The Times they Are A-Changin'

The Times they Are A-Changin'

by Eugene Kowch -
Number of replies: 0

I read both the CLL and Shaping our Future conference documents with interest and care.  Indeed, we seem to be 'cycling' on issues in the former report and I agree as Terry mentions that we're not feeling advance in the 'shape' of some things.

Today, at the macro level, Canada and the rest of the world are presently feeling the impact of gloabalization in some negative ways - for example we are feeling the crunch of economic downturn because of banking system and consumer confidence faltering. Globally and here at home, we are experiencing a very new kind of public appetite for regulation in spheres where regulators have run away (de-regulation) such as the banking and manufacturing arenas while political participation reaches all time lows. I doubt that when many of us began our 'Shaping Future' discussion we'd imagine that the US government would now own, via public debt, 60% of General Motors and a raft of investment banks. The same is true in Europe and elsewhere. Being a researcher who focuses on how these large systems govern themselves, I doubt that massive public ownership by proxy (through elected governments of the day) is prepared to lead banks and large industry complexes well - or at all. But the public is in the drivers seat more than ever in our neo-liberal society - we just all don't realize it quite yet. Imagine what could happen if this public choice for regulation focuses on education systems that may falter later in the downturn...

At the meso level, industries, education systems and health care systems are beginning to feel organizational impact due to the economic shift, consumer shifts and rising unemployment. We're reshaping education and training radically in some sectors as we speak, perhaps simply by incremental budget cuts and satisficing that way, yet our perceptions of how to change things didn't really encompass political, economic and social institutional systems and financing as a network of interrelated issues - especially in the context of regulatory and fiscal (negative) change. Mintzberg is saying the business scholars missed the boat on predicting this mess because they study only cases they've never seen in MBA school. I wonder - what are we studying well to predict or respond to the 'shape' of education today in our industries and public organizations?

At the micro level, we're aware that personalized learning and systemic changes in technology-enriched and complex, yes, still rigid bureaucratic learning/training contexts are likely the only way to build near term program and even career resilience in a world where change frequency, magnitude and type continues and.. even the scope of 'what's connectedto distance learning', for example, is possibly increasing.

Maybe it's time to revisit the training and education sectors from one standpint, but across sectors and disiplines - say by studying or defining an Industry Canada perspective as it is integrated with economic forecasts and perhaps economic stimulus objectives that we know are somehow linked to workforce development plans (or were!) and then, thank goodness, to education and training system trajectories.  Perhaps, maybe just maybe, the federal government today (or soon) could want to (or need to) re-imagine (though it's been said here before as Terry A. points out) that the systems we imagine, use and learn with actually could improve well being and productivity in fundamental ways today. Maybe we need to look at cross-sectoral, deep research on education inputs and/or outputs to the economy or public sector (like health care) and define a set of paths forward that fits with global and national, as well as provincial objectives as closely as possible. Study the system and the networks without constraining the description by a structure, say such as a federal learning organization ... an idea that could be a natural result or outcome from such work, though, but I bet we'd see new things or shapes in this way.

I've not seen a study on the systemic impact of distance learning or technology enhanced learning across the nation or across sectors that considers policy and economic forecasts - maybe with that level of complexity - as daunting as it sounds - might be the way to approach shaping our future across sectors (and disciplines).  I'm not sure what that could look like, but the systems just now seems stuck in a cycle that's not focusing on the great things we discussed here, and that's just - sad.  It will take a lot of money and collaboration but you know, maybe when times are tougher and real change is occurring for all governments, we could study and imagine better systems so this business of repeating the same theme changes!

Is it time to look across the country for answers on a few levels on these key issues, I wonder? Is there the will and resources? We know there's the expertise. As in a good old instruction design - can we define a need and seek a solution in turbulent times that aren't all-growth scenarios - where the 'learner' is -- everyone concerned deeply about learning in the information age?

With respect and with thanks for reading a pretty abstract ramble :-)

Eugene G. Kowch - University of Calgary