Education 2047 #Blog 20 (15 JUN 2024)
Upon dissecting the terrain of Indian higher education, three glaring mistakes emerge:
Mistake 1: Perpetuating Linear Education Model
In practical terms, there appears no distiction between the approaches to learning, the structural frameworks, and the evaluation methods- across the educational spectrum, from primary to tertiary levels. This lack of differentiation is palpable in the layout and design of classrooms, the delivery of instruction, and the format of examination papers. Higher education ought to transcend the rote memorization commonly associated with primary and secondary schooling. Instead, its primary objective should lie in challenging the minds, making the learners think and instilling the abilities to assess, create, and excel.
Presently, higher education predominantly relies on the dissemination of pre-existing knowledge through textbooks and lectures, sidelining the cultivation of critical thinking. Consequently, a significant proportion of graduates emerge lacking in employability, research acumen, and entrepreneurial spirit. To address this shortfall, educators must propel students beyond mere memorization, presenting them with real-world challenges that stimulate higher-order cognitive skills. Acknowledging the distinct learning processes of adults vis-à-vis children, the principles of andragogy (the method and practice of teaching adult learners) and, in the era of digital learning, heutagogy (a student-centered instructional methodology emphasizing autonomy, capacity, and capability development) should serve as guiding lights in higher education practices. The linked image illustrates the differentiation among the three pedagogical approaches.
In higher education, in alignment with Bloom's Taxonomy, the emphasis should squarely lie on nurturing the skills requisite for evaluation and creation. The pressing question here is whether students can acquire these skills merely through textbooks and instructions from their teachers? The resounding answer is no! The current educational paradigm at this level tends to be restrictive, prescriptive, and facilitative, sorely misaligned with the imperative of skill development. Students entering higher education should already have honed the abilities to apply, analyze, comprehend, and retain knowledge, irrespective of the subject matter, before exiting secondary school. Subsequently, they should progress independently under the guidance of a teacher, adhering to the principles of heutagogy.
Mistake 2: Embracing Instructivist Teaching Styles
In the realm of higher education, teachers generally adhere to a front-facing approach, treating students as passive receptacles awaiting the infusion of knowledge- a relic reminiscent of primary education practices. Consequently, teaching becomes like delivering sermons, akin to religious figures addressing their followers! Is this not a fundamentally flawed approach for higher education, effectively hitting pause button on learners' thinking? Educators must pivot- assuming the role of mentors, guides, pathfinders, coaches, or navigators- and position themselves at the back of the learners. This polar positional shift is essential to cultivate an environment conducive to skill development- whether it be in critical thinking, analysis, or creativity. Rather than merely disseminating content for indoctrination, instructors must orchestrate experiences that challenge students (now adult learners) to immerse themselves deeply in the subject matter.
Regrettably, higher education continues to prioritize classroom instruction over experiential learning, neglecting the impartation of crucial knowledge, skills, and experiences. In the age of artificial intelligence, where personalized and adaptive learning looms large, the true value proposition of academic institutions lies in delivering meaningful experiences. Failing to prioritize experiential learning jeopardizes the relevance of higher education, exacerbating the persistent issue of graduate unemployability. It is imperative now for students to take ownership of their academic journey, diligently mastering the subject matter, while faculty members should meticulously design experiences that foster challenges, critical thinking, and foresight.
In the realm of higher education, teachers generally adhere to a front-facing approach, treating students as passive receptacles awaiting the infusion of knowledge- a relic reminiscent of primary education practices. Consequently, teaching becomes like delivering sermons, akin to religious figures addressing their followers! Is this not a fundamentally flawed approach for higher education, effectively hitting pause button on learners' thinking? Educators must pivot- assuming the role of mentors, guides, pathfinders, coaches, or navigators- and position themselves at the back of the learners. This polar positional shift is essential to cultivate an environment conducive to skill development- whether it be in critical thinking, analysis, or creativity. Rather than merely disseminating content for indoctrination, instructors must orchestrate experiences that challenge students (now adult learners) to immerse themselves deeply in the subject matter.
Regrettably, higher education continues to prioritize classroom instruction over experiential learning, neglecting the impartation of crucial knowledge, skills, and experiences. In the age of artificial intelligence, where personalized and adaptive learning looms large, the true value proposition of academic institutions lies in delivering meaningful experiences. Failing to prioritize experiential learning jeopardizes the relevance of higher education, exacerbating the persistent issue of graduate unemployability. It is imperative now for students to take ownership of their academic journey, diligently mastering the subject matter, while faculty members should meticulously design experiences that foster challenges, critical thinking, and foresight.
