2022 Year-in-Review: Top Five of My Most Viewed Education Posts

Change is hard. But innovation, in any field, demands change. And for any organization to achieve continual success over time, change is required. The biggest obstacles limiting change are not a lack of knowledge, skills, or technology. They are us, ourselves—the same force calling out for a need to change! Nothing can be more accurate about change being hard than in higher education.

We can all agree that education needs to change, but in the same breath, we then comfortably say, "that's how I learned it," which is a circular logic that needs to be broken. Companies complain about graduating college students needing more critical thinking and communication skills but still hire them primarily based on the degree held and the number of bullet points on a resume. Higher education talks about teaching critical thinking and communication skills are essential for future careers. Still, professors instruct without making the topics relevant beyond the classroom by focusing on academics and assessing student learning with high-stakes testing only to demonstrate rote memorization. When colleges and universities only accept the self-selecting, highest achievers, no wonder there are diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges in higher education. The underserved population's lack of an ideal learning environment makes them not competitive to be considered for college admission in the first place.

We can all agree that test scores, GPAs, standardized test scores, or college degrees do not solely represent a person's true potential. Yet, when we talk about a person's education (as students, parents, higher education institutions, employers, etc.), those start off the conversation and never spend time talking in-depth about a person's #growthmindset, #grit, and #agency to become #lifelong leaners. Understanding these more meaningful characteristics about a person requires more time and effort, but isn't that the point of #innovation?

The first step to real change in education is not adopting the latest research or technology; it all begins with ourselves, recognizing that we need to continuously think differently from what we know about education, be open to change from what we are used to before any constructive improvement conversations can be had. We must adopt the same #growthmindset?mentality we asked for in our?#students.

The following are my #2022 #topfive of My Most Viewed Education Posts:

In?#education, it's easy to fall into the "that's how I learned it" trap. It equals the American computer scientist and US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper's famous sentiment that the most dangerous phrase in the language is: "It's always been done that way." True #educationinnovation?requires a?#growthmindset?(continuously test your knowledge), something we ask?#students?to learn for?#studentsuccess, but as educators, we should also practice what we preach.

It is unrealistic when?#education?primarily teaches solving problems with one solution, on homework, quizzes, tests, etc., for assessment, especially in?#highereducation. The #realworld?does not work that way. Even worse,?#students?are primarily judged based on providing that one answer for?#grades. No wonder?#students?are trained to #memorize only what is taught by the?#professor?for test scores rather than thinking for themselves for proper understanding. Consequently,?#employers?are seeing the lack of #criticalthinkingskills with new?#graduates?because they seldom have the chance to practice?#criticalthinking?to navigate complex real-world problems with no well-defined answers.

#collegeeducation help with upward social and economic mobility. However, low #college #retention, #persistence, and #graduation rates stifle the pathway. Moreover, considering the high #studentdebt and long time #commitment, with many #collegestudents not able to see the #relevance of how #highereducation is related to their #career, it's no wonder more people are questioning the value of #highereducation. Champlain College is doing something worth noting.

#collegeeducation?has roots catering only to the select few, primarily focusing on training?#thinkers. However, today's?#promise?of?#highereducation?is to #prepare #students?for?#futureworkforce, and?#uplift?their?#socialeconomicstatus. Then the #college?#curriculum?can no longer be irrelevant to the?#knowledge?and?#skills?needed in the?#industry.

#covid19impact?made pre-pandemic?#diversityinclusionequity?challenges in #highereducation?more visible. That said, another underlying issue of low student motivation to go to college also needs to be addressed. Given the high cost, long time commitment, inadequate student support, and minimal understanding of the relevance to career goals, no wonder?#college?#retention,?#persistance, and?#graduation?rates are alarmingly low.

#highereducation #change #resistance #leadership #tradition #decisionmaking