By Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, Joint Managing Partner, BH Associates, Joint Editor, Policy Reviews in Higher Education, Professor Emerita, Technological University Dublin.
Changing patterns of globalisation, demographic changes and population ageing, the technological and digital revolutions, and climate change will continue to revolutionise how and where we live, study, work, and socialise. Yet, for most of us, little has changed.
The structure of our education programmes remains based on traditional learners in full-time study. Boundaries between college/universities and the workplace/community are more porous, yet we are too slow to embrace new forms of learning and alternative credentials. And while we embraced digital during the pandemic, we have been too quick to revert to traditional approaches of teaching, learning and assessment.
Time to rethink our education systems, and address concerns about “labour mismatch”, talent shortages and skill gaps.[1] Here are three suggestions.
First, consider all learners as life-long learners and become age-neutral. This means removing (hidden) barriers to participation, and enabling learners of all ages, circumstances, and abilities to move flexibly in and out of formal, informal and non-formal learning over the course of their lifetime. This requires a speedier and more innovative response to curriculum design, delivery and assessment, with customised entry and exit. Transform ECTS into a genuinely flexible credit accumulation and transfer system.
Second, promote Learner Agency providing learners – increasingly with the aid of technology – with the “capabilities to navigate, influence, and take responsibility for their learning and education pathways and environments”.[2] Accordingly, education becomes more personalised according to circumstances, priorities, needs and interests. And assessment and credentialism shift to “what learners can do” rather than “what learners know,” and to assess “understanding and application” instead of “knowing and repeating.”
Third, prioritise sustainable structured civic engagement with societal partners to provide opportunities for colleges/universities and other educational providers, employers and regional/local authorities to work together to solve real-world problems and translate knowledge – this the message of the SDGs. Establish a University Advisory Council, and Programme Advisory Committees to advise on strategy, labour market, and R&I opportunities. And create an Institutional Research Unit, with the capacity and capability for foresight and analysis of future trends and skills needs.
[1] EU (2024, 20 March) “Tackling labour and skills shortages in the EU”.
[2] Klemenčič, M. (2023). A Theory of Student Agency in Higher Education. In C. Bail & E. R. Kahu (Eds.), Research Handbook on the Student Experience in Higher Education (pp. 25–40). Edward Elgar, p25.
Professor Ellen Hazelkorn
Joint Managing Partner, BH Associates, Joint Editor, Policy Reviews in Higher Education, Professor Emerita, Technological University Dublin
Professor Ellen Hazelkorn is an internationally-recognised expert in higher education and research. She was vice-president at Dublin Institute of Technology (now Technological University Dublin), has advised governments globally, authored over 200 publications, and is recognised for her contributions to education policy, rankings, and quality assurance in higher education. She is also a member of EURASHE’s Committee for Strategic Advice.
