Technological avalanche threatens Education world?

A new report entitled "An Avalanche is Coming" by Pearson talks about the future of higher education. Written by Sir Michael Barber, Pearson’s chief education advisor and his colleagues Katelyn Donnelly and Saad Rizvi, the report highlights that the traditional, 20th century model of higher education is going to radically change over the next decade – universities are going to need to adapt their model in order to survive.

The key findings of the report are as follows:

• In the face of changing economic situation across the world, the world of education too must change in order to avoid being swept under a technological avalanche
• Growing impact of technology threatens many components of traditional university. Whether a university education will be seen as good value given the rise in the cost of education over recent decades, the value of degrees may well be dipping. The cost of higher education in US has risen by 72 per cent in 2000 through 2011, but the average earnings of full-time workers (in the 25-24 years age group) with Bachelor’s degree has dipped 14.7 per cent in the same period.
• The study questions a mismatch between what a university education provides and what the emerging global labour market demands. The traditional system of education is finding itself in conflict with newer modes like Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). The rise of new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality is making it easier and easier to simulate in-person experiences at distance.
• Almost 45 per cent of employers struggle to find people with the right skills for entry-level positions, and 70 per cent blame this shortfall on lack of adequate training
• The idea of full time study and then pursue job has lost appeal for many. In the context of global economic uncertainty, many 18-to-22-year-olds may prefer to combine work and study, which could reduce the debt they build up and increase their employability. The total student debt in the US rose 51 per cent from 2008 to 2012 to touch almost $ 1 trillion-questioning the economic value of these degrees.
• Businesses and organisations need to be more actively involved in telling the sector what their exact requirements are, from course development to shaping policy. Businesses should be connected to what students learn from their first day on campus if they don’t want to be disappointed by a lack of skills upon graduation 
• Part-time opportunities, work for university credit and blending of work and university programmes are three clear models that needs to be adopted.

• University leaders need to take control and seize the opportunities open to them through technology to provide broader and deeper education. Each university needs to be more sharper and clearer about the market segments it wants to serve and how. Businesses too are becoming interested in collaborations with universities, which bring an external perspective, academic analysis, critique and recognition of the learning. Such collaborations can also assist with recruitment of talent.
• Study recommends Government to rethink how they measure and regulate universities in an age when higher education is global rather than national and consider how they can support and fund students who might get a "pick and mix" university experience in future from a range of institutions, providers, businesses and MOOCs
• Combination of marketization where a student is consumer and globalization will lead to universities being less and less contained within national systems and more and more both benchmarked globally and a leading part of the growth of knowledge economics-collaborating and competing.

• Students who have been passive players on an education pathway will need to be self-motivated, active agents prepared to take responsibility for their own learning and skill development. Additionally, students should seek out to learn and practice the skills associated with being innovative.