Earlier, the sole purpose of getting an education was broadening one’s intellectual horizons, a luxury reserved only for the rich and elite. But if you look around today, that era is long gone, for good. The best and oldest universities in the world once hubs of such intellectual aspirations – have long opened their doors to everyone who makes the cut. Along with this welcome alteration, the purpose of acquiring higher education has also changed. Today’s student goes to a college or a university to become equipped with skills that can land him/her a well-paying job, unlike his/her predecessors who were focused solely on intellectual gratification. Besides technological advancements, this transformation in educational structures, modes of knowledge dissemination, and student demographics has a lot to owe to the policy changes which have made higher education more accessible.
Adjustment v/s Variety – the 21st century leadership challenge
Earlier, more than 80 percent of the populations lived in rural areas and worked on the land, while the average company employed fewer than 4 people. The onset of the industrial revolutions was the change of all of that- the huge cost of the new machinery meant that companies needed to become larger and larger in order to deliver the economies of scale necessary. Whereas in the past a business owner would probably sit in the same room as their employees, this new environment meant that business owners might employ hundreds or even thousands of people. A new mechanism is needed to ensure control of the organisation and continuity of its outputs.
Development of Indian Higher Education
Higher education in India has increased rapidly but without developing adequately in line with the goals of planning. Enrolment in higher education has risen rapidly even as institutions of higher education have multiplied – resulting in overcrowding, worsening of the already unsatisfactory situation with regard to contact between teachers and students, and leading to restiveness among students. It emphasizes on selection of students only on merit, incorporation of a multiplicity of relevant professional courses including correspondence courses, and a reorientation of the university courses to remove the present accent on academic trivia and theory and underpin the academic curriculum with direct work and production experience. It is emphasised that illiteracy is a far more important target for educational planning than has been recognised or provided for till now. Provisions for education have to be much more guided by assessments of manpower requirements, and the content of education has to be much more determined by considerations of relevance and usefulness in the overall development of the country.
Open book examination a twist in the engineering course
In an attempt to discourage rote learning and to test the analytical abilities of students, a four-member committee on exam reform has recommended an “open book examination” for engineering courses. The panel, which was formed in January, has submitted its report on the examination and other recommendations to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the apex regulator of technical education. Open book exams would allow students to take notes, text book and resource materials into an exam hall. Students would be able to consult the material when answering questions, which are structured to test their understanding of concepts rather than merely the ability to memorise facts and figures. It is recommended that at institution/ University level, upper limit need to be arrived for lower order skills (for example, no more than 40% weight age for knowledge oriented questions).
Fostering the culture of the company with the help of HR leaders
When the word “intrapreneur,” is being used some people still look that it is being mispronounced “entrepreneur.” Though the concept has been around for quite a while, it’s still somewhat nascent in terms of how organizations treat and develop intrapreneurship — but it’s imperative to every organization’s sustainability. With today’s quickening pace of change, intrapreneurship is central to companies’ ability to stay relevant, and HR needs to own their organization’s strategy around it, building an architecture and culture that nurtures it. A big part of an HR leader’s role is ensuring effective hiring processes are in place to deliver the right people for both immediate and future needs. From what I see, very few organizations are actively hiring for this skill set.
Effect of Entrepreneurship on the current scenarios of the industry
Entrepreneurship is fast emerging as a transformational megatrend of the 21st Century, due to its capacity to reshape economies and industries throughout the world. Of late the global entrepreneurial landscape has witnessed a paradigm shift in terms of trends, with SMEs playing an important role in social and economic advancement. Mr. Nitin Putcha, CEO, ITM Group of Institutions will be happy to talk on:
The new basics of enterprising skills
A revolution of sorts has been brewing in classrooms and at boardrooms since the start of a new millennium. It’s the type of innovation that has seen a big change in the way students and employees are learning and the types of subjects they are being taught. No longer are the basics of education – reading, writing and arithmetic – enough to see students move on to a successful career. Enterprising skills are the need in the recent times. An employee is needed to be savvy in technology. It is important to be able to communicate and collaborate, be financially literate able to think critical and problem solving. The soft skills and nice to haves like communication and problem solving and creativity and collaboration have become a mandate alongside technical skills
Orientation a necessary step for Institutions to provide clarity to students
Orientation is a module that provides an overview of and key information of the Institutions about the University and approaches to learning, teaching and quality. Orientation is an important area which Institutions should focus on in order to provide clarity to students who are approaching higher education. Nowadays in the recent times online orientation has come into place where the students on a tap can understand about the Institutions sitting from a far pace. It usually used in the context of correspondence teaching.
What will education and learning look like ten years from now?
The traditional ways will not change but the tools that nowadays institute use and what focus on most definitely will and still it will learn by engaging directly with great educators. But as universities face pressure from students who want to see demonstrated ROI on their education costs, they will have to rethink how and what they teach. At the same time, by incorporating digital quizzes and assessments, videos, simulations, and gamification elements into course content, educators can create a dynamic learning experience for each student on an individual level. By capitalizing on the digital habits of students, the classroom can be filled with interactivity regardless of the class size or topic.
The truth is, technology is changing so fast that the differences in skills that used to happen between generations are now happening between students who are in the same college at the same time. And regardless of where you stand on the debate between manual and digital skills, the fact is that every successive batch of students becomes more and more tech-savvy. Since this is a reflection of what’s happening in the actual world, it makes sense that design educators – and educators from all streams – should seriously consider this issue about technology trends.
Blackboard, chalk, textbooks and ink pens are slowing becoming a thing of a past. It is time to embrace technology where digital facilities coupled with tech-savvy teachers are enriching students’ learning experience. A little glimpse into the dynamic digital world is indicative of how technology has given a whole new meaning to education.