Higher Education: The Last Frontier

What it is and what it should be

In Higher Education we are used to talking about professors, not educators; we are used to talking about research methodology — “publish or perish” — and not teaching methodology, that is, pedagogy.

We all know that education isn't about publishing, yet in academia that is how one advances. Education isn't about efficiency; it's about preparing future generations to lead and live together in this world. Teaching is the means by which teachers guide students and reach these goals.

We know research matters, but this time we're going to focus on teaching. It's clear that professors advance in the academic world by researching and publishing. We also know that technical institutions of higher education must provide technical knowledge as quickly and efficiently as possible, to prepare and train more professionals. But I propose setting both of these assumptions aside, and focusing instead on the assumption that education aims to prepare future generations.

Therefore:

Institutions of higher education (universities, academies, seminaries and institutes of technology) carry a great responsibility on their shoulders — they are the last ones to “meet” future generations.

If we agree with this “simple” idea, there are some questions we should ask ourselves, and I invite you to think them through together.

Do these institutions provide Certificates, or an Education?

Today, higher education students understand that their studies are “key” to their future. They know they have to walk this path and move forward.

Although the Council for Higher Education (in Israel) oversees these institutions, and the Chair of the Council is the Minister of Education, it's clear that these institutions are organized very differently from any other educational institution under the ministry. In many cases, they don't see their responsibility to society as a primary goal, compared with the rest of the education system.

At times they seem more interested in “customers” and “partnerships” than in “students” and “collaboration with the community.” They focus more on the revenue they receive per student and per research project than on the social value of a well-educated, responsible citizen about to enter the “real world.”

To my surprise:

When I spoke with students (at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, during one of my visits), they turned out to be far less practical and functional than I had imagined, and much more involved and engaged. They expressed a sense of belonging to the institution, and an interest in receiving an Education.

The fact that they wanted a certificate from a recognized university didn't mean they didn't also want good professors and a meaningful educational process — something they said mattered to them too.

It seems universities have not only understood this but have also begun investing in developing better teachers. When I met with Prof. Aaron Palmon — Head of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the Hebrew University — one of the things that struck me most was how attentive and invested this center was in adapting the process and content to students' needs and preferences. One example is an evaluation form students use to rate their professors. Unlike other university forms that students are less interested in filling out, this center developed a form whose response rate grew rapidly. The reason: they put the students at the center, not the university's own goals.

Is classroom teaching a side effect of research, or is it part of the Professor's profession in its own right?

In the academic world, the path to individual advancement runs through publishing. The problem is that universities don't always have the funding or the connections to help their lecturers publish. This is why university professors don't concern themselves with teaching: they work at the university so that they can work on their research.

What's more, when we look at seminaries, academies and institutes of technology, many instructors are professionals teaching to earn extra income.

In both cases, the fact that they don't enjoy or care about teaching is tied to the fact that, for the most part, they are not educators and/or don't know how to teach.

After reviewing five well-regarded higher education institutions in Israel, I was surprised once again:

Over the last decade, Teaching and Learning centers or departments have been created. In fact, these institutions now concern themselves with the professional development of their professors. What's more, today every institution of higher education in Israel has one of these centers, in which considerable resources are invested.

Researchers are now enjoying teaching, and as a result they are daring to venture into new technologies or methodologies in their classes, building flipped classrooms or using educational apps during class.

Is the classic University part of the future of Higher Education?

A few new developments are threatening the classic status quo of higher education — for example: MOOCs and online universities.

MOOCs — Massive Open Online Courses are offered by many online platforms. There you can find all kinds of courses for your own development. Today, even the largest universities are offering courses as MOOCs. Not all the content is available, and not all of it is free. This shows that universities remain relevant in this new world.

Online universities matter because they reach places and people who don't otherwise have access to higher education.

Either way, neither of these replaces the concept of the university. In my opinion, I don't think universities are going anywhere in the short term. In a world suffering from infoxication (too much information, to the point that we can't decide what's good and what isn't), these institutions matter.

Likewise, the social ingredient still plays an important role — the teacher as a role model, and classmates for peer learning and social interaction. This will be hard to replace, even with the most advanced technology.

To conclude: higher education began as training centers meant to prepare young people for jobs. In much the same way, the schools we know today were created during the Industrial Revolution and European colonialism, with a different objective in mind. Schools have changed in some ways — a delicate subject I'll address another time — because our perception, as a society, of what school is for has changed. The same is happening with institutions of Higher Education. The stages of life have shifted — adolescence, for example, has lengthened — and our expectations of Higher Education are changing along with them.

Today, the higher education system is “the last frontier,” where the future generation must learn the values, ideas and skills they need for adult life. The higher education system is the last frontier where the future generation can question the things that matter about their country, their society, their culture, or even their beliefs. The higher education system is the last frontier where future generations can shape their identity and their understanding of the world, and of everything around them.

And Higher Education teachers need to be there for them — ready to guide and support them, to provide an education, and to remain relevant throughout this process.