Mistake 3: Relying on Examinations to Assess Competence
Examinations in higher education predominantly evaluate memorization skills, reflecting learning methodologies more suited to children and adolescents. However, adults thrive through hands-on practice, experimentation, and real-world application, fostering critical analysis, evaluation, and creativity- elements vital for experiential learning. Consequently, assessments must evolve to encompass open-ended challenges mirroring real-world scenarios, while also destigmatizing failure and encouraging risk-taking.
Accordingly, it's high time to abolish proctored, time-bound, and memory-centric examinations, shifting towards an examination-free higher educational paradigm. Instead, assessments should be based on rubrics for evaluating projects, internships, assignments, and essays. Rubrics offer invaluable feedback, enriching the learning journey, necessitating comprehensive training for all educators. This transition must elevate standards beyond those prevalent in primary and secondary education. Furthermore, post-entrance exams, students should be empowered to pursue studies aligned with their aptitudes and passions, prioritizing skill development over rote knowledge acquisition.
These three mistakes demand immediate rectification to equip adult learners as vital contributors to society. Failure to address them will impede our ability to foster intellectual property and cultivate innovative minds. Embracing a bottom-up approach (that is, rectifying the three mistakes) will encounter fewer obstacles, as it involves an organic process driven by human ingenuity. This method proves far more effective than the top-down strategies highlighted as the fourth mistake.
Mistake 4: Overemphasizing Innovations as an Academic Strategy
Simply put, innovation blooms when an idea gains market acceptance. Consider refrigeration, a monumental industrial age innovation that profoundly impacted human longevity. Despite existing for over 2000 years, the idea lay dormant until the advent of electricity. Similarly, the concept of 3D television, conceived in the 1830s, remains overshadowed by evolving technologies. Hence, an idea transforms into innovation only upon garnering market traction; otherwise, it remains just an idea. Unfortunately, academia often hypes innovation without grasping this fundamental principle. Any new development on campuses swiftly earns the label of innovation, neglecting its market potential. Alas!
The Harvard Business Review reports that successful entrepreneurs globally have an average age of 45 years, suggesting that students typically require another 22 years to succeed- hardly the profile of college students! It was reported that the median age of startup founders in India is about 31; so, do then, innovation really happen in academic institutions? It must be appreciated that an idea traverses three phases- knowledge development, technology development, and market development; and given this fact, do our academic institutions possess the competence even to assess and proclaim innovations? No! Furthermore, it's vital to acknowledge that our academic system discourages risk-taking, while many Indian families prioritize financial security. So, academic environment acutually supports generation of ideas, not innovations and this needs to be borne in mind.
Undoubtedly, innovation and entrepreneurship are essential for economic growth, but they grow out of the seeds of ideas. The academic systems serve as sources of novel ideas, necessitating more investments in resources and infrastructure and restructuring higher education. This entails earnestly rectifying Mistakes 1, 2 & 3 on priority, in our institutions of higher learning. Resistance to addressing mistakes (to usher in desirable change) is inevitable, and many faculty members may perceive this shift as labor-intensive and painful. However, by taking care of three mistakes, we can liberate educators from the monotony of lectures and mindless examinations, promoting research and meaningful engagement with students. With this, there is also hope for preserving the esteemed role of teachers in academia. Unfortunately, institutional shortcomings persist, exacerbated by Mistake 4's diversion of focus from addressing Mistakes 1, 2 & 3 collectively.
A noteworthy correctional initiative in this direction was the establishment of AICTE-IDEA (Idea Development, Evaluation & Application) Labs in engineering colleges across India, nucleated during the pandemic times. These labs provide digital fabrication facilities, enabling students and faculty to transform their ideas into prototypes and significantly enhance the quality of learning. By imparting skills and ensuring round-the-clock access, AICTE prepares charged-up faculty and better-skilled graduates; in short, an atmosphere supportive of acquiring higher-order cognitive skills (without fixating solely on innovations). Such an intervention becomes all the more important, after redundance of classrooms in the age of internet became luminous during the global pandemic.
Examinations in higher education predominantly evaluate memorization skills, reflecting learning methodologies more suited to children and adolescents. However, adults thrive through hands-on practice, experimentation, and real-world application, fostering critical analysis, evaluation, and creativity- elements vital for experiential learning. Consequently, assessments must evolve to encompass open-ended challenges mirroring real-world scenarios, while also destigmatizing failure and encouraging risk-taking.
