Response to the Forces of Change and Emerging Trends of the 21st century in Higher Education
There has been a sense of urgency about the
need for change in higher education institutions (HEIs) as a result of the rise of the knowledge
economy, globalization and advances in technology. These global developments
affect not only the economic, social, cultural, and political lives of people
and countries but also the practices and processes of organizations, including higher
education institutions. An inquiry into professional higher education-related
organizations and associations highlights
a number of common themes and topics that need to be (re)considered in
response to the forces of change
and the emerging trends in the 21st century. The following is a brief survey of
major regional associations of HEIs across the globe and their objectives:
The European Higher Education Area (EEHA), an
international collaboration of 48 countries, seeks system compatibility for increased
staff and student mobility and the facilitation of employability. It also urges
HEIs to strengthen quality‐assurance mechanisms and further institutionalize
academic freedom, freedom of expression, student unionization, and institutional autonomy.
The European University Association (EUA)
focuses on the teaching and learning,
research, and quality
assurance aspects of HEIs and discusses some key issues – sustainable development, energy challenges,
European values, diversity, and inclusion as well as
governance and autonomy.
The Higher Education Planning in Asia
Association (HEPA), formed in 2017 by the pan-Asian Network of University
Planners, examined an exciting new topic in education that demands our
attention – Digital Transformation.
Their recent survey in Asian universities showed that digital transformation
happens through online and blended courses and that, while there are
aspirations to achieve further progress,
there are also challenges. While the aspirations are improving the student learning experience and global rankings, while
increasing satisfaction, research output, and student employability, , the
challenges are mostly related to the lack
of expertise, engagement, and interest by the faculty and students in terms of technology and digital pedagogy.
The Association of Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean
(UDUAL), founded in 1949 and made
up of 200
colleges from 21 countries, focuses strategically on the big issues such as technological change and the information society, demographic dynamics,
climate change, equal rights, and university
autonomy in the globalized world.
The American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation (AAHEA),
established in 1969 as an independent non-profit organization, has dedicated
itself to building for human capital for higher education in a democratic
multi-racial society through effective educational practices. It aims to ensure
quality, accountability,
and improvement in HEIs with particular core values including institutional autonomy, intellectual and
academic authority of faculty, and quality educational services.
The
Higher Education Commission (HEC) is another independent body of
leaders from the higher education sector, business and major political parties.
It was formed in the UK in response to the demand of the Parliament for a more
informed and reflective discourse on higher education issues. Some of the
highlights of the HEC are disability,
employability, internationalization, and the sustainability of higher education.
The work of all these leading professional
organizations and associations is on the forces of change in HEIs where the
action takes place. Universities should take a more active role in responding
to these emerging issues and act as catalysts for the necessary changes through
their research, education,
and community service roles. Moreover, they
should closely examine the nature and impact of the forces of change and
identify emergent trends to create opportunities for students and academics for
capacity building in societies.
Therefore, the theme of the 5th International Higher Education
Conference (IHEC) reflects the issues,
topics, forces and changes of the 21st century in response to the following two
questions:
- What is the nature of the recent forces and
trends driving the transformation of higher education institutions?
- How can higher education institutions
become the catalysts for change?
In light of above discussion, the following sub-themes for the IHEC 2020 are specified under the core
elements of HEIs as higher education administration, leadership, research,
teaching and learning, and community engagement.
- The roles / functions of universities
- Higher education policies and their impacts
- Insitutitonal autonomy & governance
- The digitalization of higher education
- Demographic changes, diversity, and inclusion
- Equity and equality in access to higher education
- The academic profession
- Teaching and learning practices
- Student engagement, graduation and alumni relations
- Graduate employability: 21st century skills
- Knowledge production and research
- Higher education outreach
- Lifelong learning
- Internationalization
- Immigration and refugees in higher education
- Academic Support Services: College student counseling, advising, student affairs
- University – community partnership and social responsibility
