By
Dr. Kevin Kuznia and Bill Davis
Pracademic \prac-Ə-‘dem-ik \ n (2009) A member of an
institution of learning who has extensive background, methods and knowledge of
a specific discipline and uses that experience in the course of instruction.
Paul L. Posner is
a professor and director in the Masters in Public Administration program at
George Mason University and serves in the American Society for Public
Administration. He has served for many years with the U.S. Government
Accountability Office as managing director for federal budget and
intergovernmental relations. Posner stated this in the Journal of Public Budgeting & Finance: “a Pracademic is a
person whose career spans the boundaries of academia and practice. “ Posner
(2009) says that they have significant experience in both worlds and can jump
between then with ease. Dr. Posner is describing many faculty in the ranks
today who are teaching in colleges and universities.
 |
| Bill
Davis, MA, CM |
Instructors and Professors today have real world
experience, successful past and present careers and they can be considered
pracademics. They
are highly skilled and experienced in their respective fields. They utilize
their expertise to provide students with timely advice, coaching,
training and feedback. This along with excellent service, care and
encouragement helps students make the intellectual connections they need to be
successful in their chosen discipline. Ultimately, the goal is to help students
increase their knowledge, build upon their strengths and help them grow in
other related areas as they make new discoveries. When pracademics combine their abilities with
course tools and applications, the student has a clear path to become
successful in any endeavor they choose.
As pracademics, it
is our responsibility to share our knowledge and experiences as we commit and
follow our high quality teaching standards. This “Best in Class” approach
ensures high quality teaching, engagement, facilitation, coaching and student
support. Being student centered, we provide students with a meaningful and
gratifying learning experience, academic
rigor and the service they need to gain an optimal transfer of content and
theory. It is important
to remember we are preparing adult learners for leadership in their personal
and professional lives in the 21st Century, and beyond.
Kevin Cope (2012)
in his book, Seeing the Bigger Picture –
Improving Your Business Acumen tells us that there are five
business drivers which are cash, growth, profits, asset utilization and people.
As pracademics, we need to know the people side well and leverage that in
connecting with our students. Since our
students are atypical from
stereotypical university students, they have accumulated life
experiences. Knowing that these students come to our University with
experiences and knowledge in diverse areas, we can leverage that into practical
learning activities that enable them to draw on their prior skills and
knowledge. Furthermore, these students are readily able to relate new facts to
past experiences and enjoy having their talents and knowledge explored in a teaching
situation (Wynne, n.d.).
The online classroom is
the platform (stage) where the pracedemic practices his or her craft, and students
can take action on what they learn. The instructor promotes student engagement
so they can display their knowledge through social and active learning methods
and process. As pracedemics, it is our responsibility to promote active
learning, which is the process of doing and observing and the process of
dialogue with self and others. So much engagement is possible within an online
course and adult learners engage their instructors and peers. There is a dyadic
process that occurs which is the relationship between those leading the
discussion and those following. All of those who lead and follow influence each
other over time and they motivate each other.
 |
| Dr.
Kevin Kuznia |
Dr.
Ron Beach (2013) shared a quote in 2013 and said “Dr. King said, “The function
of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically;
Intelligence plus character – that is the goals of true education. One of the
exciting aspects of being a scholar is that we have the opportunity to touch so
many people and the ripple effect is huge.” Many pracademics bring in their years
of higher education and experiences forward into the classroom and do exactly
that. They teach, discover, research and they play it forward. They all have a
strong passion and purpose to make a meaningful difference in the lives of
others.
As a pracademics
their role is vital to promoting their university’s mission. So as you facilitate
the learning of your students, remember, your skills and experience, combined
with your students thirst for knowledge creates a dynamic atmosphere for
fostering learning and growth.
References
Beach, R. (2013). Personal
Conversation, Ashford University.
Cope, K. (2012). Seeing the Big
Picture, Business Acumen to Build Your Credibility, Career,
and Company,
Austin, Texas, Green Leaf Books.
Posner, P. L. (2009). The
Pracademic: An Agenda for Re-engaging Practitioners and Academics.
Public Budgeting and
Finance,
29(1), 12-26.
Wynne, R. (n.d.). Characteristics of adult learners.
Retrieved from
http://www.assetproject.info/learner_methodologies/before/characteristics.htm
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