A Fork in the Road

With an ever-increasing challenges to higher education, colleges and universities must adapt quickly to keep up with the times. Nevertheless, numerous opportunities exist for positive and adaptive change, amid these pressures. It’s not easy to adjust, but we’ve shown in the last few years that we can do so via innovation, change, and a laser-like concentration on the students we serve. A wealth of helpful material is found in books, papers and reports released last year. The debates have been ferocious, if not frightening.

The future of higher education is at a fork in the road. To fulfil the demands of students, the economy and the many stakeholders in the education ecosystem, the sector, as a whole, must undergo a radical transformation. At this point in time, no area of higher education is immune to the tectonic shifts. Leaders who aren’t willing to change will be exposed. The present challenges need strong leadership and cross-institutional collaboration. Here is the moment to exercise agility and responsiveness rather than rigidity.

In today’s world, higher education is no more an isolated sector that sits in an ivory tower. Students want to be involved in the decision-making process and expect a return on their investment.

To provide equal opportunity and access, several obstacles must be overcome. Gaps will remain significant, making it impossible for all learners to get a meaningful education. Due to the high cost, location, curricula, and marginalisation of particular communities, whole segments of society are shut out of higher education.

Underserved students are often targeted with misinformation, which increases their lifetime debt and decreases their investment returns.

There will be a reversal of fortune for Pakistan’s higher education system if the disparities between rich and poor students aren’t addressed. Equity is not a one-time event but rather a way of life that must be adopted by everyone in higher education.

The frequency with which the phrase “higher education is broken” is bandied around is deafening. For argument, let’s pretend that assertion has some basis in fact. Colleges and universities should think about collaborating more inside and outside their walls.

There is a pressing need for educators to look to new methods of teaching and learning that are based on current conditions rather than historical precedents. Change must be deliberate and based on feedback from both internal and external stakeholders. As a society, we must ensure that all voices are heard.

Soon, there will be a significant reduction in the usual 18- to a 22-year-old students.

Adult education has been on the rise for quite some time now. A more diverse clientele, including those older and in the workforce, may help institutions thrive at this point. According to recent studies, the number of returning service members pursuing post-secondary education is rising.

A dearth of public universities is causing an increase in the number of private universities throughout Pakistan. Institutions must be ready to help students succeed and complete their degrees in an increasingly diverse community. Affinity groups and appropriate support services are crucial to a person’s ability to persevere in adversity.

Higher education has undergone a paradigm shift with the shift to online learning. The epidemic brought to light the difficulties and possibilities presented by distance education. Programs are no longer constructed with a single objective in mind. Instead, the perspective is wide open with a variety of options for distribution.

As a result, students are no longer the only source of knowledge. Instructional designers who have worked with various educational approaches generally form the nucleus of today’s institutions. The particular pedagogical demands of adult learners are well-understood by many people. There is an increasing desire for flexibility and access. In response, colleges and universities must concentrate on ensuring the quality of their programmes. New people with distant learning couldn’t prepare and study ahead of time during the epidemic. Since then, significant training has been made accessible.

The on-campus study will never lose its appeal for individuals who choose and can benefit from a residential or commuter education. Appropriate technological improvements might elevate these on-campus educational options. A sense of urgency created by the epidemic has propelled the fast expansion of online education throughout all higher education.

Competency-based education is on the rise to ensure that students’ progress at their own pace toward graduation. The capacity of a college to monitor workforce outcomes and capabilities is well-received by businesses and industry.

Transferring between educational institutions continues to be a problem for the whole country. There is a growing disservice to students because of the increasing barriers across and within the HEI sector. The public expects the system to have more up-to-date transfer policies. A student should be able to take the asset (read credits) they have secured to any accredited university in Pakistan. Understandably, retention of students (read: customers) is part of private universities’ key performance indicator. However, retention should not mean holding students hostage for the entire duration of the programme.

(The writer is an EdTech expert)