When I recall the times that Flash Gordon traveled through outer space in his spaceship, wearing his spacesuit and talking on his wireless radio, I find it hard to not laugh. Now, I’m not laughing. We have today sent astronauts into space, put men in Space Stations, created space suites that measure your temperature and pulse, and have wireless communication devices that send photos to Planet Earth. It seems far-fetched, but it is possible. But not anymore. We are looking at the future as we speak. We wait to see what we do with her in the next 5-10 year.
How has science-fiction been made a reality in the last 50 years? Let’s look at one aspect of innovation: post secondary education. You may be wondering why post secondary education? Programs to accommodate students will evolve into programs that allow students to design and create systems on a daily basis. Is there a risk involved in adapting? When change happens, there are risks. Leadership should know how to deal with these risk areas diplomatically. Change can bring about the following risks:
o Systems risks
o Subsystem risks
o People
o Economic/financial risks
o Societal/Cultural risks
Communication between people and systems within an organization environment will reduce risks. As long as creative teams are open and honest about their concerns, the risk factors will be minimal.
Let’s take a look at the future using ‘futureoculers,’ and discover how we can bring the universe of learning into the present. Five (5) key trends I believe impact the current learning environment and can bring about change. These trends may be the key to a change in institution’s perspective on post-secondary education. These are the key trends:
o Competitive classroom learning environments – campus on-site/online/distant
o Technology tools are becoming more advanced
o More hands-on teaching/learning environments
o Global expansion capability – internal and external
o Student input during the creative learning process
Navigational Systems
Prior to identifying the five key trends, it is important to acknowledge how these trends will be supported in a changing environment. De Kluyver and Pearce II believe that having the right systems, processes, and subsystems improves organizational effectiveness, which helps with adapting to change. An organization’s ability and capacity to adapt can be hindered by poorly aligned systems or processes. It is important to assess the impact of current systems and processes on an organization’s ability implement a specific strategy. To ensure successful implementation of a strategy, support systems, such as budgeting, accounting, planning, and information systems, can be crucial. Superior support systems can help companies adapt faster and more effectively to changing needs. Planning is a well-designed process that ensures planning is organized, receives the right amount attention from the right executives, and is balanced between internal and external focus. Accounting and budgeting systems are invaluable in providing historical data, setting benchmarks, targets and defining performance measures. All other corporate systems can be supported by a state-of the-art information system. It facilitates analysis and internal and externe communications. A well-designed reward and incentive system is crucial for creating motivation and commitment. A process or subsystem is a method of doing things in a systematic manner. They can be formal or informal, they can define roles and relationships within organizations and can help or hinder change. Some subsystems or processes go beyond the immediate concerns of implementation and focus on building a greater capacity to adapt to change. These subsystems/processes are designed to foster continuous improvement and learning in an organization. For example, subsystems or processes are functional and support the operation of the system. The system could be Student Services while the subsystem could be Financial Aid office or Admissions. In relation to office operations, subsystems may be more detailed. This includes employee positions and culture, financial advisors, guidance counselors, and academic advisors. These subsystems are human-level functions that can have a positive impact on key trends. Employees who are appreciated and rewarded for their service and dedication will contribute to the success of the subsystem.
The Navigator
A map, a plan and a driver are essential for any navigator to be able to guide others on a successful trip. The driver can be described as a combination of several elements.
o Service integrity, reputation
o Accessibility through an open door model
Hughes and Beatty refer to drivers as Strategic drivers. These are the few factors that determine a company’s ability to sustain competitive advantage in a specific industry or competitive environment. Also known as key success factors, factors of competitive success, and key value propositions. To ensure people are focused on the best strategy and competitive advantage, a small number of strategic drivers is necessary. As an organization fulfills its key driver, drivers can be changed over time or the relative importance of those drivers can shift. Drivers are used in post-secondary education to measure success rates such as course completion, retention and acceptance into universities. They also help with student employment. Leadership must be able to anticipate changes and keep up with global trends because education is constantly changing.
