Respond to the colleagues’ posts below in at least one of the following ways:

Explain insights you have gained from having read and discussed their differing perspectives on the issue in the case study.

Identify an effective argument a colleague presented and explain why it was effective.

Leopold post

In my view all students graduating from higher education should possess the qualities that are in pure academic and liberal arts lines. That means, students should acquire a capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems. These are qualities not be ignored as far as higher learning is concerned. But again, we need to focus the needs of students and society altogether. Our today’s society seems to have different direction in terms of needs compared to what we believed to be their needs ten years ago. The following questions need our attention.  What are current needs of the society?  Is it people who think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems? Or people with professional and vocational training? Or both? The answer to this question may lead us to better conclusion of  merging the two programs.

It seems that governments are pulling out funding of the pure academic, liberal arts disciplines and at the same time increasing more funding to professional and vocational training lines. This trend is observed in America, India, Australia and UK. Due to this reason, the enrollment in the higher education institutions are declining. The higher education institutions are now looking for new focus of curriculum to integrate professional and vocational training in the main stream lines of studies.

The new move shifts focus from providers of education to users of education and training. This gives back the role of higher education institution in the society. The society are the users of education, and therefore they should always be the focus of whatever is produced in the higher education.  It is also a widespread phenomenon that provides an important tool for international cooperation, allowing the higher education to focus on the profile and content of qualifications, rather than on the particularities of the institutions delivering them. 

It also highlights how educators can link students’ current knowledge with authentic experiences that motivate, as well as allow them to create and collaborate using the latest technologies.

Ashley post

Williams (2010) states that it is not all about wanting to be the best of the best, but it is about being the only ones who do what you do the best. This statement is the overall realm of why I took a stand on Royal College maintaining its purely liberal arts education with a focus on the humanities. As I debated with my colleagues last week, I discovered that many took a stand differently than my own and I loved it. Their insight into why they took a stand on Rogal’s option to increase curricular focus, funding, and new hiring for professional and technical fields really challenged me to see and view the issue from their perspectives because I do love the technical education aspect of this option. Overall, my colleagues truly made me realize that I needed to do more research on this issue to truly make sure that I am able to view it from every side.

I have also discovered that there are a lot of positive and negatives to both of Rogal’s options. Tomlinson (2012) argued that colleges have failed to prepare graduates for the labor market due to a strict focus placed on academic education and not enough on practical learning and skills. However, skills and abilities alone may not ensure employability either. While they are important, it is the attitude and behavior of individuals that are the critical determinants in their employability (Clarke, 2008). In my critical analysis, I asked the question if it was a possibility for Rogal to creatively and structurally mix the two options together to come out with an even better option. Personally, I think it is possible and could help them reach their overall goal to improve its national standing because it will help make them standout instead of following the more technical focused options like many colleges and universities.

Change and growth can be challenging, but are needed in order to remain sustainable in this changing world. When it comes to Rogal College, I still have to answer the question of what stakeholder(s) are they trying to impact the most by fulfilling this overall goal. That answer really determines the best option to take. Critically analyzing and researching this issue are tools that are already applied to both my professional and personal life. I am a very outgoing person, but I analyze, research from google and critically think about almost everything before I make any major life decisions. This analysis also forces us as students to have an open mind and to be able to express our thoughts effectively, despite different viewpoints, which will help us in many other parts of our life as well.   

Student question

  Do you think that society/workforce are fully ready to let go of their main focus of skills and abilities in order to see the “whole person” of professionals?   

Professor comment and question

“There are further several questions that arise from the issue which need to be addressed. These questions are:

1. Which policies will work best for both the society and the higher education institution?

2. How will cultural change progress be identified and improved?

3. Is there a need to revise the curriculum taught in higher institutions to incorporate cultural needs?

Which of these questions do you think would be most difficult to answer and why?