Harsh Desai - Automotive Innovation Hub

Are we innovating FAST enough
in education for the money we spend?

Polemic Research

Our system of higher education still need to align with the future, and innovation; and it is at direct odds with what we say and believe. With fast changing world, the education module focusing innovation is still changing at ‘low pace’. If these goes as long, then there is always a chance that people will start looking ‘outside’ these institutional walls to seek knowledge. In the era of online learning people

If that happens, then it will be a difficult for the higher education institutions to ‘generate income’ from the students. The biggest scope of revenue in today's time for universities is the ‘cost of education’ which students were willing to pay for the knowledge these universities provide. But that has started to change.

Business leaders, politicians and economists all say more or less the same thing: The future depends on innovation and without it, we are ‘doomed’ as a country and a society. So innovation, and those who can lead and cause innovation, are at a premium. We would think we would respond to this in our system of higher education; but, in fact, we are doing the exact opposite.

Therefore, it is crucial to create this form of ‘innovative educational model’ which induces innovative thinking and experiences into the curriculum of these universities to cope with the future as we don't have much time as we thought we have. An immediate action plan is needed to cope up.

Thesis

There is evidently a wide variety of innovative teaching and learning practices across the education sectors. This said, the education system hasn’t yet managed to find the ‘route’ to support the sharing of these practices to inspire and aid other teachers. Yet, the imperative to support this innovation is clear. New ‘approaches’ to teaching and learning need to be fostered to respond to, and shape, the changing context with which education interacts. In response to these dynamics, a ‘model of change’ that requires strategies to pass down new approaches to teaching and learning is most important.

With my proposal, I aim to close the gap between industry innovation and higher education in the realm of ‘Automotive industry’ connecting it with Engineering, Design and Marketing students of University of East London at the Royal dockland campus which is the upcoming borough of development with business and innovation. Automotive industry is the ‘backbone for multiple industries’ of the globalization happening around us.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, this industry was hard hit with the pieces that started to fall apart in terms of logistics and supply chain. It is also the industry to adapt to new technologies with design and has a lot of scope, merging it with the young minds at the University of East London.

Merging Education, Innovation and business will give the students of UEL the perfect opportunity they need to create the change we will see in the future.

Also, UK government has always focused on establishing strong foundation for education with Research and development and is putting up a lot of funding in making in-house R&D accessible globally and generate revenue.