Innovation at Higher Education Institutions. Realities and Expectations.

Current trends and prognosis

During their life people often change the work, residence and specialty. This circumstance assumes need of obtaining new skills or retraining throughout the life. Continuous education is crucially important but, at the same time, is the weakest to the star-number in the developed national educational systems.
We will try to reveal a number of the calls facing an education system of adults. Depends on the adequate answer to them how developing system of continuous education will manage to fit into the existing picture of the world and successfully to resist to global challenges. Undoubtedly, creation of a theoretical and methodological basis of a modern situation and its influence on prospects of education is important. Long ago it is noticed that education is ...

Summary
Abstract 2
New concept: “continuous education” as response to increase of life expectancy 3
Teaching and Examination patterns 6
New technologies in education 9
Current trends and prognosis 16
References 19

 

Abstract

A fresh innovation paradigm for higher education is likely to emerge very soon with arrival of new technology and fundamental changes in society over last 15 years. Many industries were changed dramatically or even disappeared in last 10-20 years while educational industry mostly continue to use same technology and patterns similar to those used 20-50-100 years ago.
I want to explore opportunities for innovations in educational sphere as a whole. While there is a little we can do to introduce disruptive innovation in such conservative area as nursery and kindergartens. I would like to focus on new realities and expectation in higher education industry. I’m particularly interested in establishing more effective and efficient operation of Business schools.
 

