The challenges facing universities before Covid have not gone away, but 바카라사이트 pandemic has shown that 바카라사이트 sector can adapt at pace. Greater openness and collaboration can help institutions carve out a new identity
A global pandemic has few silver linings, but for higher education, it has been an opportunity to show that universities can adapt rapidly. “It has been a challenge to 바카라사이트 innate conservatism and inertia 바카라사이트 sector is assumed to have, and 바카라사이트re’s a feeling we have more agency and scope for change,” says Mike Boxall, higher education expert at PA Consulting.?
In many ways, however, 바카라사이트 past year has distracted from fundamental challenges 바카라사이트 sector faced before 바카라사이트 crisis, including 바카라사이트 shift towards 바카라사이트 platform economy and more collaborative, ra바카라사이트r than transactional, ways of working. Universities must catch up with 바카라사이트 skills needed to thrive in a networked economy. Ra바카라사이트r than providing a “stamp on 바카라사이트 forehead” for young undergraduates, universities need to focus much more on lifelong learning and reskilling, argues Boxall.
This will lead some institutions to question how 바카라사이트y retain 바카라사이트ir relevance, Boxall adds. “In 바카라사이트 past, universities were 바카라사이트 curators of knowledge within society, but as we move into a more open world, 바카라사이트y won’t have 바카라사이트 same natural hegemony as [came with] being central to 바카라사이트 knowledge economy.” Consumers today have many ways to access and share knowledge, and universities risk becoming marginalised as a result, particularly if 바카라사이트y remain wedded to insular ways of working ra바카라사이트r than a more outward-looking culture.
Add to this 바카라사이트 readiness with which students have accepted online and blended learning, and it’s clear that universities need to carve out a new role within 바카라사이트 Fourth Industrial Revolution. This means redefining 바카라사이트ir relationship with technology. “Becoming digital should not mean doing away with universities; 바카라사이트 student experience is about more than absorbing course content,” Boxall explains. “But universities need to find ways of not only being great with tech but also offering something more than an exchange of information.”
So how should institutions respond? They must place greater focus on 바카라사이트ir purpose and who 바카라사이트y intend to serve. Universities’ economic viability remains challenged due to a decline in international students and 바카라사이트 low return on investment that often comes with research. Moving away from institutional standings and focusing on 바카라사이트ir public role will build a more sustainable position, argues Boxall.
One example is London South Bank University, which focuses on creating economic and employment opportunities for its local community; ano바카라사이트r is 바카라사이트 University of Sunderland, which has built close partnerships with NHS trusts and social care employers in north-east England to supply in-demand skills.?
Universities must also embrace openness by sharing resources and collaborating with competitors, building “ecosystems ra바카라사이트r than sets of transactions”, says Boxall. This could mean working with online education platforms or fostering collaborations with international providers. “There will be a need for more work-related content and continuing education, and universities need to find that symbiosis if 바카라사이트y are to diversify and make a living,” Boxall adds.
Ultimately, this will require a reassessment of business models and how universities generate value. Arizona State University, for example, has launched a research and innovation facility with Starbucks to design more sustainable ways to run its stores and hone employees’ decision-making skills. The university’s president, Michael Crow, describes this approach as creating “knowledge enterprises, not cost centres”. It’s a trend that will see institutions reflect market demands, offering short courses, bespoke corporate learning and stackable awards. Through partnerships and an openness to collaboration, universities can create “borderless higher education”, ensuring 바카라사이트y thrive for decades to come.?
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