What is the Pathway to Continuous Learning? 2040’s Ideas and Innovations Newsletter, Issue 100
Issue 100, March 23, 2023
Editor’s Note: Welcome to the 100th Issue of 2040’s Ideas and Innovations Weekly Newsletter. We thank you for your continued readership and your feedback and comments weekly.
Everyone has a personal learning style. Independent learners buck the system and find alternative ways to learn on their own terms. Traditional learners are comfortable with the classic teacher-student relationship. And then there is everyone else in between. Whatever preference you have, continuous learning is a requirement to be well-informed and capable in today’s dynamic society. The pace of change is enabled by continuous technological developments, and just like the necessity of machine learning iterations to stay relevant, recent research suggests that people also benefit from iterative learning throughout their lives.
Organizations seeking to change and transform need to recognize that when a workforce practices continuous learning, it enables an organization to evolve and grow, as well as to adapt. We are not yet at a point where machines can do it all for us and we can simply sit back and derive the benefits. Despite the hype of ChatGPT and the slew of similar AI tools, humans are still essential. Without individuals, an organization would be unable to perform and produce. And strengthened by promoting continuous learning throughout the workforce, an organization is better poised to be more knowledgeable and competitive.
For the Record
In my role as a professor at the University of Maryland, I confront this phenomenon daily. Research across higher education has revealed that individuals learn more impactfully when facilitation and coaching occurs. It recognizes that individuals learn, comprehend, and retain information, which transforms into knowledge, in a continuous learning model that is iterative and takes place over the course of time with guidance, coaching and facilitation. How does this work? Optimal learning is not sequential. It thrives on open-mindedness, persistent yearning for knowledge and building and expanding critical thinking skills. Iterative learning that takes place in context of emerging circumstances and situations can be immediately applied. One way to apply this is the recent trend to seek instructors/teachers with real-life experience who can help students see the connections between theory and practice with relevant and contextual real-world examples. The same goes for the workplace in a mentorship model.
Learning in the Age of Rapid Change
It’s time for a refreshed look at how we are educating our next generations. Economic forecasts for Generation Z and Alpha are impacting their career prospects. And research suggests that over their lifetime that they will be less well-off than previous generations. Research also shows that Gen Z and Alpha have a dimmer view of the value of a higher education degree. Think about it in terms of what happened to the millennials. They spent on average $103,000 to earn a four-year degree in a public university, went into debt to pay for it, and entered a job market facing diminishing returns.
Jump ahead to Gen Z and the Alphas who have observed this trendline are pushing back and reevaluating expensive higher education as a profitable career track. Largely speaking, this is a cohort of young people who are anxious, pessimistic, and deeply concerned about the world they are inheriting. Although still young, many declare little interest in getting married and having children based on their worldviews. They are also taking a more pragmatic position about education and view alternative learning platforms, principally online, as sufficient to acquire the skills they need to address the challenges of the moment, and not go bankrupt in the process. This strategy reflects the power of iterative learning as an episodic mastery of new skills, knowledge and certification.
This Next Gen attitude is supported by recent higher education data that shows college/university enrollment is down by 15% across the United States as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Initially, the downswing was rationalized as the result of Covid, and a reversal of economic conditions experienced during the pandemic. The truth is that although the high price tag of a college education is a legitimate issue, it is not the first reason for deferring or pursuing a different professional path. The Next Gen existential question, with data to support it, is that the value of a college degree does not seem to be the investment it was once nor the driver or predictor of future potential earnings.
Continuous Learning and Next Gens
A shift to continuous learning models across higher education emulates what is occurring across society as a whole. Our shortened attention span influences the need for education presented in segments. When learning a skill or gaining knowledge, an alternative model is to shorten the time frame and skip traditional repetitive rote disciplines. Think of the Greek agora where students of Socrates learned through critical thinking, mentoring, and coaching – rather than a modern university didactic professor-student hierarchy.
This may concern the traditionalists, but research has suggested that we may learn better, retain, and comprehend information through applied education. We gain knowledge more effectively when we are presented with a real-life problem or situation. Contextual information — rather than abstract, theoretical education – sticks. Socrates may have gotten it right nearly 2,500 years ago.
A modern model associated with applied education is “flipped learning.” This is the opposite of a teacher lecturing passive students with theoretical knowledge. Research suggests that students often lose interest and bail on lecture sessions. The alternative? Learning that focuses on problem-solving, collaboration and lifelong learning strategies.
There is another factor that feeds the practice of continuous learning. Next Gens spend about nine hours a day on their screens. Granted some of it is coursework, but the majority is a near addiction to social platforms. Young people are masters of search; we have a generation that believes it doesn’t have to know anything if they can find the answers online. That mentality could be attributed to technological determinism: the theory that a society’s technology determines its cultural values, social structure, and history (Middlebury U). According to the theory, social progress follows an inevitable course that is driven by technological innovation.
So, it’s no surprise that a whole generation looks at learning differently. Check out our book, The Truth About Transformation, for a deeper dive into behavioral change that technology is prompting. We are not advocating throwing higher education under the bus, but attitudinal and lifestyle shifts beg the question how to educate a generation of young people who live in soundbites. I can say this with confidence, as teaching 20-year-olds requires bridging the past to the future with an alternative teaching method. Being present in the moment of a challenge or investigation supported by iterative learning serves as a bridge to a new approach to learning.
As a cautionary note, the basic skills that form an ability to reason and solve problems are as critical as ever. Living in a technological age has made a dent on some of the basics: reading, comprehension, math, science, and reasoning. When the power goes out, we may face a generation that has limited survival skills and abilities to think their way out of a problem.
Alternative Options
Apprenticeships are on the rise. Organizations are stepping in to offer apprenticeship programs coupled with continuous learning that is appealing to Next Gens who are looking for work experience plus education and less debt. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, “In the past decade, the number of apprentices has increased by more than 50%, according to federal data and Robert Lerman, a labor economist at the Urban Institute and co-founder of Apprenticeships for America. Additionally, “The gap between the number of students going to college and those selecting apprenticeships is closing as many employers are struggling to find workers in the tightest job market in half a century. Meanwhile, more students say they are wary of enrolling in college for fear it will leave them in debt and holding a degree that hasn’t prepared them for a good job in a fast-changing labor market.”
There is an emerging movement afoot to eliminate a four-year degree as a prerequisite for all employment. Rachel Cohen reports for Vox Media that this trend is “backed by staggering research and a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign, to educate employers on broken hiring practices that have needlessly locked two-thirds of the workforce out of higher-paying American jobs. For decades, more and more job postings have reflexively required college degrees. Now it’s finally being recognized this was a mistake.”
Harvard Business School research reported “employer surveys showed workers without college degrees were often considered just as productive on the job as their college-educated counterparts. They were also less likely to turnover and less expensive for companies to hire.”
The Business Case for Continuous Learning
Continuous learning in an organization can be interpreted in a range of ways. Workramp defines it as “a culture that encourages employees to prioritize ongoing learning and improvement. Continuous learning can happen through various formats, including formal courses, informal learning, shadowing teammates, training programs, one-on-one and group coaching, and casual interactions.” To make the case even more compelling, continuous learning allows organizations to maintain higher levels of employee knowledge and skills through consistent reinforcement. The mentorship/Socrates model plays a role as employees appreciate being taught about their roles and responsibilities from their seniors as well as deciding among themselves what skills they want to master.