A Glimpse Into the 'Universities of The Future'
Hello Teens,(no I'm not talking about robots. At least, not yet!)
I know that at this point, most of us already have an idea of the university we would like to attend (that's if we are not already in one). However, there is a revolution going on which most of us are not aware of - the universities of the future are HERE! The future is a very difficult thing to predict by the way. However, some universities have taken a bold step at presenting to us a glimpse of what the universities of the future should look like.
During a meeting attended by nine very experienced and influential figures in the world of education, there was a debate on what the top universities of 2020 would look like (though that's just too close to be called 'future'; by 'future', I'm talking about from the year 2060). Most of what they said was that those universities would be more specialized, leadership-centred, entrepreneurship-centred, technology-based, skill-building, and employer-focused. That is to say that the top universities of 2020 would be those that have a specific need they are addressing, are focused on not only building graduates but leaders, are not bent on producing job seekers but job creators, function on state-of-the-art technology, are more focused on developing skills than issuing degrees, and are in close partnership with various leading employers.
One truth I just discovered is that we already have universities that run on ALL those philosophies. If you are someone like me who is not looking to attend an already crowded, living-on-past-glory Ivy League university, but one that suits your personal needs and is structured to build you for the vicissitudes of life, then I think you should give the universities I'm going to list out a look. I'm so glad that two out of three of these universities are right here in Africa (the supposed 'dark and hopeless continent'...amazeballs!!).
At this point, most of you would leave this page seeing that most are in Africa, well that's your loss. For the rest of you still reading down this article, you've proven to be curious fellows about to get their reward!
So here you go:
(I'll just list them alphabetically so you can...never mind, just read on. <(^_^)> )
1. African Leadership University (ALU)
African Leadership University is 'weirdly', not the name of a single university. It is the group name of 25 universities which are to be located at different parts of Africa to provide world-class education to students all over the continent. ALU started operating in 2015 with the first cohort of its inaugural class arriving in October on the beautiful island of Mauritius from over 30 African countries.
ALU is listed among the 'Universities of the Future' because it thrives on an unconventional yet effective philosophy. ALU's major vision is to produce leaders who would be able to transform the continent and create jobs for Africa's fast-growing population. ALU uses a novel curriculum which was developed by some of the best educators in the world. ALU's learning model is built around the philosophy of peer learning where students learn from not only the teacher, but also from one another.
The Curriculum
ALU realises that most people are able to master certain concepts when they teach it to someone else that is why ALU leverages technology to provide that for their students. Students learn on a world-class online platform where they read articles, take part in MOOCs, take quizzes, reflect on what they have learnt through structured assignments, review and give feedback to other students' work and also teach other students who may have been struggling with some of the topics. This allows students to learn at their own pace while grasping every detail of the course. ALU's learning model allows the course facilitator to know how the students are performing individually and collectively by just glancing at his computer screen, or tablet. This allows for immediate feedback and assistance to students who appear to be struggling without having to wait till the end of the school year for the final grades to be out; this allows no student to be left behind. ALU's foundational core which students take in their first year of enrolment allows them to explore courses that are aimed at building skill sets and not just 'nerdy nerds'. The courses include: Communication for Impact, Data and Decisions, Entrepreneurial Leadership, and Projects. Each course has a particular skill or set of skills it is targeted at building in the students.
ALU partners with UK's Glasgow Caledonian University in issuing of its degrees and preparing its learning curriculum. Other universities which partner with ALU to present this world-class education include: Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, Stanford University, and MIT.
ALU also makes sure that every student is prepared for the workplace after graduation by partnering with some of the leading companies in Africa and in the world to provide a four-month annual internship for each student during his/her stay at ALU. That is to say that each student graduates with at least one-year working experience before graduating from ALU. Some of these top companies are: Coca-Cola, IBM, BCG, McKinsey&Company, Tiger Brands, Cellulant, Equity Bank, Tendy Corporation, and so many others.
Tuition
Attending ALU, doesn't cost much if you compare it with other universities in Africa and in the rest of the world. Attending ALU cost a total of about $10,000 which includes tuition, accommodation, a laptop, flight to and from your country, feeding, medical insurance and so on.
