The Transformation of University Learning for the Future

Recap: EduGrowth Melbourne EdTech Summit

The Melbourne EdTech Summit 2022 focused on the future of learning in the growing digital age. We heard from industry experts Clair Sadler, Claire Hopkins, and David Bowser about realising the human potential and how relevant this is as universities seek different teaching approaches for the future.

Education providers can adjust to the new way of student engagement by thinking about the future of work — particularly when the next-gen workforce will be completely different to the one we know today.

Here are our key takeaways on how to adapt for the future of learning.

Students will follow diverse pathways

With future students set to have up to 7 different careers in their working life, re-skilling is more important than ever.

Having multiple careers predicted in their lifetime, the future student is a learner for life who desires continuous re-skilling — and universities need to meet the evolving needs of both them and the broader education industry.

Successfully transitioning between jobs means utilising your current skills while learning new ones. But if the gap between these old and new skills is too large, then a smooth transition between jobs is disrupted.

The contemporary workforce also requires more highly transferable soft skills than ever, and as we see technology increasingly automate the workplace, pathways to traditional careers become even less linear.

Optimise the online user experience

User experience (UX) will be critical regardless of learning mode.

The challenge

Students expect to be supported during every step of their journey from admission to graduation and beyond. They want engagement that reflects their own preferred digital consumer experiences.

The solution

In response to this, tech support staff are crucial – automation, developers, and UX designers are the backbone when it comes to assisting universities in developing online education offerings. Hire them or fail at your peril.

More than ever, universities need to be student-centred and deliver personalised experiences for each individual coming through. This means focusing on relevant content that resonates with prospective students.

Universities as well as students, care about getting more bang for their buck, and are beginning to assess the offerings more critically. Students want validation that the skills they learn will translate into jobs of the future.

There is a generally bigger focus on bringing in unique career offerings and outcomes, as opposed to the generic messaging around graduate outcomes. 90% of leads (student enquiries) come via mobile and marketing teams are adjusting their approach for mobile. A millennial’s attention span to consume social content is 6 seconds, and Gen Z is about 3 seconds. How are universities adjusting their teaching approach to align with the way students consume content?

Maximise learning potential through Edtech

Apply skills learnt in the classroom in a real-life setting.

Leveraging virtual and hybrid internships can provide the solution to students exploring potential industry avenues. How can we re-frame the study areas to be more aligned to the careers of the future and get domestic school leavers excited?

Alishia Albright made a great point about Australian students having to choose a specific program/course of study often when they aren’t sure what they really want to do. How can we better provide a space for students to explore different areas of interests to narrow down what path they want to take?

A Bachelor in your Future would be epic. Full of core business skills, interpersonal skills, internships, confidence building, problems solving, creativity etc.

One company at the forefront of revolutionary education is HEX, youth business entrepreneurship programs that seek to give innovative skills for the gap year generation. They aim to prepare students to “lead in an exponential world” by training up future startup founders, social activists and corporate innovators, and giving them the skills, tools and brain-hacks they need.‍

On the other hand, universities such as Southern Cross University empower non-school leavers to take back control of their future through study, addressing significant changes in the student experience and complex pathways to higher education.

TLDR?

There is no denying that technology is completely changing the way that education is being delivered to students. Graduates face an employment climate that is moving towards increased automation and less traditional career paths.

Students seek more from their degrees, especially transferable life skills that can be used beyond the classroom throughout their professional career. Universities have the opportunity to embrace and implement new methods of teaching to better equip students with necessary skills to tackle the competitive job market.