education changes

A major change is coming down the channel, the shift to certification by competency. Basically, this says that an individual will not be able to get a post secondary degree without being able to take theory into practice. Accumulation of credit hours will not be the defining criteria without a demonstration of the ability to apply the skills learned whether in the humanities or engineering.

More interesting is that such competencies need not be acquired primarily in the institution awarding certification. And, the time-in-residence will not be a defining requirement. Learning and certification is acquired at the pace that meets the learner’s needs. This does not preclude formal course requirements or other traditional vehicles for mastery of knowledge.

What is even more relevant is how the knowledge to be mastered is packaged for a student. It may not require, though may include, a traditional instructor delivered course in the form of a lecture. The model could be closer to an Oxbridge type of experience. What makes this possible on a large scale is the technology of the internet which can provide experiences of various types as private 1:1 tutoring to what is termed a MOOC or Massive Open, On-line Course offered to several thousand in real or virtual time on the Internet.

As this future is approached we need to consider the past. Knowledge, at one time, was locked in the heads of scholars and artisans who had schools and workshops or traveled to communities selling their skills/knowledge in order to maintain their scholarly pursuits. The printing press put much of this into a permanent form that could be shared or used by scholars to enhance their own skills and those of their students. Modern technology gradually increased its capacity to capture that knowledge and distribute it in a variety of formats. Today, even the knowledge delivered by scholars can be captured and distributed synchronous or asynchronously. Many students, today, are acquiring the traditional knowledge as it moves from brick space to click space. This includes preschool students to professionals seeking to stay current in various areas. The “scholar” has become “virtualized”.   This disrupts the traditional education system preK-Gray, which requires that educational institutions and the knowledge workers need to seriously engage with the changing landscape.