As mentioned earlier, drivers can identify entity types that support their success and help to determine the integrity of subsystems and systems’ internal and external functions. They are:
o Clientele Industry – external Market – feeder high schools, socio-economic demographics and geographic populations
Competitors: Local and Online Educational Systems
Nature of Industry – Promote a Learning Community
– Governmental Influences – licensed curriculum programs that are supported by federal, state, or local funds
– Economic and Social Influences – Job market, employers, outreach programmes
College Planning and Environment – internal
– Capacity – Open door environment
– Products and Services – High demand curriculum programs that meet federal, state and local high-demand employment requirements
– Market position – Promote on- and off-campus activities that draw clients
– Customers – Traditional and Non-Traditional Credit and Students
– Systems, processes and structures – qualified staff and state of the art technical systems
– Leadership – compassionate, integrity-driven leadership teams
– Organizational culture – promote activities on campus that encourage a pro-active environment for students
Hughes and Beatty believe that these functions can be incorporated into the Vision, Mission and Values statements in order to identify the key strategic drivers to creating successful environments.
Navigating to a Destination
Recognizing systems, subsystems and drivers allows us to see the destination and their importance in building a foundation for the five key trends. These five (5) key trends will define strategic thinking from a global perspective. They also help to understand futuristic thinking, which includes imagination, creativity, communication among leaders, and risk taking. These are the five (5) most important trends:
1. Competitive Classroom Learning Environments – campus on-site/online/distant
Education today has the unique advantage of being able to accommodate students at all levels: academically and financially. These are the main reasons why one school is chosen over another. There is a shift in the tide. Post secondary schools now compete for students, so students who competed for places in high school are no longer a valuable asset. The only way to get into college is not through high schools. Students are now coming from home schools and religious schools as well as charter schools, high-risk schools, private schools, religious schools, ATB-tested environments, and career schools. How can an educational system keep students motivated and attracted to a learning environment that is interactive? Wacker and Taylor write that every great enterprise starts with a promise. Every product that a great company makes is an expression of that promise. What is the best way to attract students to your school? Post secondary schools can help students prepare for the demands of daily life and the challenges of community life by creating learning/teaching spaces. Schools can consider incorporating a learning model to enable professors and/or community leaders/entrepreneurs to team teach in the classroom/online environment. Team teaching will provide valuable perspectives into the learning environment and give students the real-time perspective of the working community. Frank H.T. quoted an excerpt from “The University at the Millennium – The Glion Declaration” (1998). For the Louisiana State Board of Regents Report, Rhodes, President Emeritus of Cornell University wrote that universities were learning communities. He also cited the “The University at the Millennium: The Glion Declaration” (1998), which Frank H.T. cited. These functions are essential and distinctive contributions to society. They form the basis for an unwritten social contract, where the public supports and finances the university and accepts its professional judgement and scholarly certification. This gives the university unique institutional autonomy and scholarly freedom. To learn is to experience learning; to use knowledge is freedom; and to combine them is wisdom.
2. Teaching/learning environments – more hands on
Post secondary educators will have to give up their traditional teaching methods and create group teaching models. Students will gain a better understanding of the classroom environment, as well as the professor’s approach in understanding the learning styles of different classes. Teachers are realizing that inclusive learning styles can improve the teaching model. This will lead to better retention, higher grades, greater camaraderie, and a higher respect for the professor. Professors will develop relationships with students. Lectures will be shorter and more manageable. Students and professors will learn to interact and enhance their classroom environment.
3. Capacity for global expansion – internal and external
Students live in virtual global environments, or are affected by global elements. The clothes they wear, as well as the games on their electronic toys, are all made overseas. War games that they play can be identified with global war games. This scenario offers a truly global learning experience. They are not seeing what they get; they are experiencing a global learning experience in real time. James Morrison suggests that universities and colleges need to increase their use of online learning in order to keep up with unprecedented student demand. This will allow them to reach more students without having to build more classrooms. Professors must ensure that their students are able to access, analyze, process and communicate information. They also need to be able to work with people of different cultures and engage in self-directed learning. Christopher Hayter states that post secondary schools must be “Globally Focused” for the 21st Century, which includes a global market and international focus. This means that students are taught the skills necessary to be competitive in a global market and that they have international benchmarks for their mastery. This may mean that there will be a greater emphasis on learning languages, understanding other cultures, and understanding business practices from other countries.
Businesses are increasingly expanding internationally, opening foreign offices and training staff from these countries. Do college graduates have the ability to adapt to different cultures and work alongside employees who might not be able? The development of curriculums that are inclusive of cultural and social entities will help students reach higher levels of learning, create change and support their careers for the future.
