“Reinventing” is a word we are seeing widely used throughout this pandemic to address the need to change or adapt to our environment, whether it is regarding our business, way of life, or education.
Many want to hold on to the past and go back to the way things used to be. But that is a reality that has changed. Like Eckhart Tolle says, “Don’t wait to be successful at some future point. Have a successful relationship with the present moment and be fully present in whatever you are doing. That is success.” So in order to live in the present moment, we need to face what we are dealing with right now. Our life, in all dimensions, will not be how it used to be; however, we can find the light and find what good we can bring out of it and what positive outcomes we can derive.
Yes, I agree, the college experience will be different this coming Fall 2020, with social distancing and hybrid learning in place. But this scenario has opened the door for a whole new world in education: the merging of education and technology.
James D. Walsh interviewed Scott Galloway in his article for the New York Times Magazine, titled The Coming Disruption to College, on how Coronavirus will disrupt future colleges & universities. According to Galloway, “The post-pandemic future, will entail partnerships between the largest tech companies in the world and elite universities. . . I think that partnership will look something like MIT and Google partnering. Microsoft and Berkeley. . . I just can’t imagine what the enrollments would be if Apple partnered with a school to offer programs in design and creativity. I can’t imagine what the enrollments would be if the University of Washington partnered with Microsoft around technology or engineering.”
Without a doubt more people will have access to higher education and the opportunity to receive a degree from one or more universities. The need for technological change will bring about changes in our educational opportunities world wide.