The wastelands in our tertiary education landscape; How technology can help
Dubbed “The Zik of Africa”, Nnamdi Azikiwe (1904 - 1996) founded newspapers in Ghana before becoming the first President of the Republic of Nigeria in 1963. In his day, he observed that “Originality is the essence of true scholarship. Creativity is the soul of the true scholar.”
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Today, the essential question for progress supports that earlier reflection. But, this is the rub: How come we are supposed to grow into creativity, and yet not only are our students unwittingly educated out of it, they are often denied the use and benefits of creative possibilities and innovative solutions?
The old-school mindset tends to retard the progress of our tertiary institutions. For one thing, the flaccid ways of doing things stunt the capabilities that our youth need to advance and be functional. Add to that predicament, the various teachers strikes and our youth are stranded at the very edge of despair. Now victims of adults’ wrangles in situations the youngsters did not start, what are they supposed to do with their time while they wait uncertainly for the bureaucrats to get their acts together?
Even in the best of times, we have cause to worry about the awkward reasons for the need for an Association of Unemployed Graduates. Now with the various strikes added to the mix, we are forced to ask, “Where’s the future for our teeming youth?” The puzzle seems to fit neatly into the quandary the Americans call, “a double whammy!”
There has to be an ingenious way out for the youth to continue their learning with or without teachers’ strikes. Unimpeded access to education is a necessity; the lack of suitable models stall progress. As opposed to the old model of tertiary institutions - where timetables are drawn to fit academicians that service only a tiny elite, and keep all others out - today, access to the brightest ideas and know-how of practitioners have to be possible for all citizens. And advancements in technological applications are great for the purpose of 24-hour inclusiveness, that is, to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
Removing boundaries, and making education more accessible - to more pupils and ordinary citizens alike is the hallmark of the 21st century. These days, cognitive infrastructure are as just as important as the physical ones such as buildings. Whoever would have thought that in a matter of a few years, Wikipedia (an internet facility, free online) could wipe out an entire industry such as Encyclopedia Britannica. [A phenomenon of “Creative Destruction”, a phrase coined by the economist, Joseph Schumpeter (1883 – 1950)]
For the modern methods, a website is necessary for every course taught from the tertiary syllabus. The site must contain the course outlines, the course materials, the online citations and links. Additionally, the lectures need to be uploaded at the sites for easy access, any time, any day, anywhere.
The platform and ability to access information is a first step rather than a last. The last step is where there is the capability to explore and use the information at one’s disposal; that is, to connect the facts, theories, hypotheses, deductions and the lectures. The task of framing the right questions and solving pressing problems to elevate societies is the ultimate obligation. Without such modern tools and abilities, the status quo makes mockery of the money and time spent hoping for quality education to happen.
So, let’s check what the first-rate international institutions do with technology. The Economist (in their Briefing “Reinventing the university” June 28, 2014) wrote that the first MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) began in Canada in 2008. The weekly cited three other examples from 2012: One, Harvard University teamed up with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to launch “edX”; Two, “Coursera” partnered with Stanford University; and Three, “Udacity”, an online computing course originated from a Stanford tutor. To this list may be added the Khan Academy which services millions worldwide by sharing content and methods on the Internet.
As the demand for mass education grows, wider access is indispensable, especially in Africa; hence the open online opportunities. As an alternative to the prohibitive, costly model of higher education, the chances are that the open online opportunities will flourish and not shrink. It is not by sheer luck or by “all night” screamings that the first three institutions - Harvard, MIT, and Stanford - continue to top the world’s best 100 universities. Simply put, such institutions think into the future – even as they exist in the moment to apply bold ideas to uplift humanity. The pity is that of the top 100, not a single one came from the African continent. That distress alone should nudge us to get our acts together! There’s a way to advance, as the best others have shown. It is not impossible!
To support the four pillars for the 21st century learning (One, to know; Two, to do; Three, to be; and Four, to live together) lecturers and professors must not be seen today as just teachers, but as instructors of practice, and learners themselves appreciating the varied needs of the students and facilitating the process where students can access websites with course contents, links, lectures, etc. These days, hoarding content materials away from students is not only self-centered; it is primitive; collaboration and sharing are the ideal merits.
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