4 Ways Higher Education Has Changed In The Last Decade
The education system has been in place for centuries now. Although modern universities and colleges are based on roughly the same models that were used in the past, their approach to higher education has changed in the last decade or so. Many of these changes have been occasioned by a better understanding of how students approach learning, as well as technological advances in the educational field.
Shifts in the Admissions Process
Colleges compete against each other for the best students. In the past, colleges would attract students based on the strength of their facilities, graduation numbers, prestige, and other factors. As competition has increased, colleges have been forced to change this approach, taking the focus away from the institution and instead focusing on what the students need.
A critical area in this regard is the admissions process. Colleges have had to come up with ways to reach students where they are through the use of technology. Universities understand that how they approach students says a lot about their institutions and that is why many consider using a college engagement marketing agency. By using such agencies, UK Universities, colleges and places of learning worldwide can come up with new ways of engaging potential students by helping students forge relationships with the admissions staff. These relationships make things like providing students the support they need, helping students better research different institutions, giving students access to admissions materials, and ensuring students find the best institution a lot easier.
eLearning is Playing a Bigger Role
Most modern universities and colleges use a blended model of teaching and learning. This is where eLearning is used to supplement what is taught in the classroom. Instead of only giving lectures and encouraging students to look up information in their textbooks, students are encouraged to supplement what they learn in the classroom with information from digital sources such as the internet.
When done right, eLearning enhances results reporting, makes social learning easier, and has been shown to offer better learning outcomes than traditional approaches to teaching.
Apps Are No Longer King
In the last decade, the use of apps as teaching tools has fallen drastically. When they were being used as teaching tools, they were hailed as the future, as they would replace textbooks and other learning materials.
As more universities and colleges develop their teaching platforms or collaborate with teaching platforms such as edX, the need for these apps has fallen, and it no longer seems that they are as important as many predicted they would be in the last decade.
Niche Graduate Programs
As careers and their requirements have changed, universities have also changed their offerings. It is now commonplace to see a degree in a narrow area of study. So, instead of seeing an MBA, you might see a Degree in Supply Chain Management and Logistics. This change has also been brought about by some careers or job titles disappearing and institutions of higher learning adjusting accordingly.
There is no doubt that higher learning has changed over the past decade. Many of these changes are due to how learners are now approaching learning with some of them necessitated by external factors such as changing job requirements and titles.