Education in the 21st century will reflect the global society that is currently forming. Power will rest not so much with nation states as with multinational corporations. Wealth will depend primarily on knowledge, not upon physical resources, and innovation will be the engine for economic growth. Since change will lie at the heart of this global society, education and training will be required throughout one's lifetime. The older paradigm, education during youth for adult life, will be replaced by a lifelong learning model. Governments will remain involved in education, but increasingly interested in adult learning because of its economic value. Corporations will also look for new ways to foster education, both for their own employees and of the greater society, because of the need for highly trained employees.
In line with these trends, higher education will be more focused on vocational training. The needs of adult learners, both as to learning styles and methods of delivery, will be taken into account. The particular delivery method will depend upon and be shaped by the technology that develops.
Paying for lifelong education will be a problem. The sheer numbers of people that need to be enrolled will require creative solutions, such as virtual universities and distance units in traditional universities. The magnitude of requested courses and offerings will also lead to changes. One institution will not be able to provide all that the students may need. Therefore, for cost and curriculum reasons, consortia will form, and these will require new policies as to admission, accreditation, and management. Educators will need to plan for teaching cross-culturally, since distance education in particular will draw students from every part of the globe. Educators will increasingly focus on the behavior of successful learners, because the type of education that is developing demands much more independence and autonomy on the part of successful students than traditional modes required.
Primary and secondary education will change less drastically in the developed world, although multimedia will increasingly be used. In developing regions, lower-cost computers and other technology will mean greater access to primary and secondary education: Satellites and low-cost satellite dishes may soon be able to link in even the most remote tribes of the Amazon.
The list of references below address predictions as to the future, discussion of learning theory, distance education institutions and courses, and technologies of the future.
Peter Drucker on the Future
http://www.oakton.edu/resource/oir/abssep97.html
This site by Oakton Community College presents an abstract of an article by Peter Drucker in the September-October 1997 issue of the Harvard Business Review. In it, he outlines the changes that will influence organizations in the 21st century. Among the statements: "The most important management area that needs developing is the management of knowledge resources, particularly education and health care."
ICDE on the Future
http://www.icde.org/WorldConf/vienna/vienna.htm
The site presents the agenda for the International Council of Distance Education's October 1998 World Conference, the theme of which is "The New Educational Frontier: Teaching and Learning in a Networked World."
UNESCO Conference on the Future
http://www.softweb.vic.edu.au/news/UNESCONF/index.html
The site reports on a March 30 April 3, 1998 conference sponsored by UNESCO entitled "Education for the 21st Century in the Asia-Pacific Region." Abstracts of the Conference Declaration and of the summation concerning the conference by the Principal Rapporteur, Professor Phillip Hughes, are provided.
Regional Collaboration in Education; Growth of Consortia
http://www.wiche.edu
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) represents the effort of educators to collaborate across state boundaries and to form consortia, which include representatives from government and business. The site outlines ten recent achievements of WICHE.
Achieving Deep Learning
http://www.newhorizons.org/lrnbus_marchese.html
The site presents an entire paper by Dr. Theodore J. Marchese (1998) entitled "The adult learner in higher education and the workplace: The new conversation about learning." Dr. Marchese, who is vice president of the American Association for Higher Education, draws upon anthropology, cognitive science and neuroscience to offer recommendations concerning how to assist the adult learner to succeed.
Successful Adult Learning Programs
http://www.newhorizons.org/lrn_businessind.html
A number of 1997 and 1998 articles are included which describe successful adult learning conditions and programs.
Distance Learning Institutions and Courses
http://www-icdl.open.ac.uk/icdl/ICDLdb.htm
At this International Center for Distance Learning (ICDL) site, listings are available for distance education institutions throughout the world, organized by geographic region. Distance education courses are also listed, by subject area.
Distance Learning Institutions and Correspondence Courses http://www.calcampus.com/colleg-3.htm
The site provides names, addresses, and telephone numbers of over 100 institutions which offer distance or correpondence courses, most of which also offer degrees. These courses may be delivered by correspondence, computer on-line access (direct and Internet), satellite, television, videotape, and other media. The emphasis is on North America, but some international institutions are included.
Non-Distance For-Profit Consortium
http://www.ieuc.com
The site illustrates another model for future education, the for-profit corporation that offers seminars and degree programs for business executives. Students attend classes offered by a consortium of international institutions. However, the students physically attend these institutions in the United States, Europe, and Japan.
The following sites concern technological developments that will impact education in the future.
Internet 2
http://www.internet2.edu/html/
The site describes the efforts of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development. This consortium is comprised of the U.S. government (part of the White House Next Generation Internet (NGI) effort), corporate members, and 100 research universities. Because of the commercialization of the current Internet, there is a need for faster, more effective networking for research universities. Internet 2 will provide "leading edge network capabilities."
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~dank/isdn/
This site offers a comprehensive overview of ISDN for the lay person, including both technological and legal developments. This technology will allow the simultaneous transmission of voice, data, and image over existing phone lines and will permit sophisticated multimedia delivery to classrooms or homes.
Bill Labs
http://pathfinder.com/@@nPsGhQcAnwocAyWX/fortune/1997/971208/mic.html
This December 8, 1997 Fortune article by Randall Stross is entitled "Mr. Gates Builds His Brain Trust," and recounts the establishment in 1991 of a significant research and development organization by Microsoft in Redmond, WA. Another lab has already been set up in Cambridge, England and plans are underway for further sites in Europe and Asia. Unlike almost all contemporary companies, Bill Gates is pouring money into pure research at Microsoft and the article mentions some of the research directions that will affect technology in the future. Says Gates: "The future of computing is the computer that talks, listens, sees, and learns. That is what is being created at Microsoft Research."
Simulation Software
http://virtualprototypes.ca
Simulation software is currently too expensive for most educational institutions. Virtual Prototypes sells its 2-D and 3-D simulation products to the Defense industry and major corporations, especially avionics and automotive companies. This site covers the products being offered by the company and the current corporate applications. One can see a future in education and training for these types of software tools, however, which allow the simulation of physical tasks, together with the importing of data from databases, as the student interacts with the simulator.