1 2
Dr.CoryRoss,JonasRoss1Provost,GeorgeBrownCollege,Toronto,Canada.
2PGDip,MBA(Cand).EducationFuturist,Toronto,Canada.
HigherEducation,Strategy,DeliveryMode,LifelongLearning.
INTRODUCTION:
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
– Aristotle
a) TheFutureIsHere:
We are living in an era of rapid and fundamental change that affects every sectorincountlessways.Globalizationischangingculture,politicsandeconomics almost before our eyes, leading to faster growth and broader outlooks,butalsotoclimatechangeandgrowinginequities.Advancementsin technologyareimprovingproductivityandopeningnewavenuesforexploration,buttheyareaccompaniedbyethicalandprivacyconcerns,aswellas fearsabouttheriseofartificialintelligenceandtheroleofdigitization.Allof thisisdrivingsocialchangeaswell:shiftsinoursocialbehaviourswiththe riseofsocialmedia;increasingawarenessofdiverseviewpoints;challenges tomentalhealthandwell-being;andnewmodelsandpatternsforwork.
Theworkforceofthefuturewillneeddifferenttypesofskillstothriveinthis worldofconstantchange.Alongwithjob-specificskills,workerswillneed todevelopandcultivatequalitiessuchasinnovationliteracyandadaptability, digital literacy, cross-discipline interaction and communication, selfawareness, social and emotional intelligence, awareness of diversity, and leadership. Rather than preparing for a single, stable career in a particular industry,learnerswillneedtobereadytoadapttochangewithintheirchosen field,andtoundergooneormorecareerchangesovertheirlifetime.
Therapidlychangingnatureofworkandtheimpactofthedigitaleconomy are shifting the paradigms that have traditionally governed higher education. Most children born in 2022 will enter jobs and careers that have not beenimagined.Evenmoreurgent,however,isthatallworkers—youngpeoplegraduatingfromhighschooltoday,mid-careerprofessionalsworkingin downtown Toronto, and workers new to Canada need skills to respond to labourmarketneedsthatarechangingfrommonthtomonth.
Highereducationneedstobeadaptableandreadytomeetthesenewrealities.Forexample,technologyisgraduallyreplacingthetextbook,allowing studentstopracticeskillsinthevirtualworldbeforetheyworkhands-onin the real world; increasing use of simulators in all programs gives learners accesstomultidisciplinaryapproachesandbringsthemfacetofacewiththe possibilities and challenges of innovation. Micro-credentials (certificates forsmaller,morefocusedprogramsofstudy),flexibledeliveryoptions,studentmobilityandmodularlearningareallwaysthateducationalinstitutions canembedthequalitiesofadaptabilityandinnovationintoprogramdesign andlearning.
Theamountandpaceofchangeinthecomingyearshasmanyimplications forcollegesanduniversities,notonlyforwhatstudentsneedlearn,butalso forhowtheylearn,andthewaylearningisstructured.AtGeorgeBrownCollege,our2022–2026strategywillfocusonretoolingforthefuture.During thenextfewyears,wewillwanttolayasolidfoundationinordertoachieve ourVision2030goals.
b) RetoolingfortheFuture: “Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.”
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onpreparingstudentsfortheworkforcemeansthatwealreadyhavestrong relationships with industry; and we have built intricate connections with othercollegesanduniversities-inOntarioandaroundtheworld.
We will be developing an academic plan that lays the groundwork for a majorpedagogicalshift,asweworktoensurethatfacultyandstudentshave thetools,skillsandknowledgetheyneedtomeetthechallengesandchanges that are already shaping the workforce and the world we live in.This plan willbuildonandconsidersanumberofpreviouscollegeacademicplansand strategicmandateagreementswithgovernment.Itisourintent tobuildon ourstrengthsaswelookforward—touseourrichhistoryasalaunchpad intoanexcitingfuture.
ForStudents:
Asthepaceofchangeaccelerates,itbecomesmoreandmorechallengingtopredict the specific skills and knowledge students will need as they enter the workforce.Instead,peoplewhothriveinthe21stcenturywilldosowithacombination of literacies, competencies and character qualities that they can use in anyenvironment,sothattheycanadjustandadaptasjobsandworkingenvironmentsevolve.Ourfocusneedstobeonhelpingstudentsacquiretheseflexible, transferableskillsinthecontextofjob-relatedprograms.
ForTeaching:
Learningandteachingalsoneedstocompleteatransitioninthiseraofchange,as oldhierarchicalmodelsfallawayandnewmodelsofmentorship,facilitationand lifelonglearningtaketheirplace.Teacherswillneedtobeflexibleintheirteachingstyleanddelivery,andopentolearningfromtheirstudents.Theywillneedto foster students' creativity and critical thinking skills, promote teamwork, and exploittechnologytosupportlearningwhereverpossible.Theywillalsoneedto embrace digital disruption and opportunities for collaboration as they develop theirownskillsandareasofinterest.
