Promoting Students Learning Through Sustainable Innovations: Where Is the Missing Link?

Abstract

Educators and policy makers around the world have endorsed various approaches to student empowerment such as the use of active learning, student-centred pedagogies, and related emerging technologies. However, most of the education innovations appear to have a short life span and are driven to a large extent by paradigm shifts in other disciplines such as psychology, management, and information technology. In addition, research on the effectiveness and utility of education innovations is often conducted in a form of cross-comparison between innovations rather than looking at attributes of a given innovation. The purpose of this chapter is to systemically analyse some innovative projects and policy developments that promote student learning in the Sultanate of Oman. The chapter will address some questions and issues related to the sustainability of education innovations that promote students’ learning. More specifically, the chapter will highlight the innovation cycle, and its ability to promote an inclusive culture, and enhance capacities of all involved and concerned stakeholders. The chapter will also investigate a wide range of actions that can be taken to ensure the sustainability of these innovations. A theoretical framework (the ‘Innovation Sustainability Wheel’) will be used as a tool to determine the missing links that may impact the sustainability of the selected innovations.