We live in an era of uncertainty and disruptive change. This evolution in technology, economics, society and politics will greatly impact the employment landscape. In such a dynamic environment, some traditional jobs will disappear and many new jobs will be created. How can universities educate their students to prepare for jobs that do not even exist today? Are there innovative and holistic approaches to develop students beyond academic grades? What educational strategies can they adopt?
One such strategy is the development of a variety of high-level skills in students to prepare them for future jobs that require complex problem solving and critical thinking skills, creativity, people management, collaboration with others and coordination of tasks, adaptability, emotional intelligence, judgment and decision-making, service orientation, negotiation and cognitive flexibility. Another strategy involves partnering industry in preparing students and also embracing life-long learning where individuals continue to learn beyond the years of formal education.
The 2nd Applied Learning Conference (ALC), aims to highlight the value of applied learning in developing future-ready talents in the era of disruptive change. The conference will also explore the roles of institutes of higher learning in addressing the changing paradigm from a teacher-centric to a learner-centric experience for greater learner engagement which, in turn, is likely to facilitate deeper learning and the acquisition of high level skills necessary for students to embrace a constantly changing workplace environment.
Areas for discussion includes:
Different Approaches of Applied Learning
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Work-based learning (e.g., IWSP, CO-OP, Internship, Clinical fieldwork, Dual Studies)
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Inquiry-based learning (e.g., Case-based learning, Team-based learning)
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Simulations and technology for applied learning (e.g., finance simulations: Bloomberg, IT based simulation: virtual lab, standardised patient simulation)
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Project-based learning
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Industry-focused capstone/projects
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Service learning
New Ways of Learning
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Interdisciplinary integration
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Student Partnerships
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Education 4.0
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Learning Spaces
Assessment & Learning Outcomes
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Authentic assessment and assessment for applied learning
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Measurement of learning outcomes (e.g., Data analytics in education)
Lifelong Learning
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Continuing education and training (e.g., on the job training, industry academy)
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Holistic Development & 21st century skills
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Competencies-based Education
Speakers Highlight
Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc
President of Southern New Hampshire University
Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc is President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Forbes Magazine has listed him as one of its 15 “Classroom Revolutionaries” and one of the “most influential people in higher education” for 2016 and Washington Monthly named him one of America’s ten most innovative university presidents.
Professor Mick Healey
HE Consultant and Researcher and Emeritus Professor at the University of Gloucestershire
Dr. Mick Healey is an HE Consultant and Researcher and Emeritus Professor at the University of Gloucestershire. He was one of the first people in the UK to be awarded a National Teaching Fellowship and to be made a Principal Fellow of the HE Academy. In 2015 he received the Distinguished Service Award from the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Professor Tan Thiam Soon
President, Singapore Institute of Technology
Professor Tan Thiam Soon is the President of Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). He obtained his B. Eng in Civil Engineering from University of Canterbury and subsequently his MS and PhD from California Institute of Technology.
Professor Dr. Georg Nagler
Rektor,
Duale Hochschule Mannheim/Germany
Georg Nagler studied law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich as a scholarship holder of the Bavarian gifted education scheme after graduating from high school (Best pupil of the year with a grade of 1.0 at the Max-Reger-Gymnasium in Amberg).