In the era of digital technology, education system is desperately in need of change. There are so many new technology and new ideas emerge every day that if we do not upkeep ourselves and embrace new ideas, we may lose edge in this fast-moving world even when you are a highly educated person.

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How to Face the Future Challenges of Higher Education

 

Today, we must respond to megatrends like technological change, aging societies and global connections, virtual reality and augmented reality. How do we embrace using mobile phones to learn? How do we teach in the era like covid-19 where social distancing and quarantine have become the new normal? How do we transit from pure face-to-face teaching to a hybrid of classroom and webinar lecturing?

 

From my near 40 years as an educator in Hong Kong , China and globally, many current universities – in all countries alike – are lacking vision and inspiration, failing to embrace innovation, reluctant to change, and making only incremental changes in the use of technology. It is extremely difficult for professors to accept change because they ‘know best’.

 

We know that 95 per cent of tasks currently undertaken by accountants will be done by robots in future, but have we done anything to change the curriculum? Do we need a new relevance to make our role more central to society? Can we embrace relevance like never?

 

With too many lacking inspirations and failing to adopt the transformative changes that technology offers at present, I believe that higher education needs a complete paradigm shift, and to achieve this shift, “Life-long” education may be the only solution.

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Stay “Agile”, Stay “Professional”

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To attain the new education paradigm one needs to be a life-long, agile learner. To become lifelong agile learner, one needs to be-

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Self-Aware, Self-Reflective, Open mindedness, Creative, Confident

 

A successful person needs not only be well-educated, he/she also needs to be “professionally” and “continuously” educated.

 

The ICMA program on management accounting offers a pathway for accounting graduates and working accountants and other employees in the financial and business fields an opportunity to continue study and move up to management levels.  The courses offer in this program is comprehensive as well as practical, such that learners can acquire both theories and practical experience and become a Certified Management Accountant who sees the world from much broader perspectives.  These “life-long” learners will become decision-makers and leaders of our future.