The only problem with colleges and universities is that they have become profit machines essentially barring students of limited means from attending.
The core of what colleges and universities do have probably never been more important.
I fully understand that there is a lot of talk about certification for specific skills being the future of higher education. But let’s just start with agreeing that one of the main reasons for that is what i mention in the first sentence:
The old model has become too expensive. It’s not broken per se. It’s just too damn expensive for most people.
So what’s good about college and (to some extend) university? Essentially what many people claim is bad (apart from the costs):
Generalization.
There is a lot of chatter that generalists are on their way out because specialists are all we need.
I think it’s a mix.
Yes, we need specialists. More so than ever. If for nothing else due to the sheer complexity of many specialities.
But we also need these specialties to be built upon a solid foundation; a more generalist approach and experience that serves as a guidance for how the specialty comes to fruition on a more practical level.
Being a generalist is a big part of how we are equipped to think, decide and act in various situations. Cutting that away generally leaves us with a hammer without necessarily understanding how to identify and pin point the right nail.
It makes us smaller contributors, not bigger.
Thus we’re back at the outset and the real problem:
The solution to the higher education problem is not discarding education and replace it with certification alone. It is making sure that higher education is accessible to talent, so that we can reap the rewards. Both as individuals and as society.
Higher education profit maximization is essentially choosing short term optimization at the expense of longer term profit for all.
It’s actually pretty stupid, when you think about it.
Via Futurist Speaker
(Photo: Pixabay.com)