Technology, also often referred to as Artificial Intelligence, has played a major role in making teaching, working, and learning more accessible during the Covid-19 pandemic. Discussions on education policy before the pandemic showed that education policy constantly needed to be changed and the pandemic punctuation has provided an opportunity for a major overhaul in the system. Though situations and circumstances vary from one institution to another, some of the challenges and opportunities in higher education are noted here.
The rising cost of education coupled with the 2008 economic downturn has resulted in a decline in enrollment. Most four-year colleges and universities have experienced this trend and tried to make course corrections including changing admission standards to boost enrollment. In addition to economic conditions, preferences are also shifting in terms of what constitutes education, and thereby learners have begun opting for alternative education opportunities such as vocational training and nowadays, fully online learning. From a customer perspective, students might be thinking of the cost-benefits of paying for a four-year degree vs. opting for a community college education early on, given that traditional college life has changed due to the pandemic. The large 200-300 student introductory courses were all but moved online due to Covid concerns and though the auditoriums do see freshmen crowds, enrollment ratios as compared to previous years are drastically lower post-2019.
The cost of education has steadily increased over time irrespective of the economic downturn. This discrepancy has translated into young folks introspecting not just tuition but re-thinking textbook costs, housing, and daily living expenses. The rising burden of tuition fees is deterring potential students from pursuing majors at traditional colleges. In addition to the high costs of receiving an education, the attention on the student debt crisis is on the student agenda and is a problem not just in the U.S. but in many Western countries. Those who have graduated are finding it difficult to pay loans for whatever reasons, including finding stable jobs which further worsens the situation. The inability to pay off college loans negatively impacts overall well-being and this highly discourages others from pursuing college as one ends up questioning the value of a college degree. The lack of proper employment hurts health and mental wellness.
Speaking of value, the supply-demand aspects of the labor market cannot be ignored when rethinking education policy. The needs of industries have evolved and colleges, being large institutions, have been behind the curve in shifting and adapting curriculum that meets the fast-changing needs of the job market. This disconnect or misalignment between what is offered and what is needed results in difficulty finding viable employment. I know many graduates who are working 2-3 part-time jobs given that the traditional job structures and hours have changed over time. This makes potential students seek online and alternative education options, thereby changing the definition of learning and education. This includes courses available and affordable courses from online open systems. Alternative credentialing systems and vocational training are proving to be more popular alternatives as these programs are affordable, provide flexibility in learning virtually, are affordable, and are often designed to offer an industry-specific curriculum that guarantees a living wage the moment a person graduates. For example, medical coders, plumbers, mechanics, etc. seem to fare much better in the marketplace than someone with a four-year degree in non-technical subjects.
Technology, or artificial intelligence is going to be the new norm. Not only do potential students need to figure out being bread earners but they also need to figure out if their majors and learning will be taken over by a machine. Technological advances are not always a negative thing as it depends on how one utilizes an emerging technology. However, it is no secret that machines manufacture more efficiently, don’t need to take time off, don’t get sick, and so on. Meaning, a machine is more efficient than human beings in innumerable ways and this leads to certain jobs all but vanishing from the marketplace. This translates as a crisis in many institutions which are top-heavy and unable to sustain salaries. Even the role of educators is changing due to the advent of technology; anyone can sign up for a course taught by anyone around the world given several online platforms which have cropped up to provide specialized courses. Educators are now more like facilitators and there is no way to ignore incorporating technology in teaching. Educator-facilitators over time will turn into learners themselves as they will need to train on new technology usage. Students too are aware that all the information they might need on a specific topic is available at the tip of their fingertips on phones and that a phone is smarter than the brightest of professors.
The above-mentioned challenges allow us to ponder solutions that used to work before the advent of large institutions. In ancient times Gurukulams were centers of teaching and learning where apprenticeships reigned as modes of education; teaching and learning were holistic. Holistic education means that the focus of development is on the entire human being and not just teaching technical skills; though technical skills are acknowledged as major necessities for the day-to-day survival process. The scope for 2-year Associate degree college programs will see a dramatic rise in technical and robotic fields and educational institutes need to pay attention to this demand for course correction. In short, education is a problem area and needs a new definition for relevant policies to be crafted. The first step in the policy process is the identification of the problem – which has been evident since the pandemic. Holistic teaching and learning need to be incorporated as part of what constitutes the education process. Self-empowered, compassionate, and well-rounded citizenry is what the future probably requires as technological advances obliterate and create new opportunities for growth. The status quo is not working and therefore change needs to be introduced in the education system, probably at the middle-school and high-school levels, well before potential students decide to attend college.
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