Catalyzing Higher Education Institutions for Economic and Social Change: Global Innovations in Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Community Engagement

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Higher education institutions are critical drivers of social change by preparing future professionals, conducting impactful research, and engaging with local and global communities to address enormous social challenges. New complexities from climate change, digitization, artificial intelligence, and other social and economic forces are changing not only the expectations of higher education institutions to prepare graduates for this complex future, but the role of institutions themselves in society. Using the lens of workforce development, this panel interrogates how to leverage higher education institutions and their diverse economic and social responsibilities (Jongbloed et al., 2008) to meet these complex realities. Drawing upon research and implementation data of three USAID-funded workforce development projects connected to higher education institutions in Jordan, Lebanon and the Philippines, the panel presents ways higher education institutions can use curricula as a catalyst for community building and change, and, in doing so, better prepare their students to join the 21st-century workforce.

Globally, higher education graduates lack the skills to transition into the labor market, with out-dated curricula focused on theory and divorced from market realities (Chervin, et al., 2022). It is therefore vital to understand how to change higher education institutions, their curricula and pedagogy, and their role as networked actors with government, industry, and society. Through the USAID Higher Education Program Framework, higher education institutions serve as a central actor in sustainable local development through three core functions: (1) advancing knowledge and research, (2) providing quality and relevant education and workforce training, and (3) engaging and strengthening networks and communities (USAID, 2021). Each of the case studies presented in this panel bridge the gap between research and practice by highlighting how these three core functions can be used to support robust and response workforce development programs with higher education institutions. The first presentation focuses on the development of a comprehensive work-readiness and skills training program, Future Proof Skills, that promotes the economic self-reliance and resilience of university students in Liberia. Through the program young people—such as recent university graduates in Liberia—can catalyze sustainable change and foster local ownership of workforce development efforts while developing in-demand skills including communication, emotional intelligence, navigating conflicts, resilience, and analytical thinking critical to meeting future challenges. The second presentation focuses on the institutionalization and organizational change efforts necessary to make higher education institutions responsive to local and global needs. Examining the Lebanese higher education context, this presentation discusses the kinds of faculty training, administrative reforms, and institutional leadership necessary to better prepare graduates to meet workforce needs. Finally, research from the Philippines demonstrates higher education institutions' role as local network actors by examining the power-based relationships of the higher education sector to multiple stakeholders responsible for supporting out of school youth. Using data gathered from higher education institutions, the government, private sector, and Filipino youth, this presentation puts forward recommendations on how to strengthen higher education’s role to support marginalized youth as they seek education and employment opportunities.

Collectively, these presentations seek to answer this question: how can global institutes of higher education equip their graduates with the necessary skills not only to thrive and secure stable employment in the 21st century but also to build community, strengthen ties among stakeholders, and foster local ownership through their unique role in society?

Sub Unit

• Higher Education SIG

Chair

• Jennifer Lebron, Education Development Center

Individual Presentations

• Digital Skills as a Great Equalizer: Promoting the Economic Self-Reliance and Resilience of University Students in Liberia - William Sheldrick Marshall, Education Development Center (EDC)

• Institutionalization of Career Readiness in Lebanese Universities - Lubna Souheil, Education Development Center

• Higher Education Stakeholder Management in Supporting Out-of-School Youth: Power, Relationships, and Connection in the Philippines - John Carlo Pineda Fernando, Education Development Center

Discussant

• Jennifer Lebron, Education Development Center