Traditional college students to be minority next century

By Jenny Siat

JAKARTA (JP): By the early 21st century, traditional college students -- those who go straight from high school to college to study "in residence" on the premises from freshman level to commencement day -- will be in a minority. Instead, non- traditional students -- those who attend flexi-courses, correspondence distance learning courses, and multimedia distance courses -- will form the majority. Are there any specific reasons for this phenomenon? The answer lies in the "Age of Unreason", a phrase coined by Charles Handy in his eponymous best-seller.

According to Handy, we now live in an age in which "upside- down thinking" dominates. For example, we can call a person directly, instead of where the person is presumed to be, by using cellular mobile phones. And we can find information if we have access to the Internet. A click is sufficient to substitute the traveling to get the information. In the past, we had to go and find it the traditional way.

In the world of education, "upside-down thinking" applies too: "What you know is more important than where you study". And since the 21st century will be the era of the brain, where only the knowledgeable will survive, it will be hard to live without competition in every aspect of our lives.

Knowledge is the key to success in the 21st century, and it must be accumulated early. Today, most college students are degree hunters. They hunt degrees to get good jobs in the labor market. However, this paradigm is making way for a new one: knowledge hunters.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, by the close of this century, 60 percent of students in the U.S. will be non- traditional students. This number is continuously increasing. In Indonesia, there is no research to base any guesstimates on. But the world is undergoing heavy globalization, and the transfer of trends has begun to happen.

Nowadays, senior high school graduates can choose to go to traditional colleges or to study non-traditionally. For those with traditional minds, going to college is the way. This is evident with the lack of available places in public universities, such as the University of Indonesia, the Bandung Institute of Technology, and the University of Gadjah Mada. Those who are not clever enough to be accepted at those prestigious institutions may choose to go to private ones. However, is it a must for all senior high graduates to go to college the traditional way? The answers is absolutely not, and we have become more aware of that lately.

There are certain people who can enter university straight after graduating from senior high school. Some cannot. Those in the second category may choose to go to non-degree institutions, such as colleges of advanced education or technical and further education, before continuing to degree level institutions either locally or abroad.

Flexi-courses are another option for those who prefer to establish a solid career foundation before deciding which major to choose and which degree to take. With flexi-courses, which work on a credit-by-credit basis, the transfer of credits is more advantageous for the students, since they will not lose many if they decide to study at institutions with whom the local institution has made transfer agreements.

Or, if one possesses greater discipline and motivation, one may enroll in distance learning courses, either by total correspondence, multimedia conferencing, or with tutorials. This method of learning has many drawbacks, especially in Indonesia, being rated somewhat lower than 'in residence' schools, with a very high drop-out rate (according to the International Correspondence School, a whopping 90 percent).

Both traditional or non-traditional modes of study allow students to 'go global'. There are traditional universities in Indonesia with international affiliations which allow students to get international recognition upon graduation. The same 'international recognition' can also be achieved if a student chooses to study non-traditionally.

The question is: Are we ready to provide learners with the facilities to make their studies successful? Do the students have the discipline needed? Do we know how to compete in the era where only the most knowledgeable will survive? Whom should we look to?

The writer is an observer of social and education problems, an alumnus of University of Indonesia.