4. Students’ input is important in the creative learning process
The gatekeepers of education are professors. As the Baby Boomer Professors retire from the education workforce, the younger generation of professors will replace them, bringing with it innovative teaching methods that can enhance the learning process. Is post-secondary education prepared to handle the influx of young educators who will be required to train for this massive shift in the workforce? What is most important, are those professors stuck between Boomers and Xer’s willing to adjust to the changing education industry in order to accommodate incoming generations. I believe that younger generations will have an impact on the technological industry, and will be willing to challenge the change that will prepare them for the future. Students of the previous generation have adapted slowly to technological advancements. Change can happen, and educators can use life experiences of students who are familiar with technology tools to create engaging learning environments.
5. Technology tools are increasing
An Executive Summary was written by the National Governors Association for a report called “Innovation America-A Compact for Post Secondary Education.” It states that, while the United States’ post secondary education has achieved significant successes in the innovation economy and the United States’ public post secondary education system risks falling behind other countries around the globe. These nations have made huge efforts to connect post secondary education with the specific needs of their industries and regions. This report shows that American post secondary education is losing ground when it comes to creating innovative and imaginative educational spaces. Can this trend be reversed? Leadership can work with post-secondary educational institutions in each community to create co-op learning spaces that can be supported by e-learning. This can also allow for virtual reality technology that can enhance real-time learning environments. A shared technology program that provides students with access to a virtual business environment and gives them insight into specific industries can be developed through the Business Development programs currently being established at post secondary schools. Students can gain work experience and education while they prepare for their transfer or graduation. This idea could force Human Resource departments to develop new requirements for accepting college graduates who are virtually experienced as they enter the workforce.
Reaching the Destination
Flash Gordan’s Spacecraft lands on unclaimed territory. You imagine yourself turning the handle of the spaceship using your spaceship gloves and opening the door with excitement. You feel your heart race, your sweat running down your forehead, and your eyes half-closed, waiting to see a new, beautiful world. Then suddenly the TV turns off. Your Mom is standing before you, telling you to get up, clean your room, and stop daydreaming. You think to yourself, “You just destroyed my imaginary world!” Did I mention, Mom, that this was you as an infant growing up and using your imagination to create the world?
Can you now see the potential of my visual world to help you see the future and inspire others to see the benefits of positive change in your life and in the lives of those around you? T. Irene Sanders stated that thinking in pictures allows us to connect our intuitive sense of the world and our intellectual understanding. We need to combine the skills of intuition and imagination with our analytical competencies to see and understand the complex issues that confront us every day. Visualization is key to insight, foresight and the next revolution in strategic planning and thinking.
Is it possible to SEE the drivers, systems, and five trends from a visual perspective, in a post-secondary educational setting? This is Strategic Thinking. It is a cognitive process that allows for the collection, interpretation and generation of information and ideas that will shape an organization’s competitive advantage. It is essential to keep up to date with technology and other global developments. This will enable you to use your creativity to remain in tune with the global context. Flash Gordan was introduced into the paper by the author to create a visual image that would demonstrate imagination fulfillment in a current day reality. What is the limit to what can be done when it is well-tuned and ready for excellence? Are there any risks in not utilizing strategic thinking in the components mentioned in this article
Education isn’t about the past, it’s about looking to the future. These five trends are just a starting point for a new adventure in an unknown world. Are you a college student who wished that things were different, more exciting and more adventurous when you were there? Think about the technology-savvy age groups. Are post-secondary educators prepared to instruct/teach future students? Education must encourage strategic thinking and take risks to bring post secondary education back into the global future. Arthur Hauptman’s article “Strategic Strategies for Improving Student Success In Post Secondary Education” (07) concluded his report with four elements.
1. While student success is becoming a more prominent topic of conversation, policies are often not in line with the rhetoric. Many policies, whether intentional or not are benign and often counterproductive to student success.
2. Most states have focused their policy on lowering tuition fees or providing financial aid to students. This neglects the important of providing sufficient seats for all students and a set of incentives to encourage institutions to recruit, enroll and graduate students most at-risk.
3. There has been some progress in the development of modern practices that can provide the right incentives to redress this old imbalance. However, there is still much to be done.
4. Students can be more prepared by creating incentives for colleges to enroll and graduate students at higher risk. This could lead to a significant increase in retention rates and degree completion.
These five trends could be used as a starting point to rebuild or strengthen the weakest link of the system. There is ample evidence that there is a problem, and it’s a good place to start. The choice is up to educators to build and prepare for our future, our students. Consider these five trends to help you plan your institution of higher education.
