Evan LernerEducational Leaders Examine the ‘University of the Future’
At Perry World House, global thought leaders, scholars, administrators, and technology experts discussed the disruption of the traditional “brick and mortar” college campus.
Last week, Penn convened a summit called “Beyond the Walls: The University of the Future,” which featured administrators and experts from various schools, coming together to discuss how new technologies and approaches to teaching are poised to revolutionize the traditional college campus.
Engineering is on the forefront of that revolution. It launched a first-of-its-kind online-only master’s program in computer science, MCIT Online, earlier this year, and an introductory open online course, Computational Thinking for Problem Solving, earlier this week.
One of the summit’s panel featured Vijay Kumar, the Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering, along with fellow deans Pam Grossman of the Graduate School of Education, Steven Fluharty of Penn Arts and Sciences, John L. Jackson Jr., of the School of Social Policy & Practice.
Called “The Lifelong University” and moderated by Penn Provost Wendell Pritchett, Kumar and the other panelists discussed how digital tools can extend the reach of an Penn education in both space and time.
“Lifelong learning is no longer an option in a fast-changing technological landscape; it is necessary,” Kumar explained. “A university’s commitment to its students cannot be simply limited to the time they are enrolled in a degree program.”
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