Higher Education in an Age of Disruption

Professor Asha KanwarPresident & CEO, Commonwealth of Learning

Dr Sanjaya Mishra, Education Specialist: eLearning

Innovation Arabia 11 | Dubai, UAE | 11-13 March 2018

Commonwealth Heads of Government MeetingVancouver, 1987

To help Commonwealth governments and

institutions use technologies to improve and

expand access to education and training

ECONOMICGROWTH

SOCIAL INCLUSION

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Learning for Sustainable Development

Leveraging New & Existing Technologies

Plan

•Context

•Understanding disruption

•Technology trends in higher education

•Disruptive innovations & higher education

•Looking Ahead

Context

GER Tertiary Education- Global

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Retrieved on 7 February 2018.

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

40.00

2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

GER Tertiary Education- Arab States

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Retrieved on 7 February 2018.

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Women in HE

Source: https://tellmaps.com/uis/gender/#!/tellmap/79054752/2

Graduate Premium

Canadian example

Source: Berger, Joseph (2009). The Price of Knowledge: Access and Student Finance in Canada

Some Countries with High GERs

93.26

88.34

57.29

Skills Shortage

‘Countries have skills shortages, not degree shortages’

Andreas Schleicher

Skills GapCountries where employers have the most difficulty filling roles

Source: https://www.manpowergroup.com/talent-shortage-2016

Skills in Demand

Source: http://www.reimagine-education.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/RE_White-Paper_Global-Skills-Gap-Employability.pdf

ICT Growth- Global

Source: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx Retrieved on 7 February 2018

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Internet users (Per 100 inhabitants) Mobile Subscriptions (Per 100 inhabitants)

ICT Statistics – Arab States

Source: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx Retrieved on 7 February 2018

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Internet users (Per 100 inhabitants) Mobile Subscriptions (Per 100 inhabitants)

What is Higher Education?

• University

• Research Centre

• CollegeUniversity

Research

ExtensionTeaching

Typical Classroom

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/velkr0/3472576304 (CC BY)

Understanding Disruption

Disruptive Innovation

‘…describes a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established competitors.’

C. Christensen

Source: http://www.claytonchristensen.com/key-concepts/

Characteristics of Disruptions

• It is a process, not a product or service

•Perceived lower quality in the beginning

• Takes time to disrupt existing business

•New business model/s emerge

•Not all disruptions succeed

Disruptive Innovation Model

Source: https://hbr.org/2015/12/what-is-disruptive-innovation

Disruption in Higher Education

Mainstream F2F Higher Education

Open Universities and

Dual-mode institutions

Top-tier F2F Higher Education

institutions

Time

Low-end

High-end

Online and blended courses

MOOCs

Fourth Industrial Revolution

CC BY-SA Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Industry_4.0.png (User:ChristophRoser)

• From elite to mass

•Correspondence model

•Multi-media model

• Intelligent flexible learning model

ODL as Disruption Over the Four Stages

Gen 1 Gen 2 Gen 3 Gen 4

Philosophy of Open-ness

•Open as to people,

•Open as to places,

•Open as to methods, and, finally,

•Open as to ideasLord Crowther

‘Open-ness’ in Practice

•No entry qualifications

•Credit banking

•Cafeteria approach to courses

•Anytime, anywhere

Face-to-Face Courses

Blended Courses

Distance/Online Courses

Influence of ODL on Higher Education

Open and Distance Learning

- MOOC- Mobile learning

ICT integration in teaching and learning

Disruptions Happen

•Demands of a learning society

•When new technologies emerge

•New providers emerge

Technology Trends in Higher

Education

Impact of Technology

The effect of today’s technology on tomorrow’s jobs will be immense

- The Economist

47% of today’s jobs could be automated in the next 20 years

- Oxford University Study

Re-educating Rita

• Technological progress, and artificial intelligence in particular, will require big changes in the way education is delivered….

• Automation could have a much bigger impact in developing economies …because much of what they provide is …embodied labour.