If we agree that education is the reason and a driving force of society development then the question of adequacy, contents, forms, speeds of knowledge transfer is key. The hypothesis is that education crisis surely causes crisis of economy and society in general. We approve it. Reasons of crisis present: education began to transfer the existing understanding of the social world to the person with insufficient completeness and insufficient knowledge of a subject. The main thing that we see now is that the speed of external conditions change becomes decisive for finding of the answer to a question for country economies is how to remain in competitive advantage. So that society which will be capable to react to this understanding generation in the new world and its tendencies of change and research will win. Speed of change of key parameters in economy and society is high. Everything that now is connected with crisis makes questions of speed. Speed of changes became so considerable unlike last years that we don't manage to change all these parameters. Now crisis of teachers, techniques, forms and terms is obvious. On all elements of this transfer institutionalization of experience there are serious problems. And most important if earlier it wasn't rather clear today this predictive function has to be developed at educational institutes substantially.Business becomes the most active part of transformations in society and its comfortable part. On the first place it is necessary to put management research as specific activity in the theory of administrative thought which should be connected with cycles. Here it is necessary to consider phases of organization life cycle and to define what sort training for personnel is expedient. The idea is that during different life cycles the organization needs different management. It can be told also about scales of the organization: they need different management at the same time there are some branch specifics. Estimating crisis of education in business we can say that suppliers of educational services don't consider a certain cycle which is rather natural. What happens to education? The first: the theory has lagged behind due to imperfection of research and skillful generalization. The second: teachers aren't able to acquire practice and to turn it into knowledge. The third: techniques and ways of transfer lag behind, they don't consider that today the cognitive psychology has come to understanding that the pedagogics (education of children) is added androgyny (education of adults). If earlier the age psychology limited to 30-32-year age ability to acceptance new, now the technology allows training adults before the termination of life. Activity of the third age in real creation participation values is the fact today. Also there was now a gap: not in with - standing to replace new replenishment in manpower in the competence old we are doomed to lifelong employment. We generally can speak about an education system of long life learning – educations through all life about an educational complex but we choose a business education as object dynamically and quickly reacting part of educational process. Need to increase competitive advantage has forced corporations to look for new educational forms which would be more effective than they are in the state or private universities. Action of corporations for own structure creation in knowledge management is a search of opportunities to provide the best competitive advantage through L&D (development and training). Creation of an education system which would be necessary and sufficient to provide stability of its development at the expense of advancing (about active) changes of the most human capital is highly important for society. New technologies in educationIt is an important issue to consider. While the main question is not about being excited about development of new devices and gadgets, but to analyze how they can make education even more effective as it is now. For example, many speak about online education as a cheap version of education which should be not worse than off-line traditional education. I put question differently: new technologies should be not only cheaper but much better in quality than traditional existing practices. I will try to consider what could become a disruptive innovation in Educational sphere in nearest future.The modern business education plays a key role in of national administrative preparation shots, formation of business elite of the country in recent years. Intensive nature of preparation and professional management development demands new base - the courses for training, alternative to classical, traditional methods of teaching in higher educational institutions. The traditional fixed form of education created by Jan Komensky more than 350 years ago and which was based on the principle "to teach all to everything" has entered a crisis phase last century. The classical form of knowledge transfer hasn't coped with constantly accruing flow of information. Moreover, it couldn't help to make the person the decisions which aren't described in textbooks in the conditions of risk and uncertainty. We can say that in Russia is the main technology of training at the higher school are lecture and seminar. The economy and social life have demanded change of ways of teaching: from the passive sphere of transfer of data in a zone of practical actions. In Russian business schools in the 90th years of last century have begun to introduce activity in educational process by the teaching methods assuming involvement of each listener in process of receiving, perception and assimilation of knowledge: trainings; analysis of concrete situations (case technique); technologies of training by action (business, role-playing games); "electronic training". Distinctive features of methodology with a temporary business education are orientation to the consumer of educational services, diversification of programs in the field of management and business, to their flexibility using of various interactive forms of education aimed at transfer professional knowledge about the market, development of abilities and enterprise skills, formation of personal qualities, living position and outlook of managers. Besides the decision concrete and most often difficult business challenges interactive methods of training promote development of such professional administrative skills as: ability to work in team; ability to make decisions and to bear responsibility for them; perception of the base business communication including skills of visualization and presentation of results, ability to conduct discussions, etc.; knowledge of basic work on the project and activity planning. Thus, the general tendency of transition from a traditional vocational education to new approach in a business education consists, in our opinion, is the increase of flexibility of training programs, ability to consider in them a big variety and variability of the real world in more active impact on the personality trained and new abilities in the solution of practical problems. Real problems of production seldom are "functional" so they need the "integrative" courses of inter-functional character developing system thinking and directed to training of universal experts follows from here.As a sample we can mention the results of the research conducted in 2014 by the staff of the Center of the ANH innovative educational technologies. During this research the educational technologies and methods applied in educational process in the leading Executive MBA programs were investigated and also testify to it (MBA for top-managers). During the analysis of the western EMBA training programs of 16 leading business schools of the world (TOP-25 according to a rating of Financial Times), in number 10 of the EMBA programs entering TOP-20 EMBA for the last 3 years, and also 6 EMBA programs which have shown the largest growth in ratings for the last 3 years have been studied. The analysis has shown that in EMBA programs in time a personal proportion six various