Chapter 1: Introduction to Humanizing Higher Education through Innovative Approaches for Teaching and Learning

With the turn of the century, the Earth's natural resources continue to be stretched as nonrenewable resources continue to dwindle and as the population continues to grow. Academia is no exception with human and teaching resources remaining a constraint for all universities including financial resources. Higher education (HE) leadership struggles to contain costs by reducing unnecessary expenditures while trying to ensure that quality remains a top priority. Innovative pedagogy is one way that institutions can help bridge both scarcity and quality and address the growing demand for quality education. New technologies, designing of new curriculum which is relevant and can address the realities of economic demands, have become a high priority in HE. Educators, policymakers and stakeholders have to embrace this transformational change for the progress of their institution. This book addresses such innovative changes that are being initiated by academics around the world. The focus of this book remains on innovative pedagogy, success stories of such interventions, impact on students while reinventing the learner-centered approach and its implication on the future. The authors of this book address the successes and the challenges they have faced.