Not long ago, technology started growing enormously in all fields, including education. Because of this, higher education has been going through some profound changes to advance in the same speed as technology has been evolving. Throughout this essay I will explain the benefits technology has towards higher education and the impact this evolution has in our society, but also the drawbacks it involves and how in combination with both they are shaping new generations to be prepared for today’s ambitious job markets.
Technology has been transforming higher education effectively in every field, from education methodologies to how collaboration extends to corporate-academic partnerships; but always putting the student’s needs first. “Technology allows students to become much more engaged in constructing their own knowledge, and cognitive studies show that ability is key to learning success,” says New York City-based Queens College vice-president, Susan Henderson.
Among one of the many changes universities have gone through is how it has changed today’s classrooms. An example of this is: At NYU’s top-ranked tax law programme, classroom courses are filmed with three cameras and a sound mixer, having the course online within 30 minutes. This facilitates the student to review the information given in class at any time. Another great potential benefit of technology is the expanded access to educational and reference resources that it provides. Within a click, a student has unlimited access to every kind of information, being able to learn, research or compare subjects the student might be interested in, from the comfort of their own computer or even smartphone.
Collectively such technological advances may lead to changes in the way courses are taught. “Teaching will become more outcome-based and student-centred,” says Polley Ann McClure, CEO of Cornell University, “to be truly transformative, instructional paradigms will have to shift. Students need to feel that they can plot their own academic path.” She adds. This means that professors will be more focused on the application of knowledge to specific problems rather than making the student memorize the material. Correspondingly, Polley Ann McClure is not the only one who shares this idea. “The professor’s role is evolving from structure to mentor,” says Sam Scalise, CEO of Sonoma State University. Stating that, we can se that the technological revolution has no barrier. It goes from first class, IVY League School to a small public State University.
Finally, one of the many goals these universities have in common is to achieve their students’ ambitions. An example of what students look forward with the technological development is being able to craft individualized degree programmes, either within their own university or by bonding coursework from different institutions.
Another eminence of technology is expanding the role of online learning. With specialized, customized and convenience online courses students are able to learn new subjects wherever they might be. Being a millennial in the XXI century and having online courses is immensely practicable due to the fact that a great percentage of people who want to major in something or have a post-graduate degree are, part-time employers, working professionals or students who can’t afford the luxury of assisting to classroom courses. These new sophisticated types of courses are meant to give education to everyone, no matter where they are from, their economic status or working schedule, everyone is able to have a higher education degree with online courses. Just as Dr Johnson supports “there are many people who desire certification or degree programmes who simply cannot attend a residential programme, be they single mothers, working professionals or non-traditional students. Its part of our public mission to reach those people, and we see e-learning as a vital tool in making that possible.” On the other hand, online courses can be as a supplement to face-to-face classes for residential students. It gives them the opportunity to go one step further with the information reviewed in class.
However, today’s universities face a new challenge: how not only to prepare students with an adequate education in their specific field of study but also to equip them with skills and knowledge to dominate technology effectively in their workplace. The rating competition for jobs is growing remarkably every day. Each year, students graduate with higher skills than the last generation, they graduate better armed for the new needs of the working industry, whether that is in knowledge, leadership, communication or technology. Consequently, universities have to keep up with the fast growing of today’s global marketplace to be able to provide their students the best proficiencies to prepare high quality professionals and being able to compete all around the globe. A further complication this growth is having is that, “Today’s millennials are open to collaboration, have an enormous facility for multi-tasking, and are at ease with new technologies. But they seem to have more limited experience in independent decision-making than past generations,” elucidates author Amy Lynch. This on account of students being acclimated with studying and working with technology always upholding them, and as a result, sometimes they tend to forget how to make autonomous decisions having an impact in their professional development.
Furthermore, another factor in the development of technology in higher education is the impact it has in the extension to corporate-academic partnerships. Considering that the university research and development departments once were the primary field for testing new achievements, tools and theories; corporations are now the ones who have the upper hand adopting new innovations. McClure, Cornell’s CIO states that one of the main causes is that, “Today’s students are used to getting what they need instantly. Universities have to respond to remain competitive, but those innovations often cost millions of dollars. How to fund those investments appropriately is on the top of everyone’s mind,” referring to money as part of the issue. Now when universities look to the private partnerships to support technological developments, companies are now the ones being selective in choosing partners. The quality of a university’s technology will be a significant factor in their decision-making process. This makes it harder for universities to magnify their technological infrastructure, because to able to be a competitive candidate for the partnership of private sectors, universities must already have a captivating technological framework.
As a result of all these changing factors university is going through, they acknowledge several challenges. The biggest one being cost, this being the greatest concern. Another one is that technology can be disruptive in the education process. Multi-tasking between laptop, smartphone and other technologies can distract students during classroom work. US Military Academy at West Point. Lieutenant Colonel Greg Conti, director of West Point’s Information Technology Operations Centre, says, “It is impossible to sit someone in front of the World Wide Web and expect them not to use it. We, as a faculty, teachers and administrators, have to recognise that if we’re going to use technology in the classroom, we must find additional ways to keep content meaningful, even if it comes down to the simple task of requesting computer monitors down during the instructional period and back up during hands-on portion of class.” In addition, another challenge that has taken place in the educational courses is the rise in plagiarism and cheating. One of the main reasons why this is happening is because of the anonymity they have online. They have more liberty in the cyber world than in classroom. By doing this, more online ethical and legal issues come into play. Lastly, one more obstacle in the education system is re-writing the education process. With all this technology in our hands, classes are being taught different nowadays and for this to be an efficacious diversification the education system needs to revolutionize. There are thousands of new methodologies and equipment universities can use in order to make their lections successfully technological.
María José Aguirre.
3er semestre de preparatoria.