methods of training are used: 1. lectures (lecture) – on average 15% of school hours pass in a form of lectures; 2.case-study (analysis of concrete situations) – 42% of school hours; 3.team projects (the group projects aimed at the solution of real problems by group of students) – 18% of school hours; 4.simulations (imitation/simulation) – 8% of school hours; 5. experiential learning (receiving new experience, on - an example, through participation in offside events in various cities and the countries of the world) – 6%; 6. distance learning – 7%. As results, in the leading EMBA-programs two methods are applied most actively: method of concrete situations analysis (case-study) and presentations of group practice projects (team projects). At the same time educational process in the EMBA programs which have won popularity and high ratings for the last 3 years generally is based by the case-study method (to 50% of school hours students sort cases) while on the basis of lectures in these programs only 6% of training courses are under construction. And, on the contrary, in the EMBA programs leading for an appreciable length of time to 21% of school hours takes place in a form of lectures, and 38% of school time are found for analysis of cases. In the most general view of case represents the description of the valid events taking place in the business course, presenting trained with a choice of solutions of problems and a course of the subsequent actions. Concrete situations and their discussions in group give access to numerous approaches to a solution; develop analytical skills and practical learning.The technology of a concrete situation method can be presented in four stages form: 1. preparation of a special practical situation; 2. individual analysis of case;3. case analysis in group;4. discussion with the teacher. Effective realization of these stages requires performance of two conditions: first, readiness trained and second - readiness to listen, react and work in group at case discussion. Among a wide arsenal of preparation methods and administrative retraining shots a method of training at a basis of projects takes a noticeable place. Apparently, two features of this technique – practical orientation and a possibility of independent work of trainees in a separation from the teacher during a long period form a method of training at a basis of projects especially effective in business educational system. Though the idea of the project using in educational process nearly hundred years, it is known as "a method of projects". Researchers connect the beginning of history of a projects method which founders consider J. Dewey during the experiments in education in the USA at the end of XIX – the beginning of the 20th centuries. A certain analog of such format is the form of academic year projects taken in the Russian engineering education. It is one of the educational technologies closest to real practice, which has high potential and high educational results.Undoubtedly, today we observe revival of this method, especially in Russia, judging by research and practical interest. It is also possible to give examples of project-oriented programs experience in management preparation in the International business school of Financial university, in Institute of professional development; in the Federal program of administrative shots for the organizations of a national economy of the Russian Federation, etc. In our opinion, the essence of a method increases the level of knowledge development and skills by involvement of students in the real problems solution. Projects are complex tasks which cornerstone the difficult non-standard questions and problems involving students in activities for modeling the solution of problems, decision-making and carrying out researches. This method gives to students the chance of work rather independently throughout a certain period of time that as a result leads to creation of real products or the presentations. Unlike problem-oriented training, work on the project assumes at the exit receiving some product with actual value for the project client but not just the solution presentation.The analysis of the educational purposes oа project education method at universities and business schools has shown that project-oriented training is, first of all, reaction of educational institutions to inquiries of the real organizations which employees have to work in team and develop leadership skills including own skills of the project work, at last, a complex of skills which can be received only in "the conditions which are brought closer to fighting". The general scheme of project-oriented training process can be presented in the form of several stages: involvement of the company client, formation of team, development of offers for the customer, information search, the analysis of data and development of decisions, the presentation of results (a product, the decision, approach), assessment by team of work. Within this process performing project, analytical and other works the group form of the studies organization forces participants to reflect over forms of the joint activity organization and to adjust working communication giving them an opportunity thus to learn to work in team. Forms of education on the basis of design approach are most effective for training of the managers capable to provide processes of reforming and development.At the same time it is necessary to pay special attention to two factors which can become defining in the organization of the project-oriented program: 1. extent of a practical task communication with a professional situation of the listener; 2. level of motivation of the listener of the program. These factors form a ready state of the listener to development of new experience. Strong connection with practice is provided employment within the program of such task which results the decision in practical importance: they can be used directly on a workplace of the listener, can be controlled by the organization directing him and can make consequences in an assessment of business reputation of the listener and competence in general. The organization of the project work which isn't supported with motivation of listeners can be expressed in rather formalistic approach to the program and the critical spirit which isn't differing in the objectivity connected with constant external pressure. The strong motivation provides sensibleness, interest and makes active an initiative as well as constructability and a partner position.In recent years at business schools, in particular, within the MBA and EMBA programs the individual projects aimed at complex diagnostics of the companies and development of strategy of their development with consulting support of teachers are actively used. The listeners involved in process of the analysis of the purposes system, researches of business processes, functions, information communications, organizational structure and corporate culture of the company and carrying out SWOT - the analysis of activity under divisions. So the students have an opportunity of direct use of applied instruments for modern management in the work that can increase their motivation and an inclusiveness in training. Experience of similar projects implementation provides group participation in case the company directs to learn of several representatives and shows the subsequent implementation of this project in real company activity. In the organization project-oriented programs the role of the teacher who acts as a facilitator is important. At all considered universities and schools the teacher (the mentor, the tutor) advises the working groups in the course of implementation of the project, controls and estimates results of design team work. At the same time interaction with mentors in these establishments is organized differently. The tutor has to prepare students by means of lecture material which contains necessary theoretical knowledge. Monitoring of group work which is carried out by weekly meetings from the members belongs to his duties.