Looking back, looking forward

Throughout this week, we have been focusing on the transformative power, and potential pitfalls, of authentic learning-centred pedagogies.

In this step, we ask you to reflect on and synthesize what has been learnt – both this week and over the previous two weeks. The masterclass has covered a lot of ground and as we come toward the end it’s valuable to consider the journey we have traveled since the course began.

Together we have explored the following core topics:

• The new skills agenda, and how a changing world of both work and study is leading to debates regarding the perceived need for an increasing emphasis on particular, transversal skills
• The possibility of micro-credentials as a representation of diverse learning pathways across the lifespan, and their representing smaller, unbundled learning experiences
• The need for new pedagogies for new times, and more specifically, the potential of authentic learner-centred approaches, such as CBL, to enable more active, meaningful and impactful learning experiences.

These topics have not been examined in a merely descriptive manner, as at each point we have invited critique. Throughout the masterclass, we have turned to you, for both your thoughts and your experiences. Our overarching goal was to raise critical awareness, foster discussion, and get you thinking about this big question:

• What is your vision of Higher Education by the year 2030?

As we have tried to emphasise, the future is not predetermined as we have an opportunity to shape our own destinations. Despite some of the powerful change drivers we have explored, what higher education looks like by 2030 depends very much on how individuals, institutions, policy-makers, and other stakeholders engage in “futures thinking” guided by a strong sense of the type of societies we want to create.

So now, we are asking you to share your vision for 2030 and synthesise what you have learnt by reflecting on the following questions in the comments section below:

• Where next for higher education?
• What is the most valuable thing you have learnt?
• Have you enjoyed the range of topics and content we covered?

But we’re not quite finished yet, as we have one more step to return to the question of Higher Education 4.0, and how this concept represents an opportunity to fundamentally forge new paths and possible futures.