The Future of Education

THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION

Anders Flodström, Education Director, EIT ICT Labs

Provocateurs 

• Jim Plummer, Professor CS Stanford University, Dean of the Stanford School of Engineering 1999-2014, Board member Intel
• Diana Stepner, VP, Innovation Partnerships & Developer Relations, Pearson
• Lisa Barrett, Director, Global Partnership Strategy, Coursera
• Christa Preston, Founder, The Olivia Project

Education is approaching its 'iPhone moment'. Pressure on the educational system has been rising as they struggled to pace the rate of change in the innovation economy. Digitization has enabled new ways to design courses and MOOCs challenge the future of universities. How can ‘blended’ online/IRL models look like? Which functions will a campus fill? If students can combine different courses from different universities, who gives the university degree? Will degrees be needed, or will accreditation come in new ways? How can universities and companies collaborate in education? Many more questions are being raised. Now that higher education can come through smartphones, change will accelerate. So rapidly, in fact, that the largest challenge might not be to find the right answers, but the right questions about how the future will look.

Education, even while struggling for relevance in giving students the right competencies, still insures against unemployment and creates careers. It also stresses students worldwide. Higher education is becoming a free-trade market. Companies used to move research to places with good local research. They may soon also seek 'competence locations' and perhaps try to move the competence. So far no region has stood out as exhibiting exceptional competencies, though Silicon Valley, recently, has shown its local ability to create software applications.

EIT ICT Labs wants to renew European higher education in ICT by cross-fertilizing cutting edge technical education with robust innovation and entrepreneurship education.

EIT ICT Labs' focus is on particular education activities such as the Master School and Doctoral School. Strong industrial involvement in the educational programs, and substantial hands-on experience on innovation and entrepreneurship, are important. EIT ICT Labs' educational programs enhance participants' capacity for creativity, risk taking and entrepreneurial efforts.

Our education portfolio include programs:

* At the research level - Doctoral School
* At the advanced level - Master School
* Open Education

The education programs have a European dimension with geographical mobility and frequent team-building activities.

Resources and activities in research and business development character are offered to students through national Co-location Centers.

Education is undertaken, as joint European efforts, by highly ranked European technical universities. The educational programs provide EIT-labeled degrees (single, double or joint) together with an EIT degree certificate.