Education in 2080 is distinctive from education in the 2020s. Until about 2035, the main function of education systems was to supply the economy with the next generation of workers. In 2080, the purpose of education is the well-being of society and all its members. To make this a bit more tangible for you, I would like to give an example of what a child’s education looks like in 2080. Her name is Shemsy. Shemsy is 13, and she is confident and loves learning.

Shemsy does not go to school in the morning because schools as you know them no longer exist. The institution was abolished as it was widely thought of as more like a prison or a factory than a creative learning environment. Schools have been replaced with “Learning Hubs” that are not restricted to certain ages. They are where intergenerational learning happens, in line with the belief that learning is a lifelong pursuit.

Every year, Shemsy designs her learning journey for the year with a highly attentive “teacher-citizen”. Shemsy is actively engaged in designing her education and has to propose projects she would like to be involved in to contribute to and serve her community. She also spends lots of time playing as the role of play in learning has finally been recognized as essential and core to our humanity. Shemsy works a lot collaboratively. Access to education is universal, and higher education institutions no longer differentiate themselves by how many people they reject yearly. Variability between students is expected and leveraged (利用) as young people teach one another and use their differences as a source of strength. Shemsy naturally explores what she is curious about at a pace she sets. She still has some classes to take that are mandatory for children globally: Being Human and the History of Humanity.

We invite you to think about your vision for education in the year 2080, what does it look like, who does it serve,and how does it transform our societies?

“We are living in an age for learning, when there’s so much knowledge available that one would think that this is good news for higher education, yet we’ve seen enrollment (入学) in higher education drop for six years.” said Bryan Alexander, who often writes about the future of higher education.

“The fact is that to maintain affordability, accessibility and excellence, something needs to change,” said Rafael Bras, Georgia Tech’s president. Among many impressive ideas about that, three point to the possibility of a very different future for colleges and universities.   

1) College for life, rather than just four years. The college should turn itself into a place for lifelong learning that allows students to “associate rather than enroll”. The system that receives students once in their lives and turns them out with approval to become alums (校友) and come back on occasion and give money is not the right model for the future.

2) A network of advisers and coaches for a career. If education never ends, neither should the critical advising function that colleges provide to students. It’s promising that artificial intelligence and virtual tutors will help advise students about selecting courses and finding the best career options.

3) A distributed presence around the world. Colleges and universities operate campuses and require students to come to them. In the past couple of decades, online education has grown greatly, but for the most part, higher education is still about face-to-face interactions. Why not blend the two worlds?

Whether the ideas will become real is, of course, unclear, but what is clear is that colleges and universities are about to undergo a period of deep change — whether they want to or not — as the needs of students and the economy shift.

It’s a joyful and stressful time of year in the United States for students and their families as they make decisions about where to attend college. Families often turn to rankings systems to help make a decision. 【小题1】

When I talk to families as a scholar of higher education, they’re often surprised that teaching excellence is not counted in rankings. 【小题2】

Emerging research suggests that courses in lower-ranked universities, on average, scored higher on teaching than courses in higher-ranked universities. 【小题3】 The absence of teaching excellence from the rankings is surprising given the link between high-quality teaching and student success. Quality teaching is one of the most important predictors of a wide range of college outcomes.

Rankings, however, are only one reason why a low value is placed on teaching in higher education. Administrators often don’t view teaching excellence as a way to increase enrolment (注册) or funding. 【小题4】 Research shows that the more time instructors spend on teaching, the lower their salary. What is the result? Many instructors continue to teach using traditional lectures, which lead to lower success rates.

【小题5】 Nevertheless, not much will change until schools with high-quality teaching are rewarded with more resources, higher rankings and increased enrolments. In the long term, universities, organisations that rank schools, and others should work to make teaching a valued, core part of the mission.

What should students and their families do? They should give strong consideration to universities where high-quality teaching is valued, even though the schools may be ranked lower.