Thoughts on the Next Generation Universities from Inside Higher Ed

Always interested in what the future of universities might be, I read Inside Higher Ed's recent take on the subject, Designing Next-Generation Universities (https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-beta/designing-next-generation-universities). It breaks its examination into 'Expanded Experiential Education', 'Technology Enhanced Education', 'Learning by Doing', 'Classrooms and Universities Without Walls', 'Personalized Learning Pathways', and 'The University as Big Tent'.

One area that intrigues me is gaining knowledge outside the classroom. Here one is only limited by one's own initiative. The problem is most such efforts are additive to the traditional curriculum rather than an essential component of the educational process: study abroad, internships, mentored research... Interestingly, I just returned from a trip to Jakarta, Indonesia where I met Sean who has a slew of businesses that he manages, and a couple of which he owns.

He became enamored with Indonesia as an exchange student back in the late sixties. He never returned to the states once he landed in Indonesia. He speaks flawless Bahasa Indonesian as well as Javanese, and is on the cutting edge quality control engineering in a wide range of enterprises: he never received an undergraduate degree. Obviously, without study abroad Sean's life would have been quite different. Play this experience over thousands of times and it makes sense to integrate as much experiential learning into the curricula of the future as possible.