Beyond Future Skills in Higher Education: A New Theory of Change

Abstract

The role of higher education in equipping students for future paths that are being shaped by major global challenges and yet which remain unpredictable is an area of ongoing concern. This chapter proposes a new theory of change that supports efforts to identify the skills needed by future generations that higher education can provide. It extends the conceptualization to focus on how, through higher education, these skills could shape and refine people and societies. The theory of change is based on the findings of a survey conducted by the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO IESALC) during 2021, which was completed by almost 1,200 respondents in nearly 100 countries. This theory of change identifies the main skills that will be needed in the future, the accelerators that will facilitate the adoption of these skills, and the ways in which these skills and accelerators might lead to transformation at individual, institutional, and societal levels.

1 Introduction

Higher education has a critical role in equipping students for future paths. However, these paths are simultaneously being shaped by major global challenges and are unpredictable, causing ongoing concern. Calls to transform and reimagine all levels of education have only increased as the urgency around the impending environmental catastrophe collides with the persisting inequalities being put under the spotlight by new global crises (UNESCO, 2021). In this context, higher education institutions ‘must impart knowledge, competencies and skills which will enable their graduates to function effectively in our rapidly changing society and world’ (Jelinek & Fomerand, 2013).

Thinking about the future enables the generation of policies, strategies, and plans for the current time that can also lead to creating better and plausible future scenarios (Dator, 2009; Inayatullah, 2008, 2022). This offers the opportunity to individuals to be able to decide on possible future paths (Facer & Sandford, 2010). Yet, the realm of education, which has as a main objective to better prepare individuals for the future, is sometimes far from considering how these desirable futures could be achieved. This problem is often exacerbated by visions generated from other parts of the world, making it important to review future higher education scenarios that can create the conditions for paradigm shifts towards new, more desirable, and more locally relevant futures (Makoe, 2022).

This chapter proposes a new theory of change that supports efforts to identify the skills needed by future generations of students in higher education. It extends the conceptualization to focus on how, through higher education, these skills could shape and refine people and societies, facilitating the identification of solutions to address obstacles to progress and guiding the selection of the optimal strategy to reach the desired change (UNDAF, 2017). The theory of change was developed from the findings of a global public consultation on the futures of higher education organized by the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO IESALC) during 2021. Using an inductive approach, data from almost 1,200 respondents in nearly 100 countries was analyzed to generate a theory of change that identifies the main skills that will be needed in the future, the accelerators (outputs) that will facilitate or increase the adoption of these skills, and the goals (outcomes) for which these skills and accelerators might lead to transformation at individual, institutional, and societal levels.

Before introducing the theory of change, the chapter provides background on UNESCO’s major initiative on the futures of education within which UNESCO IESALC conducted its work on the futures of higher education. The visions of higher education to a 2050 horizon emerging from the public consultation are presented and then connected methodologically to the identification of the future skills, accelerators and goals that inform the theory of change.

2 The Futures of Education

UNESCO’s major global initiative on the futures of education aimed to ‘reimagine how knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity and the planet’ (UNESCO IESALC, 2021a, p. 5).¹ Begun in 2019, the initiative engaged around one million people around the world in looking ahead to a 2050 horizon, recognizing that there should not be a single vision of the future (hence the use of ‘futures’ in the plural). The project centered on the transformative power of education to support better futures for all, building on UNESCO’s track record of rethinking the role of education in periods of societal change (Delors, 1996; UNESCO, 1972, 2021).

As the only specialized institute of the United Nations system with a mission to contribute to the improvement of higher education, UNESCO IESALC initiated a project on the futures of higher education within the framework of this UNESCO global initiative. The project had three phases enabling rigorous engagement with a range of different stakeholders in the context of higher education. Overall, the project ran from November 2020 to May 2022.

