The future direction of education is one of the key issues arising from the coronavirus crisis and three leading directors discussed the challenges and opportunities facing all levels of learning during the thirdCanon\u2018Frontiers of Innovation Forum 2020\u2019online webinar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since remote learning became the norm in March, debates have swirledabout the merits ofonline learning, education\u2019s role in a post-COVID worldand how to avoid \u2018digital divides\u2019 among students of all ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The three panellists \u2013 Michael Gernon, Chief Education Innovation Officer, GEMS Education, Raya Bidshahri, Founder & CEO, Awecademy, and Ashwin Assomull, Partner, L.E.K. Consulting \u2013 shared their contemporary learning and industry insights with viewers on Canon EMEA\u2019s LinkedIn page (https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/canon-emea\/).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gernon said GEMS Education has invested US$500 million in technology in the last 10 years and the transition to remote learning was relatively smooth. \u201cWe didn\u2019t change any piece of technology and wanted students and parents to use the same tech that they use every day in school \u2013 continuity is really important\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bidshahri \u2013 whose Awecademy is designed to prepare learners, educators, and industry leaders for a radically different future \u2013 saidremote learning provided the chance for a reset. \u201cWhen I hear about students\u2019 disengagement levels I ask \u2018how engaged were they previously?\u2019. If you digitise the same content, it\u2019s going to be futile. A lot of people blame distance learning where in fact it\u2019s the underlying ways, offline and online, that\u2019s actually broken.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gernon said the future of education is less about knowledge and subject content, and \u201cwhat you do with that knowledge to be solution- and real-world focused\u201d. To that end, GEMS Education has launched five Centres of Excellence in Dubai, focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics; Digital Industries and Sustainability; Aviation and Space; Performance and Theatre Technologies; and Entrepreneurship and Youth Start-Ups. Gernon said the emphasis has to be on creating new pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat we are hoping to get is a series of credentials that shows this person is skilled in these areas \u2013 that\u2019s a much better preparation for the world of the future, but there needs to be a change in mindset that examinations are not the only way of measuring student success\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Awecademy has developed partnerships with Al Futtaim Education and ADEK in Abu Dhabi. \u201cStudents are saying it\u2019s filling in a lot of gaps in their curricula \u2013 but 80-to-90% of their time is with core subjects which creates bottlenecks,\u201d said Bidshahri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added another hurdle is regulation with many governments globally mandating subject-based knowledge and sticking to old methodologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assomull highlighted its report with the Jacobs Foundation, showing how public and private sectors are working together to deliver \u201camazing programmes\u201d in Nigeria, Pakistan and Colombia. \u201cThe most important thing is that it\u2019s sustainable and doesn\u2019t require the same investment year on year. There is scope for the public and private sectors to work closer together to share best practice in more developed countries too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gernon said more leading companies and universities are embracing change, citing Harvard University\u2019s decision that it wouldn\u2019t require undergraduate applicants to submit ACT or SAT scores next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the first time ever that students have gone to university without taking exams, yet they\u2019ve been able to demonstrate their academic prowess in different ways. There\u2019s a great opportunity to re-examine our industry and standardised testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s most important is having a clarity of vision about what should a learner look like in future and how should you prepare for it? We\u2019re in a system that doesn\u2019t quite do that. We can spend US$5.7 trillion per year on education but what is the impact on the future of schooling, if nothing changes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next discussion on \u2018Future of Communication\u2019 will be held on Wednesday, July 8 (18:00 GST).Tune in to Canon EMEA\u2019s LinkedIn page (https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/canon-emea\/). The forum is moderated by Etithne Treanor, Founder & CEO, E Treanor Media.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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