How Not to "Bowl Alone"

I’ve been thinking a lot about community lately. A few months ago, I was catching up with my Netflix on a flight home, and I watched the documentary “Join or Die.” It’s about political scientist Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone. This seminal piece argues that in the 1960s and 1970s, Americans began to move away from joining communities and focused more on independent pursuits.

One of the things that I hear a lot as I’m out talking to folks is a sense of isolation and loneliness right now. A desire and a need for community as higher education faces unprecedented challenges. I know I feel it. It’s so easy to focus on each crisis and become wrapped up in trying to keep up with each and every technological shift that AI is generating right now.

Thirty-nine years ago, WCET was created as the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies. That word cooperative is a core part of our DNA. Cooperatives are communities that help each other. In fact, there’s a long history of cooperatives in the United States. The first cooperative was founded in 1752 by Benjamin Franklin: the Philadelphia Contributorship for Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire. This model of mutual aid organizations grew in the 19th and 20th centuries, as Americans sought to find ways to help one another through groups built on democratic principles and mutual assistance. At the heart of these co-ops is the belief that we are stronger together.

When WCET was founded, digital learning was in its infancy. Distance education through correspondence had been around for decades, but technology created new opportunities that expanded access to a greater number of learners. WCET’s parent organization, WICHE, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, recognized that digital learning could only advance through the cooperative efforts of institutions and states. And although WCET was originally meant to be an organization for the Western WICHE states, it soon expanded to states across the United States and Canadian territories.

Today, cooperative and community are two of WCET’s core values. We believe that we are stronger together and are committed to facilitating and developing a community of digital learning leaders and practitioners who can support each other through sharing information, resources, and practices. We embrace many of the historical co-op values, including:

1. Voluntary and open membership,
2. Member input and involvement,
3. The importance of education and information dissemination,
4. Cooperation and collaboration,
5. Strength through joint problem-solving,
6. Concern for our community.

Later this month, we will be celebrating our 37th annual meeting in Denver, taking place on October 21-23. Our annual meeting is an opportunity for folks to come together and learn about the best practices and policies that are impacting digital learning. But more than that, it’s an opportunity for community. Now, more than ever, we need to support one another. We cannot do our work in isolation. We need community. We need cooperation. We invite you to join us as we explore:

• the impact of artificial intelligence on digital learning,
• accessibility,
• best practices in digital learning, and
• the regulatory landscape.

We invite you to join with your colleagues to explore opportunities to collaborate and commiserate, yes, but also to create a community of support that will outlast those three days in Denver (have you checked out wcetDISCUSS lately?).

So, join us in Denver as we work together to expand access to high-quality learning opportunities for all students. Join us as we continue to create a community of practitioners and leaders, reminding each other that we don’t have to “bowl alone.” Your work matters as we collectively impact tens of thousands of students. Share your experiences, questions, and concerns with a community that will support you in this critical moment for higher education and digital learning.

This post was written by Van Davis