Education in the fast changing world
The education system is created to train people to meet the need of the society, and it must evolve with time as the need changes. The traditional education system is created on training people to meet the need of the agriculture society. These people go to school, pass some examinations to become public officers, administrators for the government (In the old day: The Emperor). This system is now obsolete because the teaching method is based mostly on “memorization of facts and formulas.” In today's environment with the explosion of technology and knowledge, memorization is obsolete. (Who would need to memorize anything when there are Google, Wikipedia, and mobile phone?)
The modern education system was created in Europe around the “Renaissance age” and become the “de facto” standard in the world today. It helps the societies to transition from the agricultural focus to an industrial focus. In this education system, students learn the basics such as science, math, and social science, etc. which broaden their knowledge so they can apply to their jobs in an industrial society. The education system is organized into several levels (Elementary, high school, and college.) with many separated fields of study. Students learned things they needed to get a job, depending on their level of education and their particular field of study. However, the learning usually ends when they graduate from school. This system is becoming obsolete because the teaching method is based on isolated knowledge of the field of study. A scientist is focusing mostly on science without pay attention to others. A business person is also focusing on finance but ignores the impact of their action on others. In today's environment with many complex and interrelated problems, this isolated thinking is obsolete because it cannot solve problems. In this fast changing world, this type of training no longer equates to success in meeting the need of the society.
The lifelong learning education system is focusing mostly on the continuous improving people's knowledge and the ability to solve problems. In this approach, students learn the fundamental knowledge in schools, but their learning continues throughout their life as things changes. Success is not based on obtaining a degree but having the knowledge and skills that can be applied in working life and adjusts to every situation. In this new education system, students also learn about the interface between several fields of study and interaction among them to develop innovation solutions. For example, Computer Science and Biology is integrated into a new field called Biotechnology, and in the past ten years, 80% of bioscience innovations came from this field. The combination of Molecular Biology and Information technology is called Bioinformatics;
Software Engineering, Cognitive Science and Medicine is integrated into a new field called Neuroscience, etc. The interdisciplinary concept is a shared view that combines the best of several fields to solve today's problems that the isolated thinking of the traditional and modern education cannot solve. For example, business people did not pay much attention to technology throughout most of the first half of the twentieth century until the automation trends disrupted and completely changed it. As interdisciplinary approach is spreading rapidly in universities to synthesize broad perspectives, knowledge, skills, interconnections, it helps create many innovations in biotechnology, nanotechnology neuroscience, and biochemistry, etc. According to several studies, interdisciplinary or the combination of several areas within STEM fields is becoming the future of innovations and should be taught as the new education system of the 21st century.
The major problem today is the resistance to change. Academicians who are educated by the traditional education do NOT like the modern industrial education system because the academia's view and industry's view differs greatly on what should be taught. Students who graduated by “memorization” and passing exams often do NOT have the skills to meet the need of the industry and may NOT be successful in their jobs. This situation is happening in countries that are still following the traditional education system. The same thing is happening with students of the modern industrial education who are now having difficulty to deal with the fast-changing technology trends. They have the skills to get a job, but without lifelong learning habit, when their skills are no longer needed, they are eliminated. Currently, there is a big gap exists between the traditional and industrial age education and a bigger gap in the modern education and what people need to stay competitive in this information age. This situation is now happening mostly Europe and America, as change is still taking place in their education systems.
A society that does NOT want to change will not survive. An education system that refuses to change will be obsolete. A student who does not continue to learn will not succeed. The only survival skill in this rapidly changing world is the ability to respond to change. As an educator, I believe each student is responsible for his or her education. I believe students must be provided with adequate information for them to make the right decision. With the Internet, students can find almost any information that they need and with the proliferation of the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) they can learn anything that they want. Today it is possible for a student in the under-developed country to catch up quickly with students in developed countries by seizing this opportunity to obtain the needed knowledge and skills. Today it is also possible for people with the right skills in any country to immigrate to another country where their skills are valued. In this globalized world, national borders are disappearing quickly; people do have their choice, and they will make the right decision.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
