Failing to learn and learning to fail – exemplars of practice from the creative industries

ABSTRACT

Universities are facing challenges not seen before. Academic development is expected to address many of these challenges, creating conditions supportive of teaching and learning. However, increasing managerialism, measurement, and risk-aversion make this difficult as the emphasis shifts from supporting individuals towards delivering institutional strategy. This can lead to a lack of creativity, a stifling of innovation, and a fear of failure. This paper uses the creative industries as a ‘parallel’ sector of practice. It outlines the challenges, similarities, and differences between the sectors, before explaining what lessons higher education can learn from the creative industries.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic development
• Creative industries
• Creative thinking
• Failure
• Innovation in higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mark Thorley

Mark Thorley is Associate Professor at Coventry University in the UK. His research spans the impact of technology on the creative industries and the innovative use of emerging technology in academic practice.