Modern education requires transdisciplinary and skill-based learning

To address modern problems in a sustainable manner, students today need to have a unique perspective, be critical thinkers and have a receptive worldview. Hence, a linear education system can no longer be helpful. Universities need to envision themselves as institutions of global standing and take a transdisciplinary approach towards education that holds promise to enhance students’ learning and development. 

It is often observed that students passively absorb material presented by an expert, and then just memorises them instead of applying creative solutions and navigating challenging situations. While traditional academic teachings have helped human progress so far, now that the economy is evolving at a rapid pace, a radical change of the rote teaching and learning process is crucial. That means doing away with the conventional ways of teaching and be equipped to provide students with a holistic and inclusive curriculum that opens their minds, makes them tackle challenges effectively, be industry-ready, cultivate respect for opinions and prepares them to be leaders in the true sense. 

A learner driven education system

Not every student is same, so a standardised education approach is no longer going to be beneficial. Students should be offered a personalised curriculum where the learning is tailor made to suit an individual’s interest. Although a student may need to choose a particular subject to pursue a career, that shouldn’t stop them from pursuing subjects they are passionate about. Essentially meaning a law student should be given the opportunity to study design, an engineering student should be given access to learn business management and so on. 

Industry in the classroom approach

More than reading or listening, students understand a concept better when they learn it through real life experiences. Thus, it is time that educators stop expecting students to apply fixed methods to arrive at a prewritten conclusion and instead encourage them to think creatively, form their own distinctive viewpoints and foster critical thinking which are very essential skills required today. This approach will eventually prepare students become adept to solving real world problems.

A mix of academic and extracurricular activities for holistic learning

Although being armed with theoretical knowledge is always beneficial, having a strong base of soft skills is also a very important driver of success in today’s day and age. Students should be made to participate in sports or cultural activities realizing the potential extracurricular activities have in building the character of a student apart from academics and domain knowledge. Social internships is also an interesting concept that can inspire students in a positive way and instil the necessary human and social skills that is required to excel in life apart from academics. 

For higher education institutes to make their students career-ready, would mean to equip them with skills that will help them navigate the waters of the future workplace scenario. In the future, just being literate on the fronts of relevant subjects, media, technology and information will increasingly lose relevance. But a healthy cocktail of academics mixed with important soft skills like leadership, productivity and collaboration will be extremely important.

Note: The article is written by the Brand Desk.