With so many articles flying around these days, the future of higher education is once again in question. How will society shift now that learning is so clearly not confined to a library or a classroom? Local professors are no longer the source for knowledge in a given field. Currently, if learners – young or old - want to know something, they have the tools at their fingertips to navigate more sources than ever before to gain knowledge. Will this make the concept of the traditional college obsolete?
One might argue, it’s the time to get rid of higher
education institutions altogether. The education system of the future, in my
mind, is not an absence of higher education institutions, but rather a restructuring
and refining of skills and concepts taught to young people to help them learn how
to think and operate successfully in the modern world, with an option for
further studies built in.
Regardless of the wealth of knowledge available to the world
at large, one thing remains the same; learners must still be taught how to
navigate massive amounts of information and decipher good sources from bad.
Learners must be taught the skills to be able to think critically, make
decisions, and work together.
At a very basic level, to be equipped to navigate the world effectively,
learners need to know how to ask difficult questions and sift through the loads
of crap the internet gives them to find the true answer. In education, we need
to start challenging students to think about big philosophical concepts and
that the “right” answers may be grey, as opposed to black and white. There can
be a strong resistance to new ideas or the knowledge that not every answer is
easy, but these are the thoughts and ideas that learners must grapple with in
order to be critical thinking adults.
Empathy is another skill being lost upon young learners of
the 21st century due to their heavy reliance on technology. No
longer do younger generations think about how their words and actions might
impact those on the other side of the screen. They cannot see reactions, so the
ability to think about emotional reactions or even find emotional reactions
valid is being lost. Encourage learners to engage with technology when and
where appropriate, and to connect with the people around them by regularly
turning off the electronics in their vicinity and having meaningful
conversations. If future generations lack empathy, it is likely that their
decision making will also be impaired when it comes to decisions and actions
that impact others.
Leadership and teamwork are also important skills for
functional adults to have in the work place. It is my belief that these
experiences, provided in a college atmosphere, are critical to growth and
future success. Learners must be taught to listen to others and work together
on projects in order to be successful later on in the working world. Rarely is
any occupation truly a singular endeavor. Offices have individuals of different
backgrounds, ages, races, political beliefs, and more. Being able to work with
others
If I could turn the world of higher education on its head, I
would institute 1-2 year learning centers where students would live in the center,
learn leadership skills by taking classes and working in teams to complete
goals, be required to take philosophy and current event courses, learn basic
vocational skills of their choice in order to obtain basic jobs in various
sectors upon graduation, and have the opportunity to supplement their learning
abroad.
Upon completion of the 1-2 year program, these students
would be ready to take on jobs in the private or public sector, depending on
their own developed skill set or vocational knowledge, and would also have the
opportunity to continue their learning at a 4 year institution, online or in
person, where they would start with 30-50 credits from the program, vastly
shortening their degree timeline. They would have up to 20 years to complete
their specialized degree.
Because the model I’m proposing does not depend on educators
with doctoral degrees or research backgrounds, overhead would be slashed
dramatically. Instead, this sort of program would rely heavily on student affairs
professionals educated in student development theory to help students work
through their hang ups and team building skills, in addition to adjunct
vocational professors to teach skills and provide additional certifications. Business partnerships and sponsorships would also provide funding to learning centers for students who would like to go into certain fields.
Completion of the program would carry with it a great deal
of respect because only those students who have shown themselves to be well
rounded, bright learners, who can work in teams will be granted a completion
certificate, much like a diploma. If students were deficient, they would have
to take remedial courses and perhaps be assigned an employee mentor to help
them gain the skills needed to be successful in the working world beyond the
program. One-on-one guidance would play an important role for those students
struggling with philosophical, leadership, and teamwork concepts.
Regardless of what path is taken by colleges and universities,
one thing is evident, the high price of education and presence of student loans
is making higher education less attainable and more of a gamble. After all, if
your future job doesn’t pay you adequately enough to repay your loans, why go
to college in the first place? Learning can happen anywhere, but learners need
to know how to learn and develop critical skills to be successful in life.
Will higher education step outside of the box and develop
new models in the 21st century? Only time will tell.
