University Student Life and Learning: Challenges for Change

Education is the only path to change the fortunes of the less industrialized world. But change cannot come without learning and learning cannot come without change. COVID-19 has forced universities to drop the hefty textbooks and climb onto innovative digital platforms to educate students. The substance of higher education is diverse and the pendulum between sporadic education and lifelong learning is swinging. University leaders are struggling to find an apposite return on investment within the complex dynamic of knowledge creation. The revamping of services towards a more accountable, student-centric approach is vital to attract and retain talented students. Building staff skills to train students to develop social conscience and to enter a highly competitive job market is a formidable task. Meeting societal expectations through responsive and nimble programs without creating massive student debt requires new perspectives. This book analyses some of these compelling issues for universities to attain a sense of stability in a world that is itself rapidly changing.