200 Years University Bonn to Learning 4.0
34th Bonn Business Talk – Bonn Education
200 Years University Bonn to Learning 4.0
Higher education is changing: The Bologna Process, digitization and digitalization, formal, informal and non-formal educational offers and competition are challenges that universities and society have to face. Education pathways for Learning 4.0 – what will they look like? Is the Humboldt educational ideal still up-to-date? How do we prepare and educate the society of and for tomorrow? Experts from Universities, Universities of Applied Sciences and business weight in.
Facilitator
- Christian David
Guests
- Prof. Dr. Dieter Engels, Chairman of Bonn University’s Council (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn)
- Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Peter Thuy, Rector of IUBH School of Business and Management (IUBH Campus Studies)
- Dr. Jens-Peter Gaul, Secretary-General of HRK (German Rectors’ Conference)
- Ruth Maria van den Elzen, Vice President of IHK Bonn/Rhein-Sieg (German Chamber of Industry and Commerce; IHK Bonn/Rhein-Sieg)
Unifying Education
The Bologna Process which was initialized in 1999 set out to unify the European higher education landscape but in light of contemporary developments, upholding its value is questioned and function slowly undermined. Focusing on practical relevance, Bologna initially stood for increased comparability and standardization of degree programs Europe-wide, allowing for setting European benchmarks and promoting students’ mobility. However, demands placed on higher educational systems to fulfill their obligation educating and preparing its students sufficiently for the job market have changed over time and become more complex.
Socio-Cultural Change
For one, studying has become the social norm with a variety of different educational biographies in the system, making the picture of the standard student during Bologna’s advent obsolete. A diversification of the educational offer reflects this, with Universities of Applied Sciences or Business Schools such as the IUBH listing many students that come from vocational training, or those that choose to study part-time next to juggling family and job roles – something that would have been unthinkable 20 years ago. Education and training are in a state of transition.
Socio-Technical Change
Second, as digitization and digitalization become more pervasive in business and society, and change entire industries and job profiles, the educational landscape has to adapt, too, in order to stay relevant and true to its ambitions. A plethora of informal certificates and degrees from various accredited, known or unknow education providers available on the online market allow easier and more individualized access to education, in terms of which kind of skills and knowledge is mediated when and where. Free-of-charge courses are often referred to as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), but payed courses also exist. Adding workforce with non-formal, uncertified, self-taught know-how to the mix, classifying and evaluating competence and aptitude of job applicants, and as such their value for the company, becomes intriguingly complicated. On the other hand, where recording, valuating and ongoingly monitoring every university classroom course seemed impossible, for online courses this is no problem with curricula, individual lessons and learning material readily avaialble. U.S. markets seem to have dealt better with adapting to, up-taking and harnessing the innovative potential of those changes in workforces’ qualifications for their own benefit than European or German entities have done thus far – an example is the infamous IT or coding expert, or serial-entrepreneur coming straight out of high school and being hired or funded in Silicon Valley.
Initial Adaptation Processes
Nonetheless, also Universities within the German formal education system, such as the IUBH, offer comprehensive distance learning studies that do not require students to be physically present during class, or even allow them to take their exam electronically. With regard to the learning environment, for example University of Bonn, claims that about 40% of their lecturers use digital media. A fundamental question in light of digitization and digitalization is, whether universities are a reference institution and should remain in the future. A pro-argument is the unique didactic of classroom teaching and face-to-face exchange of ideas and arguments and their educational value, even in a digitized and digitalized work environment. With virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) becoming more market ready and common in work environments, f.i. for operators of heavy machinery or precision instruments, videographers using drones or surgeons in the operating room, or remote workers solely communicating online vie Mails, Skype or Zoom, this argument, however, loses ground.
System Change Pathway
One educational system powerful in international comparison is that of Germany, with over 400 universities, where, traditionally, educational institutions with individual focus and justification interact and cooperate with each other. Giving universities the opportunity to design themselves their adaptation process to the informational and educational changes taking place can therefore be a viable option to strengthening academic freedom and supporting the formal education system.
As closing words of the 34. Bonn Business Talk, host Christian David cited Mark Twain saying:
Never let your schooling interfere with your education.
– Mark Twain
Words that held true back then, do now and will in the future for Learning 4.0.
If you like to watch 34. Bonn Business talk for yourself, have a look at the live recording below (only in German):
