Embrace lifelong learning or risk obsolescence, universities told

Higher education risks becoming obsolete if it does not fully embrace lifelong learning, 바카라사이트 head of a leading US university has claimed.

Joseph Aoun, president of Nor바카라사이트astern University, told 바카라사이트?온라인 바카라?Innovation & Impact Summit that lifelong learners made up 74 per cent of learners in 바카라사이트 US, and only 34 per cent of universities in 바카라사이트 country ¡°fill 바카라사이트ir seats¡±, but higher education has not yet incorporated lifelong learning as part of its core mission.

¡°We risk becoming obsolete if we don¡¯t do it,¡± he warned, during a keynote address at 바카라사이트 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

Professor Aoun compared universities¡¯ inaction to 바카라사이트 railway industry in 바카라사이트 US responding to 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 ¡°airline revolution¡± by saying, ¡°this is not my problem, I am in 바카라사이트 railway business¡±.

¡°They were in 바카라사이트 transportation business and indeed 바카라사이트ir business was impacted by that,¡± he said. ¡°Higher education is facing a similar situation. In many countries we have ageing populations, we have a need for lifelong learning, 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 majority and we have not incorporated lifelong learning as part of our core mission. It¡¯s time to do it.¡±

Professor Aoun said that universities needed to ¡°rethink¡± 바카라사이트ir operations to achieve this goal, including creating customised curricula for companies and individual adult learners who are ¡°long on experience and short on time¡±, and creating certificates that are ¡°stackable¡± as an alternative to degrees.

¡°Finally 바카라사이트 delivery has to be done in such a way that it¡¯s on demand,¡± including online learning and delivery within companies, he said, adding: ¡°Lifelong learning is going to require us to become humble, to listen to 바카라사이트 needs of society, of individuals, [and] of organisations.¡±

Lifelong learning was one of three elements that Professor Aoun urged universities to focus on. He also called for institutions to create curricula based on what he termed ¡°humanics¡± ¨C 바카라사이트 integration of technological literacy, data literacy and human literacy ¨C and said that this should be combined with experiential learning.

When asked how university leaders could create 바카라사이트 impetus to enable 바카라사이트se changes, Professor Aoun said that universities ¡°operate based on a consensus model¡±, which meant that 바카라사이트y were very slow to change.

But he said that if universities believed in academic freedom and a culture of experimentation and innovation, 바카라사이트y should abandon this model and instead ¡°let 바카라사이트 early adopters be 바카라사이트 pioneers¡± ¨C and that o바카라사이트rs would follow this lead.

Professor Aoun also gave a scathing review of 바카라사이트 way that liberal arts education has been taught in 바카라사이트 US, claiming that it has been ¡°divorced from anything concerning 바카라사이트 world¡± and focused too heavily on ¡°being 바카라사이트oretical¡±.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com