No going back to business as usual? – Times of India

NEW DELHI: 86% of Indian students think that access to digital content has changed the way they learn, 56% think that the way they study will not go back to how it was pre-pandemic. Across the world academic institutions are still reeling from the global pandemic, it’s “No going back to business as usual” is what emerged in emerging economies and globally 44% of the of the Gen Y and Gen Z respondents expect the changes brought in due to the Covid-10 to remain permanently.

A new EY report – Are universities of the past still the future – argues that universities in advanced economies are facing a number of existential issues in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on EY analysis about the future of the higher education sector and 29 interviews with university leaders from the US, UK, India, Singapore and Australia, the report finds that universities will quickly need to adapt to a new reality due to demographic shifts, geopolitical challenges, changing workplace demands and high student expectations for a quality digital experience.

As per the report, changing attitudes and behaviours toward digital and emerging technologies present new opportunities for universities across the globe to reinvent learning delivery. The generation of students coming through are digital natives. Online is where they live, learn and socialize. Their access to digital content has changed the way they learn, with almost infinite access to information, but greater challenges to assess the quality and validity of information. Educators must adapt their methods accordingly.
While 77% of the of the Gen Y and Gen Z respondents to the global survey said that the way they use technology changed during the pandemic, this proportion is higher in emerging economies (88% in Indonesia, 86% in India and 85% in Brazil) as against 66% in Scandinavia and 67% in France. Globally 45% of the global Gen Y and Gen Z respondents think that the way they study will not go back to how it was pre-pandemic, which again is higher in emerging economies (56% in India and 55% in Brazil) as against Western Europe (32% in France and 35% in Scandinavia).

Unless they reinvent themselves, universities in 2030 risk being like public libraries in 2021. “Universities need to stop trying to write every single piece of content when there are already terabytes of great content out there that students can access,” said professor Colin Stirling, president and vice-chancellor, Flinders University, Australia.

According to the findings of the survey, “Universities are moving to make quality digital learning a part of their core offering. Some are partnering with online learning platforms, such as Coursera, EdX and Udemy, to cocreate and disseminate courses. Others are using media production companies to produce slicker, more engaging content. A few are partnering with or acquiring digital first universities with fully formed online programs ready to go.”

As a course change, the report stated, that the balance of power will shift from the learning provider to the learner. Now, students have greater choice and flexibility. So, universities must offer courses that are distinctive enough to be selected.

“You have to think, what can you be distinctive at? If you have an online offering, it is almost infinitely scalable, but the customer will also be free to choose the best provider. So, you have to offer something really good and distinctive,” said Professor Adam Tickell, vice-chancellor, University of Birmingham, UK.

Calling for greater regulation and accreditation of providers, to help prospective students and employers evaluate the relative value of credentials, as per the report, “The lifelong learning sector, in particular, has no accreditation infrastructure. An increasing focus on value leads to greater transparency of learning inputs and outcomes. Universities will no longer be able to ask governments to fund them with no questions asked — or expect students to select them on the basis of location or brand reputation alone.”

“By adopting some form of common standards, the students should be able to transfer their credits across programs and institutions,” professor Souvik Bhattacharyya, vice-chancellor, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani.

Emerging economies, such as India and China, who were previously major exporters of students to overseas universities, are rapidly developing their higher education capacity and quality. However, this development has not kept pace with the demand from the expanding middle classes. Ambitious government targets for university enrolment, such as the 50% gross enrolment rate by 2035 outlined in India’s New Education Policy, are putting pressure on universities to rapidly expand their reach and their offerings, while maintaining standards of quality.

“In future, most of the programs will be on a blended mode, partially online and partially campus-based, which will also bring down the cost of education substantially as we go forward,” said Lt Gen. Dr Venkatesh, vice-chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), India.

Catherine Friday, EY Global Education Leader, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how far universities have to go when it comes to finding their place in the future of education and laid bare their over-reliance on on-campus learning and international students in shrinking domestic undergraduate markets. There is no going back to the way things were and technology will continue to change the game across the higher education sector. On this International Day of Education, universities need to start thinking and planning now for how they’re going to address the need for reinvention and fit into the post-secondary and lifelong learning landscape of the future.”