NMC Report 2017

Source: http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2017-nmc-horizon-report-he-EN.pdf

NMC Report 2017

Source: http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2017-nmc-horizon-report-he-EN.pdf

Rise of the Messaging Platforms

Source: https://www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jsp

Gartner Hype Cycle

Innovations in Higher Education?

Disruptive Innovations &

Higher Education

Disruptive Innovations in HE

Disruptor Disruptee

MOOC/Blended learning Classroom/Lecture

BlockchainAccreditation authority/ Degree mills?

Micro-credentials/Badges Degree?

Open Education/OERFor-profit colleges/ copyrighted course materials?

Massive Open Online Course

“MOOCs are online courses designed for large numbers of participants, that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere as long as they have an Internet connection, are open to everyone without entry qualifications and offer a full/complete course experience online for free”

- Mulder & Jansen, 2015

Implications of MOOCs for HE

Present Future

National or provincial

jurisdiction

Interaction at the campus

Print+ (audio, video, online)

Global classroom

Increased use of Peer2Peer learning

and social media

Online+ (increased use of adaptive

learning)

Blockchain

• Integrity of records and identities of learners critical in Quality Assurance

• Blockchain entries cannot be modified

• Deployment in online learning is a rapidly emerging possibility

Blockchain in HE

Implications of Blockchain for HE

Present Future

Paper certificates

Verification challenge

Manual authentication of work (such a portfolios

Digital permanent certificates

Complete online verification

E-Authentication of work (ePortfolios)

Credits for formal

learning and/or

Employment

Proctored Test

OnlineLearning

Industry-Academic

Partnership

Micro-credentials

• Short duration• Modular

approach• Skills based

• Community learning

• Self-paced• Mentoring

support

• Verifiable credential

• Project-based

• Job-ready• Reduced cost• Blended with

F2F for formal degree

Implications of Micro-credentials for HE

Present Future

Semester courses

Less flexibility

Limited mobility

Shorter courses

Bundling/accumulation of

credits

Transferability of credentials

Open Educational Resources (OER)

Materials that are:

• Free and freely available

• Suitable for all levels

•Reusable

•Digital

Implications of OER for HE

Present Future

High costs of textbooks

Institutional Teams

Student as consumer

Free quality content

Global Teams of course developers

Student as producer

Technology & Employability

Source https://hbr.org/2015/09/whos-benefiting-from-moocs-and-why

Looking Ahead

The New Learner: 1980’s

• ‘New Learner’: adult learner who looked for new education, training and/or skills for personal development, promotion, change in career, and/or enhanced job requirements

Digital Native: C21

• ‘Digital Native’: technology-savvy learners, usually young school-leavers

The Emerging Ultimate Learner

• Has the means to learn

• The mindset and motivation

• Lifelong learner

• Multidisciplinary, analtyical, ethical, innovative, disciplined, respectful, collaborative

The Student in 2035

Division of Learning:“Maker, Doer,Thinker”

Artificial Intelligence: Holographic Advisor Bot

Advanced Communication:

Languagetranslation implants

Micro-coursesLearning at

home:Immers-A-Casts

Broadened classrooms &

Blendedcourses:linking of multiple f-f

classes via technology (mega-pixel

walls)

Reference: BIG SHIFTS ARE COMING! LOOKING BACK FROM 2035 .www.contactnorth.ca

I. Lifelong learning

• Simply reforming current education systems …to meet future skills requirements is not going to be enough….

• Ageing countries …will need wholesale reskilling of existing workforces throughout their life

II. Integrating Employability

• Balance between theory and practice; hard and soft skills

• Engage industry: internships; apprenticeships

• Link QA to employability

• Career support

• Measure capabilityrather than number of hours Credit Hour Range of skills

Sensitisation

Career Counselling

Evaluation Drills

Career Support

Upon Graduation

Penultimate Year

After Induction

Before Admission

Employability pathway in HE

III. Inclusion

• Policies to address gender/class disparities

• People with Disabilities

• Providing affordable, low-cost options for learning

Early Birds Catch the Worm

• Transform curriculumand pedagogy

• Facilitate the link between education, labour market and learner

•Harness appropriate technology

Photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earlybird_gets_the_worm_(16888219726).jpg

Thank you

www.col.org