Just the Facts: Caroline Nolan
Gil Talbot
Fellows
or exhaustive but rather “early seedbeds through which to explore mechanisms for experimentation. Ideally, they will offer flexible pathways for participation that will shape and inform future work—and structure—of the institute.”
Home Currently the institute is housed in Pearson C, but Russell admits that that may change as she, Nolan, and others see what needs arise. What’s important, Nolan explains, “is having a collaborative, participatory space where community members can come together to work on projects across a broad range of disciplines. We’re excited to build a place that can support diverse modes of collaboration and exchange—from informal chatting and brainstorming to working/building online, hosting focus groups, project-based learning, and other innovative approaches.”
Funding Funding for the institute is collaborative. Generous gifts from trustees, alums, and parents provided seed funding that allowed the initiative to get off the ground. An Abbot Academy Association grant and the Head of School Venture Fund are providing additional funding.
Looking Forward Much is happening collaboratively, says Russell. “The Eight Schools Association is developing blended learning courses that will be open to students in all schools,” she explains. “We are working on expanding our curricular offerings and exploring online learning by doing it together. This allows us to take advantage of resources that are in some schools, but not in all.” Choate and Deerfield, she says, are developing an Arabic course, and plans are in the works for a water resources course in which a teacher from each of the eight schools would be involved.
The Puzzle The institute is a first for PA. It’s an opportunity to harness the ways PA can lead the movement in educational transformation—as it always has. Figuring out how to make it all work is challenging, but Russell says, “Caroline is piecing this jigsaw puzzle together very nicely. We’ve always been a place with tremendous innovation. What is different is that when people have great ideas, now they have someplace to go.”
Director of the Andover Institute
Neil Evans
In fall 2013, the institute put out an open call for fellows to contribute to and propose a number of projects, including: • global citizenship and off-campus learning programming • a hybrid interdisciplinary course developed in collaboration with the Eight Schools Association • an online BC calculus course • the continued growth of our Khan Academy partnership • an online tool for new student placement and baseline testing • innovation in teaching and learning in the humanities While the focus this time was on current faculty, in the future, depending on project needs, fellows may be chosen from diverse community members, both on and off campus. Appointments are for one year, with the possibility for renewal based on the status of the project. The first round of fellowships will begin in fall 2014.
• In early October, Caroline Nolan joined the PA community as the first director of the Andover Institute. • Before joining PA, Nolan worked as an associate director at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. • At the Berkman Center, Nolan led projects focused on the impact of technology and technological change in various fields, especially in education. • Nolan has a master’s degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree from Brown University. • While attending Fletcher, Nolan worked as a researcher for Reebok’s human rights department and the Boston Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights. She also worked at Pathfinder International. • During her first career, she was a sous chef at Rialto restaurant in Cambridge.
—Kristin Bair O’Keeffe
Andover | Winter 2014
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