Learning and Teaching for the Future

Technology has changed the world. Ideas are free and open to anyone. They’re on mass and at our fingertips. But how do we know how to sift through them and find what is relevant? And how do we know how to apply them to the problems that we face?

As a Lecturer, Associate Professor Stuart Crispin curates content from the best sources around the world. He combines that with his own theory to provide his students with the best information he can. Most importantly he teaches them how to analyse and use it.

“I just delivered a workshop for free from the 3^rd best university in the world. I’m good, but I’m not that good. The value add comes from what you do with it,” he says.

Students need to learn what is credible and what is not, what to learn from and what not to learn from.

“I’m more of a moderator. I Associate Professor on expert knowledge of people all over the world and teach people how to critique it.”

As a researcher, Associate Professor Crispin is focussed on the way his students learn.

“How can we further develop higher education to take advantage of the way the world is changing?”

Learning for the new world

Today, organisational teams change around projects. The working environment has changed, and so have people’s career and life aspirations. Students need to be able to adapt. So too do universities.

“Universities are steeped in tradition, and modes of delivery have not changed for centuries. But no-one can tell me why we have a 13-week learning semester,” says Associate Professor Crispin.

Is the traditional 13-week semester the best delivery method for students to learn? Associate Professor Crispin’s research suggests not.

In collaboration with RMIT and the University of Western Sydney, Associate Professor Crispin has conducted a study that found that when clear structural guidelines are followed, students learn better in intensive modes of delivery. For example, learning over four weeks intensively, for longer periods on each day, instead of 13 weeks part-time.

The study, which is one of the first of its kind, was funded by a 2015 Office of Learning and Teaching strategic grant.

University education is such a competitive industry. Providing the best quality learning, is a competitive advantage not to be ignored.

“Students are paying for a product. They need to know it is a sound investment. And, when universities are funded by taxpayer money, we have a responsibility to the community to produce students that are employable.”

“For centuries universities have thought of themselves as the keepers of knowledge, and they are, but they no longer own the space. There is so much available online, universities need to adapt their product to the new landscape.

“The competition is not constrained by 200 years of history, they’re providing dynamic education through online learning and in private institutions.”

Creating graduates that can succeed in any context

Associate Professor Crispin is committed to producing graduates that can succeed in any industry, anywhere in the world.

“It’s an exciting time. Technology is continuing to evolve, and it can be turned into new industries, opportunities and ventures. Millenials are likely to have 7-10 careers but it’s not an easy transition from one industry base to another,” he says.

“They want an education that suits their needs for a particular point in time as they move through their career trajectory, in a globalised and rapidly changing world. They want flexibility.”

He says, resilience is the greatest skill teachers can give to their students, along with empathy, critical thinking, problem solving, global awareness, and social responsibility.

“These are the skills that make people employable and ready to face the challenges of the new century.”

It’s also important for the ongoing economic development of our country, says Associate Professor Crispin.

Improving our human capital in a competitive world

In the Australian context, entrepreneurial skills to help develop new industries, are vital. Associate Professor Crispin says that our industries are constantly changing.

“As artificial intelligence replaces many industries, for example, we’ll need to create other industries to work in. As the population ages, we’ll need solutions for healthcare in a market-based economy,” says Associate Professor Crispin.

“Working with consumers to make them part of the solution, using their excess capacity to sell on the market, such as UBER and AirBnb, is great example.”