ForHigherEducation:
Forteachingandlearningtoevolve,collegeinfrastructurewillneedtochangeto supportit.Highereducationisenteringanewphaseoffluidtimeframes,modulardelivery,competency-basedlearning,micro-credentialling,andpersonalized learning.Focusingontheprinciplesofadultlearning,weneedtoteachthrough thedisciplines,encouragetransferoflearning,andmakelearningrelevanttothe “bigpicture”ofastudent'sfutureworkinglife.Wewillneedtosupportfaculty membersbyrenewingitsconcentrationonfacultycompetency,well-beingand professional development. By focusing on new ways of learning and teaching, wewillbebetterplacedtopreparestudentsforaworldinwhichtheywillneedto designanddrivetheirownlearningandwecanbecomeaplacethatstudentswill returntowhentheyneedtoacquirenewskillsorcredentialsovertheirlifetime.
Sochangewillbedifficultandcomplex.Theimperativetochangeisnotenough, mustbemadedeliberately,effectivelyanddecisively (Goldstein,Otte2016).
(B.F. Skinner)GeorgeBrownCollegehasalwaysbeenuniquelypositionedattheforefront of change: our location in the heart ofToronto allows us to connect with a widerangeofemployers;ourpositioninCanada'slargestcitymeansthatour communityoflearnersishadabroadfocusandadiversemakeup;ourfocus
ClayChristensen(2016),succinctlyoutlinedthedilemmathatfaceshighereducationtoday,Hesaidmillionsofpeople,intheU.S.andworldwide,cannottake advantageoftraditionalhighercollegesanduniversitiesforanynumberofreasons having to do with convenience and accessibility, simplicity, and cost. But theywouldbegladtoconsumeeducationifitweredeliveredinawaythatfittheir liferealities.Convenience,accessibility,simplicity,andaffordabilityaretheclassicbenefitsthatdisruptionsextendwhentheyemerge,andasaresult—nosurprise—disruptivehighereducationupstartspoweredbyonlinelearningarejumpingintothefray
KeyTenets
Shapingthe
FutureofEducation: Ÿ DiverseTimeandPlace:Studentswillhavemoreopportunitiestolearnat
Ÿ
Ÿ
differenttimesandindifferentplaces.
Personalized Learning: Students will learn with study tools that adapt to thecapabilitiesandpreferencesofindividualstudents.
Ÿ EmbraceAccess:Universaldesignforlearningisembeddedinallcurricula.
Ÿ FreeChoice/laddering:Studentswillhavethefreedomtodesigntheirown learningpath.Therewillbeanumberofpathwayssuchthatyoumayenter intoaprogramandseamlesslygraduatefromanother
Ÿ ProjectBasedWork:Curriculumwillbetaughtinsmallermodules.
Ÿ FieldExperience:Studentswilllearnbydoing.
Ÿ DataInterpretation:Studentswillthinkdigitally
Ÿ Retention Vs Comprehension Evaluation: Students will be tested based ontheirabilitytoperform.
Ÿ Student Ownership: Students will influence pedagogy (Chorney Rubin 2018).
Ÿ MentoringwillBecomeMoreImportant:Educationwillbeguidedrather thantaught.
Ÿ ANewClassroom:Classroomswillbeflexible.
Ÿ Teaching Ethics and Empathy: Students will need to be taught interpersonalandcognitiveskills.
Ÿ Flexible Delivery Infrastructure: Reorganize systems to permit flexible curriculum delivery to allow for mastery based learning without time constraintsandcontinuallyrunningmonthlongsemesters.
Ÿ Task-based Learning and Testing: Embed a simulation-based activities (digitalorrealworld)inallprogramstoaugmentfieldeducation.
Ÿ InnovationEducation:Integrateaventure-typemicrocredentialintoallprogramstoencourageentrepreneurshipandintrepreneurship.
Ÿ Disruption Proof Talent Management Model: Partner with industry to developarecruitment/trainingmodelthatfutureproofsfacultybyproviding professionaldevelopmentinindustrydisruptionadaptationandinnovation.
Ÿ CustomiseCurriculumtoStudentSegments:Designcurriculumdelivery formultiplestudenttypologies:eg.international,hobbyist,ConEd,returning,executive,etc.
Teach How toTeach: Providecontextualizedteachingworkshops such as in-house training in technology, pedogeological techniques, and diversity andinclusion.
Ÿ TeachingSimulationLabs: Buildlabthatallowteacherstotestandlearn howtousenewtechnologiesbeforebeingusedintheclassrooms.
CONCLUSION:
Whiletheneweconomywillbedrivenbyautomation,machinelearninganddigital transformations, responsibility will be placed on educational institutions to create graduates who are self aware, self-driven and know how to adaptively learn.Toachievethis,theCollegewillfocusonharnessinganddevelopingthe skillsetswithinourvariouscommunities;integratingindustrypartnerfeedback andexpertise,focusingonindividualisticstrategiesforstudentadvancementand wellbeing,andcreatingafacultythatisengaged,current,adaptableandreadyto mentor In short, the foundation of a resilient future for the College will come throughthesupportandcreationofresilientpeople.Thiswillbethefocusofthe strategicsprintforGeorgeBrownCollegeinordertorealizeVision2030.
REFERENCES:
I. Aristotle.https://www.azquotes.com/author/524-Aristotle/tag/education.
II. SkinnerB.F NewScientist,May21,Vol22(392),1964pp.483-4.
III. Goldstein M, Otte, G. Change we must: deciding the future of higher education, Rosettabooks,2016.
IV ChristensenC.Harvardbusinessreviewarticle,Boston2016
V Chorney-Rubin P Research Colloquium, Early Childhood Education, GBC Press 2018.