What tailors know that highered doesn't
Higher education institutions in the European Union stopped being ivory towers a long time ago. Between 2013 and 2022, the proportion of young Europeans with a completed tertiary education rose from 35 to 42%, a whopping 7% improvement over a mere decade. Yet, as is the case in all tales worth telling, the democratization of higher education was not without its twists and unexpected challenges.
First, we underestimated the diversity of our expanded student body. Each year, with the student body growing in size, it was becoming harder and harder to accurately describe what a "typical" student looks like. While before, we would get by with a few adjectives like naturally curious, self-directed, or disciplined in describing most students, today's students also excel in resilience, empathy, entrepreneurship, creativity, courage, care, connection, kindness, and humor. This diversity in ability, motivation, personality, attitude, cultural background, socio-economic background, and many other dimensions caught us by surprise.
Second, our reaction to this newfound diversity was less than ideal. We found ourselves akin to tailors stubbornly insisting on a single size, dismayed when the garments did not fit the myriad forms before us. We murmured among ourselves, bemoaning the changing shape of our students, longing for the simpler times of yesterday. Yet, in doing so, we overlooked a fundamental truth of our craft: education, like the finest of garments, must be tailored to fit the wearer, not the other way around.
Tailoring the study experience
I am not suggesting that every higher education institution should admit everyone and support each and every of their talents, on the contrary. After all, great tailors also specialize in the types of garments they make. An institution should specifically pick hats, for example, but offer different sizes, different fits, and different colors. What does that mean in practice?
- Do you need to work, care for a family member, or live far away? We make it possible for you to study regardless of your practical constraints.
- Are you a first-generation student? Then we help you learn the hidden curriculum others have learned at home.
- Can you not relate to the references and examples used in class because of a different cultural background? Here's a crash course on the local culture.
- Are you not yet enthusiastic about statistics? Here, we're going to show you the elegance and beauty of the field.
- Do you struggle with discipline? Let's set up an environment that will help you show up.
- Not sure how to learn effectively given your special needs? Here's a course on how to learn.
- Are you on the shy side? We will co-create an atmosphere where everyone feels safe speaking up.
- Short of sight or hearing? All our media are produced according to universal design principles.
The Loom of Concerns: Standards and Resources
Voices of caution speak of resources, of standards—guardians wary of diluting the potent brew of academia. Yet, the progress we have already accomplished in making higher education more inclusive teaches us that expanding the weave does not weaken the tapestry but enriches it, making it more vibrant, and more resilient. The true measure of our craft is not the uniformity of the thread but the strength and beauty of the pattern it creates.
Epilogue: The Ever-Unfolding Story
Our tale does not end here, for the quest to democratize higher education is an ongoing saga. EU's target is for 45% of young adults to have attained a tertiary education degree by 2030. Whether we then settle for that proportion or set an even more ambitious goal, we have another segment of the population waiting in front of our gates, the lifelong learners.
Democratization of higher education is a story of adaptation, of learning, of recognizing the boundless potential within each soul we seek to help develop. Let us then, with the wisdom of sages and the heart of explorers, embark on this path with the resolve to craft a legacy of learning as diverse and profound as the world itself.
This post and image were created with the help of ChatGPT Plus.