In Phase I, an expert consultation, 25 global higher education experts were selected from all world regions. The selection of experts was based on their experience in teaching, research, and/or enacting higher education, with considerations of regional and gender balance taken into account. Experts representing a range of knowledge traditions were invited to join the process.² Through this process, the experts shared their understanding of the concept, goals, and functions of higher education to propose opportunities and challenges that higher education can resolve looking into 2050. This phase culminated in the report Thinking Higher and Beyond: Perspectives on the futures of higher education to 2050 (UNESCO IESALC, 2021b), which was published in May 2021.

During Phase II, a public consultation, almost 1,200 responses from nearly 100 countries were collected through an online survey tool. The survey was open to everyone and disseminated across all world regions.³ Participants ranged in age from under 15 to over 60 with 57% identifying as female, 42% as male and 1% as nonbinary. Just over half of the respondents (55%) reported their location as being in Latin America and the Caribbean, 26% were in Asia and the Pacific, 13% in Europe and North America, 4% in Africa and 1% in the Arab states (based on UNESCO world regions). While the survey was open to all members of the public, 84% of respondents had some connection to the higher education sector, whether as teachers, students, or staff. The survey was available in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish; respondents were also able to submit their responses in Chinese. The public consultation demonstrated a wide range of views and ideas on the role of higher education and the role of higher education in societal development. This phase led to the report Pathways to 2050: Findings from a public consultation on the futures of higher education (UNESCO IESALC, 2021a), which was published in November 2021.

Phase III of the project was a youth consultation. The aim of this phase was to raise the voices from the generations who will be the future beneficiaries and shapers of higher education. The consultation took place in two parts, the first being an online Global Youth Forum hosted in December 2021 and the second being in-person Regional Youth Workshops held in China and Venezuela in April and May 2022. Participants in the Global Youth Forum were selected through national networks convened by UNESCO’s Associated Schools Network; the youth participants in China and Venezuela are students in local high schools in Shenzhen and Caracas, cities where UNESCO offices are based.

This chapter draws from data from phase II, the public consultation. The findings presented in this chapter focus on the public’s responses to the higher education-specific questions in the consultation, highlighted in bold:

• 1. When you think about 2050, what are you most hopeful about?

• 2. When you think about 2050, what are you most concerned about?

• 3. How would you like higher education to be in 2050?

• 4. How could higher education contribute to better futures for all in 2050?

The logic of the consultation questions was to support respondents to reflect on the futures of higher education through linking higher education to broader societal shifts, challenges, and opportunities. These two questions encouraged people to extend their thinking on the role of higher education in reaching or addressing their hopes and concerns.

3 Higher Education in 2050 and Beyond

UNESCO IESALC’s public consultation on the futures of higher education led to the development of a holistic conception of pathways to 2050 and beyond (see Fig. 9.1). From the general hopes and concerns for the futures as well as the futures of higher education specifically, four interconnected pathways were identified. These form the foundation for our futures, each pathway representing a root from which we can grow. In quality of life (pathway one) there are healthy humans living well and, due to social change (pathway two), we live in a socially just society. Through care of the environment (pathway three), we inhabit a flourishing planet that is better cared for; the advanced development of technology (pathway four) supports these harmonious relations with the self, others, and nature.

Fig. 9.1

Pathways to 2050 and beyond (UNESCO IESALC, 2021a, p. 39)

Nourished by these roots, higher education in the future has a number of branches. Opening access to higher education and striving for greater equity were key messages from respondents and discussed under the theme of higher education for all. Respondents’ suggestions focused on student-centered future learning processes, emphasizing quality, student choice, skills, and values. The organization of knowledge for teacher development, what is taught, and the place for research and innovation were also reflected in respondents’ ideas. Respondents also envisioned higher education in 2050 as being much more integrated than today and connected at multiple levels with society, with the planet, within and across borders.

