How Is Technology Shaping the Future of Tertiary Institutions - Thesis Proposal Example

How is technology shaping the future of tertiary s and what must they do to survive? Introduction Modern world is looking for excellence in all the fields of productive enthusiasm of human capital to stabilize growth of both social and economic wellbeing of populations. In this regard, the way education is rendered has to ensure endurance of knowledge with apt scope for transformation of ideas for timely improvement. Unlike in the past when education was meant to teach principle and theories of specific subject, current scenario requires interactive and practical learning. This involves multiple facets of investigative approach in understanding the applicability of the students about their chosen field. The Thesis Statement Technology is the skeleton, muscles and blood of higher education for the students in meeting the standards of excellence in scholastic merits, viable and sustainable productive skills for future, and adaptability to changing trends in real world. In order to keep pace with the changes around the globe, it is indispensable for the institutions to connect the teaching to technology so that the beliefs about future can be transformed to realities in their practical outcome. This paper is aimed at making an exploration of the various management challenges for rendering a tertiary education strategy in connection with the increasing demand for technology in the application level learning. 2. The Research Question The project will investigate, experiment and evaluate the information, factual data and chronological details related to the advancement of technology as a relationship with its viability and scope in the field of tertiary education by pursuing the following question - “How is technology shaping the future of tertiary institutions and what must they do to survive?” The paper will be an evaluation of the current system of education at higher levels with apt suggestions for improvement by highlighting the relevance of technology at learning process so as to enable the students find their place in the competitive world. 3. The Management Problem It does not take strain to understand the inevitable role of technology in the present day world in connecting lives as a vicious cycle comprising various dynamic activities for growth and sustainability. Although the focus of technological advancement is mainly on the business sector, the fact that educational institutions are the suppliers of creative human resources is indisputable. This proposal will focus on underlining the importance of a discussion of management challenges before universities and institutions in framing a balanced course inclusive of technology at its core. Experimental approach to management challenge is important in tertiary institutions for various reasons. Most basically, it is noticeable that the modern industrial sector is full of highly skilled labour force rather than a highly educated one. The scope of education thus makes a point only if it meets the desirable levels of skills at actual work front. Management challenge is also a factor of great concern for academic regulation authorities as the present trend indicates the scope for a greater economic source for government with the growing number of certifying institutions in tertiary education in different countries. At present, the need for activation of creative ideas and the implementation of new techniques in rendering higher education have become more obvious in the tertiary institutions in general. Modern management of academia suggests that the assumptions of management challenges have changed from the expectations and reality of the outside world is taking over the principles as set by management theories with recommendations for rapid and timely changes for the assured practicability of learning (Drucker, 2012, p.3). 4. Current Scenario In many contexts, students from various corners of the world today are seemingly restless about their future as the education system they pursue does not guarantee required amount of excellence to meet the challenges. They are reduced to book-learners and disciples of a strategy that has been practiced for decades without many changes to its own credit. However, the business world outside is looking for smart workers who perform the task with the up-to-date brilliance which may come around only from their practical exposure to technology during their preferred field of education. According to the opinion of researchers, the positions and expectations of the tertiary students these days are far apart from those of the previous times due to cultural propositions and economic disparities experienced by different student communities (Prag, 2014, p.4). Students are aware of the fear factor that the huge amount of money invested for education is to be found from personal sources without guarantee of their return in the form of an employment. This discouragement is experienced in most higher education courses where the stakeholders are all equally worried about the future of each lot of post graduates promoted by institutions. Hence it is pivotal to conduct researches in the field of such professional education streams at higher levels so as to explore the optimum rewarding suggestions for productive and promising academic strategies. For the references and evaluative learning required for the research, the following studies and journals are being used. 5. Annotated Bibliography 1. Prag K (2014) Tertiary Education and the Direction for Future Research: Accommodating the Shifting Demographics of the Caribbean’s Tertiary Student. Journal of the Department of Behavioural Sciences, 3 (1): 65-80. 2. This article gives light to know how the cultural groups are motivated towards higher education amidst the economic drawbacks and systematic setbacks. 