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Global Education Leaders Offer 6 Tips for Reopening Universities


Video and soundbites from a Tech CEO, two Education Ministers, two College Presidents, and a Thought Leader

Tel Aviv, Israel — Global leaders in education and technology gathered at The Afeka Conference for the Development of a National Human Capital in Engineering in Tel Aviv. Many had strong advice for colleges and universities as they consider how to reopen this fall. Video of the event can be found on their site.

“We assembled some of the best minds in academia, technology and k-12 education. We heard great ideas for how colleges and universities can successfully re-open this Fall while recognizing the fundamental reshaping of higher education. We are grateful for their wisdom and excited to share it with our peers,” said Professor Ami Moyal, President of Afkea College of Engineering in Tel Aviv.

In Summary, our experts shared these 8 ideas for campuses to re-open and reengage with their students, faculty and community of support. Experts encouraged colleges to:

  1. Thrive, not just survive – Professor Ami Moyal, President of Afeka College of Engineering and former Tech CEO
  2. Think like an engineer – Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills
  3. Build bridges between students of different disciplines – Dr. Richard Miller, Founding President of Olin College
  4. Invent and invest in micro-degrees – Yaniv Garty, CEO of Intel Israel
  5. Engineer new approaches – Jan Morrison, Founder of STEM organization TIES
  6. Welcome the digital revolution – Dr. Naomi Beck, Vice President of Strategy and International Affairs, Israel Council for Higher Education

In greater detail, here is the advice from these global leaders and where the soundbite can be found on the video recording of the conference.

  • Thrive, not just survive: “We must not allow our institutions to be pre-occupied by survival. We must think and define an exit strategy so that when we exit the crisis, we will not be at the same point as when we began. We are undergoing a great upheaval in the job, academic, and school systems. We will be in a completely new place. I believe we will have integrated learning across college, k-12, and career in new ways.” Professor Ami Moyal, President of Afeka College of Engineering and former Tech CEO (Video at 6:00)
  • Think like an engineer: “These are difficult days. We wish we had more engineers to help us design and adapt education to this moment.  Our global challenge is that 1.5 Billion students have been thrown out of school due to Corona.  What we learned is that learning isn’t a place, it’s an activity.”  He added, “we need to help students move beyond learning something to deep understanding. We need to prepare them for a lifetime of jobs in different sectors and upskilling.” Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills (Often called the World’s Education Minister). (Video at 2:33:47)
  • Bridge between engineering and all other students: “Corona has laid bare the challenge that 95% of grads are NOT in engineering.  We have to bridge that gap. We found young people have 2 natural interests… mysteries and making things. Science is about solving mystery stories and engineering is about making things. We can design and build educational solutions based on these ideas” said Dr. Richard Miller, Founding President of Olin College. (Video at 2:50:35)
  • Invent and invest in Micro-degrees: “When I was a student, my degree was supposed to last a lifetime. However, as the world develops quickly, and as the pace is accelerated, we encounter a state of non-linear jumps.  It may be necessary to give small degrees that enable knowledge and capabilities in short periods and enable employees to cope with technological approaches and solutions. Establishing a mechanism to convey a micro-degree in a short time is a rare opportunity and will enable a link between industry and academia” said Yaniv Garty, CEO of Intel Israel (Video at 44:45)
  • Engineer new approaches: “We must use creativity and engineering thinking to solve problems.  Our children are learning in new ways and in new environments – at home, in communities, and with teachers from every facet of life.  Young learners want to make things work.  They always ask ‘Why’ and ‘how.’  We need to teach them to use the word engineer as a verb – to engineer solutions,” said Jan Morrison, Founder of STEM organization TIES. Morrison served as a White House adviser for education and scientific excellence in four different governments and served as a senior advisor for Education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Video at 2:43:00)
  • Welcome the digital revolution: “We have all the components for a digital education revolution – it just hasn’t occurred yet. We are preparing for a revolution but still need to operate higher education today. That is a balancing challenge.” Dr. Naomi Beck, Vice President of Strategy and International Affairs, Israel Council for Higher Education.  (Video at 1:49:00)

The President of Afeka College of Engineering in Tel Aviv, Prof. Ami Moyal said “The global crisis in the wake of the virus further sharpens the need to build an educational pathway from the earliest years of life through college and beyond that emphasizes those skills found in engineering education – play, exploration, and collaboration. Today’s employment market emphasizes the acquisition of vital “soft skills,” as an essential element in educating the next generation of national human capital in the field. This unique conference, which was a meeting place for senior industrial, academia, the education and government system, has helped to unearth these eight great ideas for how academia can return and thrive this fall.”

eCampus News Staff

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