4 Connecting Higher Education in 2050 to Future Skills

The findings of the phase II public consultation and the phase I expert consultation were brought together in a joint vision for the futures of higher education (Fig. 9.2). This shows that higher education should be accessible to all, with students at the very heart of everything higher education does and is for. This student-centeredness is surrounded by well-trained teachers and researchers, and flexible teaching and learning modalities. It is nurtured by intercultural and epistemic diversity, takes active and innovative responsibility for our common humanity, promotes wellbeing and sustainability, and is connected at multiple levels. This common humanity recognizes that existence and wellbeing are collective, and therefore that our destiny as humans is shared.

Fig. 9.2

Vision of the futures of higher education based on the expert and public consultations (UNESCO IESALC)

Given the importance of student-centered focus in the consultations, and taking into consideration one of higher education’s main goals in training/forming students, this became the starting point for the inductive analysis of skills conducted for this chapter. In total, the public consultation received valid responses from 1,199 participants, each of whom provided free text input for the consultation’s four questions:

• 1. When you think about 2050, what are you most hopeful about?

• 2. When you think about 2050, what are you most concerned about?

• 3. How would you like higher education to be in 2050?

• 4. How could higher education contribute to better futures for all in 2050?

Before reaching these questions, the following explanation was provided to respondents:

Higher education will shape the future of humanity and the planet. Regardless of where you live and work, or whether you have experienced higher education, you have the right to voice your opinion on the futures of higher education.

By higher education, we mean all types of study programs and courses of study at post-secondary level. Higher education can take place in universities, colleges, academies, conservatories, and specialized institutes. We invite everyone to join UNESCO IESALC in exploring the futures of higher education.

This public consultation is linked to UNESCO’s Futures of Education, a global initiative to reimagine how knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity and the planet.

From the total number of responses, 1,025 entries had a link to the student-centered pathway, meaning that participants referred to the importance of student-centered higher education in their answer. These entries were extracted from the dataset,⁴ with a total of 445 entries identified in response to question 3 (as listed above) and 580 in response to question 4. The entries were manually coded by two people working independently, with the project coordinator reviewing the entire coding operation. This improved reliability and reduced duplication/repetition of codes.

The coding process was conducted in two parts. The first was descriptive and focused on identifying what respondents stated about the skills needed for the future, i.e., the specific skills or competencies that were mentioned. The second part was interpretive and examined the implied impact/significance of these responses, i.e., for what purpose these skills could be used/deployed to contribute to better futures for all. In total, 2,327 codes were generated. These were subsequently grouped according to commonalities as indicated by the participants and based on previous definitional work by UNESCO IBE (2013) and UNICEF (2022). From the descriptive codes, a total of 31 skill categories were identified and classified according to their frequency of occurrence (see Fig. 9.4 in next section). These were then grouped according to the major categories of skills and accelerators identified for the analysis.

The interpretive codes were also grouped to form the goals categories. The following section presents the findings in the form of a theory of change.

5 Future Skills and Beyond: A New Theory of Change

The UNESCO IESALC public consultation had a forward-thinking character that emphasized positive change. As a result, participants referred to promising and bright futures based on their view of the futures of higher education. It was in this context that respondents mentioned various skills, competencies, capabilities, and qualities that would be necessary to improve performance: in everyday life, at work, to impact society positively, to combat climate change, and for human or economic development.

A theory of change is an approach that explains how a given intervention or series of interventions is/are expected to result in a specified change in development. It frequently uses a causal analysis based on available evidence (UNDAF, 2017). The application of this framework facilitates the identification of obstacles to progress. It guides the selection of an optimal strategy to offer solutions to address the problem effectively. It can also identify the risks that could prohibit the achievement of the desired change.

The theory of change (Fig. 9.3) derived from this analysis connects these groups of skills to a smaller number of accelerators, and from there to a series of goals. From the public consultation, future skills can be defined as groups of attributes and/or abilities that can support students towards better futures and which can be developed while participating in higher education. Future skills include attitudes and values, pluralism and transversality, professional and technological, local and global citizenship, and innovation and foresight. In this idea of obtaining attributes and/or abilities for those futures, participants stressed the role of higher education in developing, enhancing, promoting, strengthening, and sharpening the ability to think critically, solve problems, and apply knowledge.

