Institutions of higher education (HE) and language programs (LPs) are ecologies or complex adaptive systems whose components constantly interact to create innovation and change (see Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008; Lichtenstein et al., 2006; Pennington & Hoekje, 2010a, 2010b; Uhl-Bien et al., 2007). As part of these complex dynamics,…

In this application brief I share a case study assignment I used in my "Leadership in Complex Organizations" classes to promote creativity in problem solving. I sorted Ph.D. students into two teams and trained them to use creative writing techniques to "encode" theory into their own cases. A sense of competition emerged. Later,…

This article explores the beneficial and sometimes unpredictable implications of a daily reflective writing exercise for introductory literature courses: the learning log. Pseudonymous samples of student writing, coupled with instructor commentary, gesture toward ways in which the learning log's continual implementation and modification foster a…