Admission
ALU's admission process is unlike the mainstream. ALU employs a round-by-round elimination method of admitting students. There are two rounds in the application process. In the first round, you fill the basic application form which contains your personal details, family information, academic record, activities and achievements, and a few essays. You also get to take an online math and reading test. After this round, is the second round. This is the most exciting! In this round, you participate in an online course known as the 'Africa Rising Course'. This course exposes you to ALU's learning model first-hand. You get to learn several exciting things about Africa while taking the course. Participating in module by module assessments where you take quizzes, write reflection essays and discuss ideas with fellow applicants from all over the world. You are also required to submit recommendations and other documentations for you travel to the campus should you be admitted.
ALU currently has an admittance rate of 3.28%.
[ P.S. I had to type this long because this is my university, you get? I guess you enjoyed it. by the way.]
2. Asheshi University College (Asheshi)
Asheshi University is a one-of-a-kind university. As you may have guessed, it's in Africa! The country of Ghana to be precise. Asheshi University's major mission is to produce ethical leaders for the 21st century. Asheshi was built by a native Ghanaian who went on to the US to study. He graduated with degrees in engineering and economics. He then went on to work for Microsoft for 8 years, until he resigned to attend the Haas School of Business at the UC Berkeley. He graduated with his MBA in 1999. He went back to Ghana alongside some other graduates of the business school to do a thorough market survey for the starting up of that form of university in Ghana. Asheshi University started in 2002 in a rented house with just 30 students. Today, Asheshi university boasts of a world-class permanent campus worth $6.4million with extra multi-million dollar pledges from various organisations to support its growth. Asheshi is currently home to about 600 undergrads.
Asheshi is dedicated to building some of the most revolutionary entrepreneurs on the continent. The curriculum at Asheshi is also technology based as students do most of their course work electronically. Asheshi employed an Examination Honour Code which is more like an oath students pledge to be honest in taking their examinations. For this reason, examinations at Asheshi University are not supervised by any invigilator. Asheshi has one of the best and most sophisticated libraries among other institutions of higher learning in Ghana. Asheshi also has a foundational core course which students take during their first year. This course aims at improving their critical ability and cognitive processes for a better and better prepared life of leadership.
Asheshi University also makes sure that all its graduates are prepared for the workforce as soon as they graduate. 100% of Asheshi graduates have received job offers as soon as they graduated. with about 90% choosing to work in Africa to develop various industries across the continent. Asheshi boasts of several alumni who have gone on to start up their own companies and create jobs for other people all over the world.
This is a university worth enrolling in!
3. Minerva Schools at KGI (Minerva)
Minerva is one of the most dynamic institutions in the world. Minerva started off in 2014 with its inaugural class of about 69 students. Minerva’s founder, former Snapfish president Ben Nelson, has referred to it as "the first elite American university to be launched in a century." Larry Summers, former Harvard University President and United States Secretary of the Treasury, chaired its first advisory board, joined by Bob Kerrey, former Democratic senator from Nebraska and president of the New School. Minerva in just a few years of operation has already proven to be one of the universities of the future.
P.S. I'm going to be very brief.
At Minerva, there are no classrooms. Students get access to everything online via online lectures which come in the forms of written text, audio tapes, or video recordings. Minerva also makes use of Mass Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to provide first-year education to its students from some of the top universities in the world. Minerva systematically applies a 1972 study that shows that memory is enhanced by “deep” cognitive tasks. Such tasks include working with material, applying it and arguing about it instead of rote memorization. All classes begin with a pop quiz, with potentially a second one later in the class, that is claimed to increase retention. Furthermore, courses are conducted as online seminars capped at 19 students and traditional lectures are banned. The automation allows fine-grained tracking of student progress. Professors have much less discretion over teaching methods than at traditional universities.
Minerva has a residence hall currently in just San Francisco. However, later in 2016 campuses would be set up at Buenos Aires and Berlin. In later years, more would be set up in Istanbul, London, Seoul, and Bangalore. Students get to study in seven different cities of the world before they graduate. That's a good deal, if you ask me.
So there's a lot of information on these universities which, by observation, would lead the other universities of the world in the nearest future. The question is: "How ready are you for the future? Would you rather go to an Ivy League college where they teach you some 300-year old concept that is now obsolete, or would you rather prepare for the future?"
Here's a talk about the future of universities by Dr. Jacob Leachman at TEDxWSU 2014. You would see the reasons why the above mentioned universities as well as some others not mentioned are the best fit for you today in preparation for tomorrow.
The Choice is yours. However, as you make your choice, may the force be with you.