Fig. 9.3

Future skills and beyond: Theory of change (UNESCO IESALC)

These three areas of skills – critical thinking, problem solving, and application of knowledge – are presented as accelerators in the theory of change, meaning that they are tangible outputs, or results. They are produced from the participation of the higher education experience and play a fundamental role in enabling the movement from delivering the skills to achieving outcomes. The addition of the accelerators as a mediator between skills and goals highlights the unique roles that higher education can play in enabling people to achieve positive personal and societal objectives (outcomes). While the future skills could be developed in other sectors beyond education, and the goals could similarly be achieved in other ways, the unique factor connecting them together is higher education. More specifically, the accelerators are areas that students should expect to develop and/or master as a result of participating in higher education.

Coupling together the skills and accelerators leads to the different goals that could be achieved through higher education and beyond. The goals expressed by survey respondents are: societal impact, quality of life, environmental sustainability, peace and human rights, and economic development. They are a good reflection of the ways that people tend to think about the future(s). People may not know precisely what they are aiming for or how they might achieve it, but they have certain desires or ambitions which are typically stated in broad and/or high-level terms.

Although the theory of change puts forward all factors as equally important, some were selected by respondents more often than others (see Fig. 9.4). This visualization helps to understand the relative prioritization of the elements within the theory of change when examining the responses as a whole. The order in which the categorized factors appear in the theory of change also reflects this prioritization, with the categories that were mentioned most higher in the list.

Figure 9.4 shows graphically how the theory of change is adjusted according to the relevance (number of mentions) that participants gave in their answers when referring to the competencies they felt are needed in the different pathways towards 2050. Values, job-specific skills, the ability to think diversely or pluralistically, and soft skills are among the future skills most mentioned by respondents, among others that together account for 72% of the mentions when participants refer to the skills of the future. The skills that are developed and/or mastered as a result of participation in higher education (the accelerators) account for 15% of total mentions. Finally, looking ahead, participants gave relevance to future purposes (the goals) such as quality of life, societal impact, environmental sustainability, and others that together total 13% of the mentions.

The following sub-sections walk through each of the three parts of the theory of change, providing further detail about each area and showcasing through direct quotes from respondents (translated by the research team into English as applicable) the ways in which these categories were derived. In this way, the evidence for the theory of change that has been developed derives both from the quantitative data on frequency of elements as well as qualitative data from the free text responses of survey participants.

Fig. 9.4

Frequency of elements in the theory of change (UNESCO IESALC)

5.1 Future Skills

5.1.1 Attitudes and Values

In the public consultation, the futures look inclusive, more equitable, and culturally diverse. In this regard, a striking finding was the emphasis placed by respondents on attitudes and values, the sets of skills and attributes that are less tangible and measurable. These were the most frequently mentioned of all the different types of skills (28% of the total). In this category are future-oriented soft skills, with soft skills defined as a ‘set of intangible personal qualities, traits, attributes, habits and attitudes that can be used in many different types of jobs’ (UNESCO IBE, 2013, p. 53). In respondents’ words, this included attributes such as communication, empathy, flexibility, and teamwork.

“Investigating problems in depth with a realistic and ethical sense and preparing students for their reflective possibilities, for the exercise of solidarity and respect as citizens, and for the possibility of generating multi-diverse and solid education.” (age >60, female, Argentina)

Respondents emphasized personal qualities such as self-management, ability to communicate assertively, to work in a team, authenticity, and sharing beliefs. Attributes included future vision, curiosity, solidarity, listening to multiple knowledge and people, ancestral wisdom for the regional and global development of the community, non-discrimination, learning to understand the diversity of the world and appreciate diversity, design strategies for the future; and habits such as respect for human rights, commitment to nature, plural thinking, tolerance, capacity for nondiscrimination, environmental and social awareness, understanding how to live with others and with nature, learn how to care.

