Every domain has to undergo changes at some point in time to ensure contiguity and to adapt to the changes in world. Higher educations is no different, and higher education changes seem to realize the need to implement certain changes.
I do believe higher education institutions need to change the way of teaching. Two-third of students attend universities to secure “financial stability”, yet we still see high numbers of under-employment” ( 6 Reason Why Higher Educations Needs to be Disrupted, 2019). There is a general questioning of how university qualifications translate to work, with a growing number of employers expressing reservations about graduates’ job-readiness and potential to add immediate value to the workplace”, which raise some questions about how much a good job do universities prepare students for jobs once they graduate and how useful what is taught is besides the seats of classroom.
Lectures and courses taught should be given with some application level, allowing students to sense how would they use this theoretical knowledge in their careers. Lectures should include higher skills need in the job market, real-life problems, practical discussions and intellectual analysis rather than the same set of notes taught from year to year. Students need to value the knowledge offered to them, and held accountable of preparing for a more advanced interaction inside the classrooms, increasing their critical thinking skills and problem solving abilities.
Changes could force student to look into course notes before coming to class, undergo an assessment and then, based on this, be allowed to participate in further class discussions and advanced problem-solving. This doesn’t have to be the only way to change, but it one suggestion to rather increase the effectiveness of role of higher education institutions in better preparing students to emerge within jobs with higher levels of practical knowledge needed in work, and therefore increase their value and chances in the job-market.
I totally agree with your post, Reem. A lot of universities are lagging on preparing students for job market. Your suggestion of bringing the application to the teaching is well-said. However, I think assessing students prior to each class is somewhat extreme and hard to pull off.
Thank you for sharing your perspective on changes to higher education. I was reading the article by the Pew Research Center (February 2014), and it was reported that 50% of college undergraduate students regretted not having more work experience to prepare them for the work-force. I think the use of mentorship from the first day of enrollment would be beneficial to the student. It could potentially help to identify their areas of interest and the “reality” of what the career they are interested in really like.
Thank you for the post. I agree with you that most universities do not prepare students for future careers. In universities students are being equipped with knowledge and some basics that are needed in the work place. However, what universities miss is preparing students to be flexible and be able to bring some kind of skills when required. In other words, the change, that I think is needed regarding this topic, should include bringing some life to the courses, so they become more active rather than just writing notes and being tested on specific materials.