Twenty-eighth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

As per the World Economic Forum, these seven technologies are actually changing our world: Big Data and AI, Digital Health, Large Scale Digitization, Internet of Things, Blockchain, Digital Learning, and Wearable Internet. Traditional curricula dispensed by universities are seen to be too static and rigid to respond to these needs. Industry often criticizes academia for not doing enough to address the skills gaps, while universities often counter-argue that their role is not to produce a workforce for the short term, but to prepare individuals for life. It is a fact that the requirements for current jobs have changed, and the new workforce has to operate on the frontiers of disciplines. It is therefore imperative that universities review their curriculum models to address these emerging needs and prepare individuals for the jobs of the future. It is obvious that universities cannot keep on teaching using the same traditional methods. Universities, especially in developing countries, are therefore bound to be disrupted in the digital world driven by knowledge societies and economies. The key question, therefore, is how can universities in the developing world adapt to these evolutions, and address the key challenges they are facing to still be relevant in the digital age, be sustainable, and prepare the workforce for the future of work? In this paper, we look at the digital transformation of universities within the triple helix model to promote public-private-academia collaboration and the new approaches to teaching, learning, and certification using the University of Mauritius as example.