Values, which in the theory of change are attributes that fit within future skills, are ‘culturally defined principles and core beliefs shared by individuals and groups that guide and motivate attitudes, choices and behavior, and serve as broad guidelines for social life’ (UNESCO IBE, 2013, p. 60). In the consultation, respondents discussed ethics, honesty, integrity, justice, sensitivity to the needs of others and so on, and the importance of these in improving relationships with people and human living conditions.

“Education based on values should be weighed more than education based on skills or knowledge. Let humans be humans, not just tools.” (age 31–45, male, China)

5.1.2 Pluralism and Transversality

The second most frequent category of skills are those relating to pluralism and transversality (19% of the total mentions). Three main skillsets inform this category: diversity, interdisciplinarity, and creativity.

As a skill, participants discussed respect for diversity as an interpersonal skill that ‘goes beyond tolerance and understanding to actively acknowledge and promote the equal worth of peoples without condescension’ (UNICEF, 2022). Respondents mentioned the need to be more compassionate, tolerant, supportive, committed to others, to the community, to humanity and the environment and to reduce extremism and violence, while others highlighted the importance of values to democratize knowledge for the common good.

When respondents think about futures, they emphasized skills that generate an understanding of themes and ideas that cut across disciplines and the connections with different disciplines and their relationship to the world. These were termed by participants as interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, transversal, diversified or integral skills.

“Working together on multidisciplinary solutions to global challenges” (age 40–60, female, Vietnam)

“Embracing inter-and transdisciplinarity from the undergraduate level to address the complex challenges of our realities and maximizing diversity among its students and academics” (age 31–45, female, Chile)

Creativity is seen by respondents as an essential future skill to respond adaptively to the needs for new approaches and new products using imagination and vision, and thinking every day about how to act collaboratively with a social focus across different fields and with diverse applications.

“Help students increase their creativity and develop new technologies” (age 16–30, male, China)

5.1.3 Professional and Technological Skills

Most of the responses in this skill group (17% of total responses) referred to skills that are typically connected to professions and jobs. Those who related their response to the importance of skills training for entering the labor market stated the importance of higher education in generating the capacity to meet industry and market needs.

“The university must be the real vector of access to employment for graduates” (age 46–60, male, Angola)

Skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are another group of skills that respondents associated with basic sciences, science understanding, and the technological know-how required for the future.

“To develop technical and technological capabilities of individuals” (age 31–45, male, Ecuador)

Respondents defined digital skills as a range of abilities for e-learning, the use of digital devices, communication applications and social networks, in general with the purpose of greater access to digital information.

[Higher education contributes to better futures for all] “By developing digital skills and knowledge” (age 46–60, male, Senegal)

“Equal education opportunities, as well as adaptive learning and technology use, and digital literacy improvement” (age 46–60, male, China)

As well as digital literacy, participants also mentioned the importance of financial literacy and how the business world works. Respondents emphasized the importance of skills not only from a labor perspective (productivity-related) but also as instruments that enables people to progress (in the various ways that ‘progress’ can be defined) in employment. In addition to developing skills for work, participants also highlighted the importance of this for resolving everyday problems related to the common good and humanity.

“Educating people who can then start a career in a related research field and develop the necessary tools we need for our future as humanity” (age 31–45, female, Switzerland).

5.1.4 Local and Global Citizenship

Participants referred to a range of skills that could help generate strong links with society, support global citizenship, and increase collaboration (16% of total mentions). Many respondents took an outlook that combined both the local and global, skills to support people to be more conscious about local places or communities while maintaining a global vision and looking for synergies among them. This included the capacity to learn from the knowledge of the people around you, the ability to understand multiple contexts and realities by addressing the local context, without missing regional and global contexts and the ability to generating synergies among them.

