Using technology-driven learning experiences to prepare students for the future of work

Dr. John Burgin Head of Digital Business Asia Pacific,Cognizant

Singapore is one of Asia-Pacific’s biggest success
stories when it comes to education. At both the school and university levels,
the country regularly comes out on top in global education league tables. The
most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) ranking showed that Singapore
teenagers are the highest achieving in maths, reading and science globally. In
tertiary education, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University is ranked 11th in
the world in the 2018 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings, ahead of many Ivy
League schools. High graduate salaries and good placement rates are testament
to the quality of the education system in Singapore. However, the speed with
which technology is reshaping the way we work means that Singapore cannot
afford to rest on her laurels.

Organisations are adopting technology to increase efficiencies and
outcomes, and go to market in new ways. This is stimulating change in every
aspect of business, from shrinking business lifecycles to creating jobs that
didn’t exist even a couple of years ago.

Intelligent automation will elevate the roles people
play, while also unleashing the potential to create millions of new jobs and
industries. What does this mean for Singapore’s universities and institutions
tasked with training the people that will be hired to fill these roles?

Simply put, how we learn and teach skills needs to
change. Traditional educational paths such as multi-year university degrees
that do not focus on lifelong learning, will not equip people for a career
constantly disrupted by technology.

Here are three key elements that will drive effective
learning for the workforce of the future:

Companies are shifting from siloed ways of working, to become more
team-focused. While there is active debate around whether a team environment is
ideal for every task, there is a clear move away from 9 to 5 office-based jobs,
and towards more flexible and interconnected working.

Effective learning strategies need to reflect these
changes in how employees are interacting with each other, and incorporate
approaches that introduce skill-sets such as how to work collaboratively.

So rather than asking a student to write a thesis in
their final year, deciding whose is the best and grading it accordingly, lets
encourage students to see what they can achieve together, and reward groups
that can become more than the sum of their parts. This is better training for
today’s business world than any individualised task.

Teaching and assessment theory isn’t the only area
that needs to be updated. According
to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs
Report, by 2020, over a
third of the desired core skill sets of most occupations will comprise skills
that are not considered crucial in today’s jobs.

The demand for IT skills will continue to grow. In
fact, roles and responsibilities of non-IT jobs often already include
technological elements, which means, employees of the future need to have these
skills under their belts.

The use of new technologies such as augmented reality
(AR) and virtual reality (VR) could help future employees transform theory into
practice. While this could occur in the workplace, the journey to enabling
professionals to be trained in the latest skills starts with their education
format.

Using the medical industry as an example, doctors who
have been using AR and VR environments throughout their education and training,
will undoubtedly be better equipped to use these tools to their optimal
capabilities on the job. To ensure this outcome, though, universities and
training institutions need to be ahead of the curve, and provide the technology
that students will be using in their future jobs.

Using technology like VR and AR to create visually and
physically engaging education-focused content should set the new standards in
our schools and universities. In turn, this will drive the corporate world to
set their own new standards of engagement and technology-driven processes in
the workplace.

Knowing that human beings tend to perform better at things they
enjoy, educational institutions should be doing their utmost
to provide enjoyable learning environments. This starts with knowing what is
and isn’t enjoyable to each student, and tailoring learning programs to
individual needs.

Digital technologies that analyse the needs,
preferences, and progress of students on a 24/7 basis are already available.
According to a McKinsey report, increasing the use of student data in education
could unlock between US$900 billion and $1.2 trillion in global
economic value.

Education institutions could, for example, leverage
advanced data analytics platforms to revolutionise admissions, coursework, and
continuing education. By capturing, aggregating, analysing and acting upon
data-driven insights at every stage of the student lifecycle, educators can
create “student personas”. With these kinds of insights, institutions can
implement tailored learning environments in the fields in which each student is
the mostly likely to shine.

These digital approaches to education may seem
daunting to institutions that still have traditional planning and execution
cycles. However, in keeping with Singapore’s history of innovation and
forward-thinking, institutions dedicated to delivering effective learning need
to choose — either create and implement plans to transform learning experiences
for students rapidly and continuously, or fall behind.

The result will be future generations of educated
professionals with the right skills and attitude towards learning that will
future-proof them against whatever technological innovations are ahead.

*****

For more information
or a deeper discussion on technology-driven learning experiences to prepare
students for the future of work with Dr. John Burgin, please contact Maizurah
Mohamed at +65 3157 5630 or cognizant@yingcomms.com.

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