quiet year,” the Andover Institute will serve as a nexus for faculty, staff, students and visitors to cultivate pedagogic innovation in three key areas—outreach, global citizenship and connected learning.
A more specific purpose and concrete framework of the Andover Institute will depend on the priorities of Andover to be determined by the Strategic Plan, which, when completed next fall, will determine the allocation of Andover’s resources for the next five to ten years. Meanwhile, the Institute has taken a step closer to becoming an official center on campus with the appointment of Caroline Nolan as its first Director last Monday.
The unofficial launch of the Andover Institute this year culminates the innovation and experimentation in teaching and learning that has been occurring on campus, said Nancy Jeton, Special Assistant to the Head of School.
“I think of the Institute as an invitation to people to come together to collaborate and exchange ideas. Many teachers are already trying new teaching techniques inside and outside their classrooms, so it will be offering support in a form of a place where people can come together and talk about what they are trying,” she said.
Existing projects initiated by Andover faculty, such as the Math Department’s collaboration with Khan Academy and the online BC Calculus course created by Christopher Odden, Instructor in Mathematics, will fall under the rubric of the Andover Institute, and Nolan will help facilitate the development and expansion of these initiatives.
“It seems to me that there’s a lot of energy around innovation generally and the possible establishment [of the Andover Institute], particularly among the faculty, who are proposing projects and helping to plan and build them,” said Nolan.
After its official launch, the Andover Institute will have rotating Faculty Fellow positions to allow current faculty members to work on specific innovative teaching and learning projects that can then be translated back into classroom use, according to the Andover Institute for Innovation Concept Note.
One of the Andover Institute’s initial focuses is to instill the idea of global citizenship on campus by providing more off-campus learning opportunities, in addition to further supporting and coordinating pre-existing programs.
The Niswarth program, a service-learning program in India, looks forward to collaborating with the Andover Institute to define the essential elements of a global program, integrate summer experiences into the school year curricula and fundraise in order to expand and solidify its program, according to Raj Mundra, Instructor in Biology and Director of the Niswarth Program.
Nolan will spend the next year working with programs such as Niswarth to solidify the purpose and mission of Andover Institute.
Prior to her new role as the Director of the Andover Institute, Nolan worked at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University with Head of School John Palfrey, who was the Executive Director of the Berkman Center.
“I think that my previous work at the Berkman Center, which is not only a research center but also an entrepreneurial and mission-driven place that very much seeks to be a platform for building and scaling ideas for greater impact, will be helpful in my role [as the Director of Andover Institute],” said Nolan.
Nolan graduated from Brown University and attended Fletcher School of International Affairs at Tufts University, where she became particularly interested in global citizenship. At the Berkman Center at Harvard University, she led projects focused on incorporating technology in various fields, including education.