“Forming citizens able to take responsibility locally, nationally, regionally and globally with deep spiritual commitment and strong moral values” (age >60, female, Canada).

Respondents also mentioned global citizenship as a skill integrated into the futures, referring to the importance of being a world citizen with civic values and developing international, intercultural, and global competencies for sustainable futures.

“By developing skills for life (not just professional ones) and skills for responsible citizenship (including fighting against climate change)” (age 34–45, female, Romania)

In the futures, the ability to collaborate and be more inclusive was also mentioned, as was the possibility of appreciating the cultural characteristics of each individual. Understanding how to reduce bias towards gender and race were noted as relevant for the common good.

“Educating learners to become leaders of change, educating them on colonial pasts, giving them the skills required to tackle issues, such as climate change, and to become inclusive and respectful of others, no matter their background/origin/etc.” (age 16–30, female, France)

5.1.5 Innovation and Foresight

The final group of skills covers research, innovation, practical, analytical, adaptive, and foresight skills (15% of total mentions). Respondents mentioned that research and innovation skills can contribute to the overall capability of achieving general job tasks. Research skills were also related to producing new knowledge, transfer knowledge, or research thinking and innovation skills connected to the ability to turn knowledge into creating new things, with an entrepreneurial mindset and social impact.

Participants in the public consultation refer to practical skills. This group of skills relate to the ability to apply knowledge that has been acquired, not only for employment goals but also for life. This element differentiates practical skills from other types of skills. Respondents also emphasize the importance of acquiring these skills and developing the capacity to transmit and impart knowledge.

“Continue to provide for the needs to individuals and the economy through an accessible system and teaching relevant skills” (age 31–45, male, Singapore)

Analytical skills mentioned by respondents referred to cognitive development and applying knowledge by contributing to scientific, social, economic, and cultural development, without forgetting the ethical component.

“Developing cognitive skills with an ethical backbone” (age 46–60, male, United States of America)

Autonomy is also one of the skills mentioned by respondents, referred to as the ability to manage, regulate, and apply one’s learning. Autonomy empowers students to take ownership of their own knowledge and make decisions based on values, respect, humility, and enrichment.

“Human skills development approach and self-management skills” (age 46–60, female, Colombia)

The ability to adapt to change was also mentioned to integrate a society that benefits itself as changes occur and the capacity to use acquired knowledge to develop different connections at various levels in such a way that we can anticipate changes for the future.

“Emphasis more on cultivating ability or skills needed in future rather than the form of thesis” (age 16–30, female, China)

5.2 Accelerators

The three areas of skills categorized as accelerators are, in order of their prioritization by respondents, critical thinking, problem solving, and the application of knowledge. While some participants referred to this specific group as skills for the future, others emphasized the importance of higher education in accelerating these skills during the higher education experience.

“I would like higher education to remain a place of emancipation, of critical debate, of academic freedom” (age 31–45, female, France)

“Tailored to develop critical and innovative thinking” (age 31–45, male, Spain)

For critical thinking, respondents highlighted the importance of thinking for themselves critically without yielding to peer pressure or believing what others say, holding their reflection for a common future.

“Better understanding of our world, be more critical citizens and be willing to challenge the status quo in a meaningful way” (age 40–60, prefer not to mention gender, Canada)

“A well-educated population makes better decisions and votes with critical thinking for the long term.” (age 16–30, male, Spain)

According to respondents, problem solving is another relevant skill required to tackle issues and orient people to act on global problems with commitment; being resourceful to solve global issues to offer solutions for society and humanity with the knowledge gained.

