Offering lifelong learners a “finger buffet” of options to enhance options: Opinion

Postsecondary education needs to offer lifelong students a “finger buffet” of options rather than a “set menu,” writes Johnny Rich. Rich argues that lifelong learners should be provided with a variety of options that can include shorter courses, courses from different institutions, and night school or online options. Reflecting on the UK context, the author describes how credit transfer framework needs to be adapted to ensure true transferability. Rich also says that lifelong learners should be able to bundle courses with a “capstone” module to connect their previous learning. For students who have completed such a variety of courses that they cannot be packaged as a degree in a specific subject, Rich recommends packaging their learning into a “general degree.” “We need to hand over control to individuals to shape the product they want,” writes Rich. Times Higher Ed (Subscription) Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.