Accordingly, it's high time to abolish proctored, time-bound, and memory-centric examinations, shifting towards an examination-free higher educational paradigm. Instead, assessments should be based on rubrics for evaluating projects, internships, assignments, and essays. Rubrics offer invaluable feedback, enriching the learning journey, necessitating comprehensive training for all educators. This transition must elevate standards beyond those prevalent in primary and secondary education. Furthermore, post-entrance exams, students should be empowered to pursue studies aligned with their aptitudes and passions, prioritizing skill development over rote knowledge acquisition.
These three mistakes demand immediate rectification to equip adult learners as vital contributors to society. Failure to address them will impede our ability to foster intellectual property and cultivate innovative minds. Embracing a bottom-up approach (that is, rectifying the three mistakes) will encounter fewer obstacles, as it involves an organic process driven by human ingenuity. This method proves far more effective than the top-down strategies highlighted as the fourth mistake.
Mistake 4: Overemphasizing Innovations as an Academic Strategy
Simply put, innovation blooms when an idea gains market acceptance. Consider refrigeration, a monumental industrial age innovation that profoundly impacted human longevity. Despite existing for over 2000 years, the idea lay dormant until the advent of electricity. Similarly, the concept of 3D television, conceived in the 1830s, remains overshadowed by evolving technologies. Hence, an idea transforms into innovation only upon garnering market traction; otherwise, it remains just an idea. Unfortunately, academia often hypes innovation without grasping this fundamental principle. Any new development on campuses swiftly earns the label of innovation, neglecting its market potential. Alas!
The Harvard Business Review reports that successful entrepreneurs globally have an average age of 45 years, suggesting that students typically require another 22 years to succeed- hardly the profile of college students! It was reported that the median age of startup founders in India is about 31; so, do then, innovation really happen in academic institutions? It must be appreciated that an idea traverses three phases- knowledge development, technology development, and market development; and given this fact, do our academic institutions possess the competence even to assess and proclaim innovations? No! Furthermore, it's vital to acknowledge that our academic system discourages risk-taking, while many Indian families prioritize financial security. So, academic environment acutually supports generation of ideas, not innovations and this needs to be borne in mind.
Undoubtedly, innovation and entrepreneurship are essential for economic growth, but they grow out of the seeds of ideas. The academic systems serve as sources of novel ideas, necessitating more investments in resources and infrastructure and restructuring higher education. This entails earnestly rectifying Mistakes 1, 2 & 3 on priority, in our institutions of higher learning. Resistance to addressing mistakes (to usher in desirable change) is inevitable, and many faculty members may perceive this shift as labor-intensive and painful. However, by taking care of three mistakes, we can liberate educators from the monotony of lectures and mindless examinations, promoting research and meaningful engagement with students. With this, there is also hope for preserving the esteemed role of teachers in academia. Unfortunately, institutional shortcomings persist, exacerbated by Mistake 4's diversion of focus from addressing Mistakes 1, 2 & 3 collectively.
A noteworthy correctional initiative in this direction was the establishment of AICTE-IDEA (Idea Development, Evaluation & Application) Labs in engineering colleges across India, nucleated during the pandemic times. These labs provide digital fabrication facilities, enabling students and faculty to transform their ideas into prototypes and significantly enhance the quality of learning. By imparting skills and ensuring round-the-clock access, AICTE prepares charged-up faculty and better-skilled graduates; in short, an atmosphere supportive of acquiring higher-order cognitive skills (without fixating solely on innovations). Such an intervention becomes all the more important, after redundance of classrooms in the age of internet became luminous during the global pandemic.
In conclusion, the glaring mistakes identified- treating higher education as a mere extension of primary and secondary schooling, clinging to outdated instructivist teaching methods, perpetuating with student-facing teachers, relying on archaic examination systems, and attempts to beat innovators out of students- vividly expose the systemic flaws eroding the essence of higher education. To confront these challenges head-on, a decisive and unwavering effort is imperative from both educators and regulatory bodies. We must catapult a paradigm shift towards prioritizing the cultivation of higher-order cognitive skills, championing experiential learning, overhauling assessment practices, and fostering an innovation culture deeply rooted in market demands. Only by tackling these foundational issues can we revive the true purpose of higher education, empower our students to excel in a rapidly changing world, revitalize the pivotal role of educators, and reclaim India's stature as a global economic powerhouse. Let us unite in this endeavor to forge a Viksit Bharat—a nation poised for greatness through the transformative power of education.
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Author
is Pro Chancellor, JIS University- Kolkata (Ex-Adviser, AICTE/ MOE/ GOI & Ex-Scientist TIFAC/ DST/ GOI)
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