The challenges and opportunities facing higher education as a result of changing demographics, new technologies, eroding public trust, and societal challenges were some of the topics tackled at a conference held at the University of Miami called “Reinventing Higher Education: Connecting the Dots.”
The conference, held at the Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center on Thursday and Friday, was co-hosted by the University and IE University, an initiative of the IE Foundation, that brought together educators, entrepreneurs, journalists, students, and other stakeholders to reflect upon the current state of higher education.
Laura Kohn-Wood, dean of the School of Education and Human Development, offered welcome remarks. She was joined on the stage by Geoffroy Gérard, general director of the IE Foundation and IE Reinventing Higher Education Conference.
University President Julio Frenk noted that the conference served as a great way to reflect upon the role of the academic world.
“Universities have very important roles as conveners,” he said. “We convene functions and bring together people from different perspectives to analyze really complex issues.”
Santiago Íñiguez, president of IE University, also spoke at the event.
“We have gathered not just academics, but rather we gathered different stakeholders, student representatives, journalists, influencers, people who look at higher education at different angles and who help us transform our sector from different angles,” he said.
Francesca de Quesada, Miami-Dade County’s chief innovation and economic development officer, was on hand and representing Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. She praised Frenk and the University for fostering and maintaining an inclusive partnership with community members and entrepreneurs to enhance society.
“The theme of today’s conference is about making sure we are thinking outside of our silos, making sure that we are engaging with each other, building community, and thinking about resilience, equity, and collective action,” she said.
Eric Mazur, Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard University, delivered the keynote speech on, “Connecting the dots and setting learning free.” He engaged in an introductory discussion with Frenk and Kathi Kern, the vice provost for educational innovation at the University. Instead of teaching through instruction, Mazur set out on a mission to redesign the learning experience for his students through questioning.
“I think of learning as a two-step process—information transfer and sensemaking. Deep down learning is a social process,” said Mazur, who developed Perusall, an online social annotation platform that helps enhance student engagement, collaboration, and build a sense of community within courses.
Kern and Frenk further explored Mazur’s innovative methods of pedagogy in a post-pandemic era.
“I owe this man my interest in education innovation,” said Frenk, in reference to his own teaching journey. “I saw the transformation of our most reputed researchers get engaged and interested in doing it the way that Eric has done it.”
Thursday afternoon, Wesley Smith, clinical professor in the School of Education and Human Development, gave a talk on “Bridging the Gap: From Ivory Tower to Industry Frontlines in Digital Healthcare Revolution.”
On Friday, Kohn-Wood will chair a panel on “Unlocking Potential Access, Governance and Funding as Keys to Human Capital Empowerment in Higher Education” and Karen Mathews, associate professor of art history, will deliver a 10-minute session on: “New Narratives and Hyperreality: Reality and Simulation in the Art History Classroom using VR.”
