ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SUPPORTING THE ECOSYSTEM OF INNOVATION

It is often said and believed that education shapes the man into what he needs to be. Man forms groups and groups form communities. These communities can grow into able societies. If the basic unit i.e. man is not developed enough there is very little chance of yielding individuals that have innovation in their minds. This is because, at the initial educational stage, young minds are like blank papers. If these papers are utilized to think for themselves, they continue to become effective thinkers and better innovators. With initiatives taken by Stanford Online Classes, there has been much discussion on what makes the ablest minds.

INNOVATION AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES:

The most important reason of lack of innovation is killing off the innovative spree of children at the initial stages during school, it is a common practice to make the children fit into a box, where children are not only taught interactive etiquettes but are also taught what to think instead of how to think. A good facilitator is supposed to help a child overcome his or her shortcomings and to be able to explore newer horizons. This, however, happens seldom, the reason for this is the fact that teachers tend to stick to boundaries of the subject and the course outline which limits the explorative capabilities of children. This mindset is not something new but has rather existed for centuries where great thinkers like Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci were believed to be rejected from society because the level of innovation that they had was centuries ahead of time.

Regardless of how the initial educational process of an individual goes on, it is very important that higher education tends to build confidence in the child rather than straining his mind with preset rules and conventions. There is a whole ecosystem of innovation, the term ecosystem of innovation refers to the combinations of skilled individuals that are essential for the sustainability of innovation within a society.

Similarly…

The innovation ecosystem is not only limited to schooling only. Elements like the government, media, socialization, private investors, and media exposure are all profound members of the eco-system of innovation. All these members are interdependently connected and all of them tend to serve their fair share in the development and growth of the innovative levels within a certain community.

The entities like local governments also play a vital role in this regard as they are the smallest level of governance in the system of education. If this level of supervision is corrected and is aimed to build innovative minds the macro yield will truly be tremendous.

INNOVATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION:

Lack Of Innovation and Changing Trends:

This attitude of lack of innovative approach in higher education continues to exist, the most profound reason for this is the sense of legacy which makes the higher educational institutions rigid and having a conservative approach in terms of their methodology and level of education. Academic identity, freedom of study is some of the most important setbacks of this system. These forms of rigidness are often found all around the globe and this conservative attitude is not limited to certain demography.

Institutions in Australia and Europe can be observed raising their voices against this problem. The soul of academic freedom is entrusted with the ability of the student to explore and research the topics that he or she wills. This allows the student to develop a sense of attachment to the academic research he or she wills to accomplish.

If higher education aims to revolutionize their systems this could unlock doors for the generations to come. This is because those who learn in the free atmosphere in higher education will grow up to prevail the same attitude when they become facilitators and this will make a system of innovation to be formed in the generations to come. Technology and social change have been one of the most important elements in this regard.

One of the most common examples of this is the recent Pandemic that caused nations all over the world to shift their education to online platforms. This revolutionized the education system for many of the countries. The process hasn’t been 100% successful in many of the countries but it is also unlocking new possibilities of remote learning .

Newer Educational Practices:

Many of the institutes have also developed a hybrid model of education (a combination of remote and physical learning) which was an innovative approach in its own kind. If institutes build up their higher education systems in such a way that remote learning becomes fully functional this could drastically increase the number of students learning as they could learn from an area on the globe while sitting in a completely different area. There have also been a number of investments and funding to build systems related to remote learning and business where e-commerce platforms have increased rapidly, offices have turned to work from the home approach which has reduced the cost of these companies as well.

With the innovations that could be made in higher education, a great increase in the employment rates could also be suspected as the areas of employment are also expanding. Anyone who is learned and is a part of a higher education institute is most likely to end up being employed.

The Need For Newer Disciplines:

Another important aspect that higher educational institutes need to cover is the need for newer disciplines, as the world is expanding, newer technologies are being developed, it is important for the people to have options that can help them build sustainable futures in the times to come. Older disciplines that are less relevant to today’s world, either need to be revised or removed from the educational system with the inclusion of the latest educational subjects.

This will allow experts to be present on the latest technologies and disciplines allowing them to grow into helpful members of society. The newer disciplines could be from any school of thought as long as they are practical and have some use in society in the larger picture. Financial earning isn’t the only goal in this regard.

Reviewing What Is Being Taught:

In order to increase the innovation quality of the students, the higher education systems should revise their curriculum and include inquiry-based studies in their outlines, supervised internships, field visits and many other practical approaches that can help expand the professional experience of the children boosting their innovative abilities. Another important aspect of the field reports or the analysis of the data that has been collected or the observations that have been made so that the students may learn documentation and penning down the relevant information.

This is a common practice individuals adopt while taking the Stanford Online Classes to get a better understanding. If all individuals gradually adopt the above-mentioned elements in their higher education system the number of students along with their level of innovation will be sky-high. The process will surely be complicated in the beginning but will become easier with time as people learn to adapt to the newer system and as a whole this new approach will produce better results, bringing faster developments in the world of business, arts sciences and many others and improving the all-over quality of professionals that become a part of the society.