3. Drucker P (2012) Management Challenges for the 21st Century. US: Routledge. This book gives a great basic for future research as it clearly examines how the human resource management at academic institutions is managed optimally for raising profitable outcome. 4. Edoho FM (Ed.) (2001) Management Challenges for Africa in the Twenty-first Century: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives. US: Greenwood Publishing Group. This reading enables the research work to get connected to the importance of overall development of the system of education at national levels and to the principles to eliminate the problem of unemployment. 5. Scullion H & Collings D (Eds.). (2010) Global Talent Management. US: Routledge. The findings and theories as mentioned in this book make a clear view of the need and scope of talent management at the globally competent level in order to make the candidates capable at meeting challenges. 6. Ewa UE (2013) Root causes of project abandonment in tertiary institutions in nigeria. International Business Research, 6(11), 149-159. This Journal helps in finding out the reasons in general as to how the programs meant of academic management are abandoned due to lack of vision, taking up the examples of Nigerian government. 7. Kane R, Sandretto S & Heath C (2002) Telling half the story: A critical review of research on the teaching beliefs and practices of university academics. Review of Educational Research, 72(2), 177-228. This journal reveals the facts of differences between theoretical teaching and its actual practice at the university level of learning. 8. Hamilton K (2002) Faculty club: The american university; private benefit or public good? Black Issues in Higher Education, 19(1), 52. This journal essentially looks into the value of education rendered by universities as a yardstick for measuring the social ethics of professionals at the end of their academic training. 9. Richards PB (Ed.) (2007) Global Issues in Higher Education. US: Nova Publishers. This book provides detailed aspects of teaching and its effective distribution for the desirable outcome. Case studies compiled in the book makes the systematic study easy and factual. 10. Annan DL (2008) Facilitating adoption of technology in higher education. Distance Learning, 5(1), 13-17. This journal helps understand the feasibility and scope of adoption of technology in higher education as an easy means to reach the global standards of professional perfection among candidates. 11. Stahr B (2003) Teaching in higher education (THE) forum: Keeping the touch in technology. Library Hi Tech News, 20 (7), 5-6. This reading makes an easy investigation into the prolific features of technology in higher education and the way it can transform the future of professional academia. 6. The Project Design This project work will be done by implementing the plans and strategies devised from the detailed studies done in advance. More specifically, there will be a timeline set for actions to be done with regards to conducting surveys and performing site visits. The total work will be divided into three segments; theoretical investigation, sample surveys and methodological evaluation of data base. Libraries and periodicals will be used apart from the books and journals in connection with the chronological order of changes in the technological advancement in higher education. Samples will be chosen from ten different tertiary institutions. Besides this, five organizations will be opted for meeting employees at various levels who own technically sound educational background. Interviews will be conducted with students in the form of seminars and by calling responses to choice-bound questionnaires. Special meetings will be held with institutional heads and specially recognized lecturers to analyze the visions employed in the present system. After conducting the surveys, the sample data will be scrutinized and a comparative report will be made in order to establish the facts as relevant as possible to the thesis framed for the research. Then the final look of the project will be modeled and submitted for the perusal of the authorities. 7. Managing the Management challenge Project 7.1 The Stakeholders: Frontline stakeholders will include; Graduate students, Management professionals, Lecturers, Research scholars and Educationalists. Secondary stakeholders will be; Media professionals, Information Technology experts, Alumni of target institutions and Employers of specialist consultancy firms. 7.2 Additional Resources Additional resources will be gathered from; Talk shows, Legislative representatives, renowned promoters and student organization leaders. 7.3 Risks Denial of permission to access students, Incorrect responses from respondents, Excessive time and money consumption, Conclusive differences on the basis of cultural and gender expectations. 7.4 Record Keeping An up-to-date record of actions will be maintained and the progress of the work will be reported to the project guide at prescribed intervals or at the end of the timeline set for each task. 7.5 Project Plan The project work will be carried out according to the following time-frame: i. Critical reading of literary resources and framing out theories (…..) days. ii. Designing blue print of the project and deciding stakeholder units (….) days iii. Travelling and interactions for sample collection (….) days iv. Interviews, surveys and seminars with stakeholders (…..) days v. Examination of additional resources (…..) days vi. Record keeping and discussion of issues and risks (….) days vii. Project drafting, finalizing and finishing the material output (….) days A total of (……..) days will be required for the completion of the Management Challenge project. Read More