There is a new milestone in the development of education now. Plagiarism is a pivotal problem many higher educational institutions face today. To use plagiarism checkers has become vital for the academic cheating detection. However, it is not the only challenge they should be ready to take on.
Cost
The cost of higher education increases every year. Notwithstanding financial aids and scholarships, privately funded education still exists. It is proved with the Year in Review research carried out for G-40 countries. Many countries will give opportunities for students to get loans, but the cost of studying will still be high. Also, a variety of online programs require making large payments. In most cases, this may be explained by the rise of prices due to the inflation the world faces today even in top ranking countries for education.
Competency-Based Education
Competency-based education is a new positive turn. It aims at getting results and makes learning process more efficient. This type of learning eliminates one-to-all approach and makes learning more personalized. The main idea behind it is to hone skills and assess students’ knowledge rather than dedicate time to assignment completion. Students just need to prove they have acquired good skills and knowledge regardless of time. On the other hand, it may cause some difficulties, since students often have problems with self-discipline and time-management when they have that kind of freedom to learn new material on their own.
Assessment
Assessment is getting intensively digitized. It is fast, easy and individualized. Many tools are on their way to become even more practical. Formative assessment includes diagnostic and mid-year assessment. This simplifies student progress tracking and motivates them to study well. Also, there is a model VAM (Value-Added Modeling) that is used to evaluate the quality of teacher work. Student-learning objective (SLO) is a special assessment method that presupposes students’ assessment according to the general goal that teachers set. However, there is a risk that a new way of the assessment may turn to be not really objective.
Leadership
The true leaders are rare-to-meet, that is why future leaders nurturing has become essential. They are the ones who obtain critical and analytical thinking. Students should learn how to act in an absolutely new environment as well as how to set wise goals. The strategy for goal achievement should be thoroughly elaborated and implemented.
Online Programs
The abundance of already existing and emerging online programs is impressive. Everyone may study almost any subject there. They grant certificates to students. Plus, this is a very comfortable way of studying. And that is what hooks people up. In fact, one should be very picky and weigh up all pros and cons before signing up for a program: its validity, accreditation, and recognition by the employers are among the things to be very thoroughly examined. Online programs may easily attract numerous students, while giving preference to full-time university programs may become not so frequently chosen option. That’s why academic institutions should actively get involved into the development of their own online courses and programs to be more competitive.
Open Access to Research Papers
A free access to many research papers has some advantages. It will make research less time-consuming and help science grow, especially in developing countries. Still, this may sometimes lead to copyright infringement issues that are regulated according to the established standards for free access research papers.
So, education has its own development stages and all new changes either enliven learning process or make it face some difficulties. At the same time, educational system should always keep up with the pace of time and changes to be effective and ensure a high student engagement level.
