Changing the World in a Changing World

John Baker’s post raises a key issue. Our education system, especially at the college and university level, needs to prepare people to be ready for future-skills and capabilities which we are not yet able to specify. What will a competent IT skill set be in 2031 – just ten years from now? ? Education systems are not good at anticipating future skills, yet this is what is now needed. A focus on how to learn and how to maintain learning is not a part of courses and programs of study, but should be. ? In 2020 over 650,000 Canadian’s enrolled in a MOOC offered by one or more of the leading MOOC providers in the US and Europe. Many of these undertook assessments which gave them a micro-credential. These courses were available on demand, required tremendous self-discipline, involved some tuition support (usually from an AI assistant) and focused on a narrow range of competencies and skills. We will see more of these, but John Baker’s point is that there is a need for responsive education systems not hidebound by our current constructions of quality assurance, time (semesters, course lengths, time to complete) or the roles of teacher and student. ? - More on-demand courses - More peer to peer learning - More short-courses (three hours to eight days) - More assessment only qualifications – no courses - More ability for learners to build their own qualifications We are at a point where, post-pandemic, we could choose to build back differently and better. Let's indeed continue to have a conversation about what this could look like.

This is a wonderful summarising statement. “We strive at Union for education that is personalized, flexible and human and we do so with the use of technology,” Using technology to enhance education and make it even more personal and 'human' is vital in our modern world.