“It [problem solving] can increase the knowledge and skills of young people and make them instrumental in resolving issues of climate change, poverty and unemployment” (age 40–60, female, Pakistan)

“[Higher education should] have close connections with industry and motivate students to engage in real-life problem solving” (age 34–45, male, China)

For respondents, the application of knowledge refers to the ability to provide diverse knowledge, academic or technological, in any field for the common good to improve the quality of life. This also includes competence, defined as ‘the ability to apply learning outcomes adequately in a defined context’ (UNESCO IBE, 2013, p. 12). These are not limited to the use of theory/concepts and can also include technical skills, interpersonal attributes, and ethical values.

“I would like to change the vertical model, where the teacher is the source of knowledge and cedes it to the student and adopt a model where the student explores and empowers his or her capacity to acquire, produce and apply knowledge” (age 31–45, male, Argentina)

“Higher education must above all train students to think for themselves, to be aware of diversity, to be able and willing to engage in dialogue across cultures and identities, and to be able to apply their knowledge/learning (in whatever field) for the common good” (Prefer not to mention age/gender, Canada)

5.3 Goals

The nature of research on the futures of education of UNESCO lies in how ‘knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity and the planet’ (UNESCO, 2021, p. 2). From this forward-looking perspective, respondents comment on their contribution on how the skills and accelerators mentioned can shape the future to impact society. The skills, capabilities, and attributes will help to, in order of relevance: improve quality of life, improve environmental sustainability, preserve peace, and ensure human rights and economic development.

5.3.1 Societal Impact

Participants recognize that the purpose of higher education extends beyond national borders and serves both global and local societies. Through ideas and knowledge born in classrooms, students are expected to positively impact their surroundings. This impact is realized by putting into action students’ technological skills, their consciousness, and abilities to incorporate values in their system of viewing the world, and awareness of environmental threats. Particularly, further advancements in knowledge can contribute to human’s everyday life.

“Through the sophistication of knowledge and the inclusion of subjects that encourage and generate greater social and environmental awareness across all degree courses. Changing the purpose of studying from monetarist to social, community and environmental” (age 31–45, male, Spain)

Higher education is expected to nurture and help students grow into mindful, confident, and holistic individuals. In this sense, students strengthen their agency while obtaining their higher education qualification. Higher education institutions contribute to the shaping of the citizen of the future by helping them understand and know themselves better. In this sense, skills, as highlighted by the respondents contribute to responsible citizenship.

“I hope the higher education can be a real garden of spirits, enhancing people’s comprehensive abilities and letting them know themselves better” (age 31–45, female, China)

Understanding the human dimension in its broadest sense is an important element of a better life. Higher education can play a critical role in preparing students for life.

“Improve the living conditions of human beings, based on the values and the thought of living better, in a place that we care for, protect and give us what we need to live” (age 46–60, male, Mexico)

5.3.2 Environmental Sustainability

In 2050, participants hope to live in more harmony with nature. Conscious citizens with skills such as values, empathy, and a sense of justice will be capable of pursuing this goal within local and global settings. Awareness of worsening environmental situations will alert future students to seek solutions to tackle and prevent further damage to the planet.

“By helping all people to understand that human beings are part of nature and therefore must learn to live in and with nature” (age >60, male, Brazil)

5.3.3 Peace and Human Rights

Participants highlighted the importance of developing skills for peacebuilding. Citizens of the world with talents such as a holistic sense of humanity will contribute to building brighter futures for all.

“In my view, higher education won’t be restricted to limited individuals or society in 2050. I think higher education will create more empathy among the people and broaden the vision of human society for the prosperity of people, the planet and global peace” (age 31–45, male, Thailand)

By placing an emphasis on human development, respondents demonstrated their concern with the ongoing state of human rights around the world. In their understanding, higher education has the potential to expose students to become advocates for human rights. It is through this learning that a student obtains an understanding and awareness of the potential violations of human rights.

Maintain a balance between technical and technological training and humanistic and ethical training; it will not be possible to change the world if we train good technicians and bad people (age 46–60, female, Colombia)

5.3.4 Economic Development

Economic development was the least emphasized purpose in the consultation. Where mentioned, participants believe that economic development cannot occur without human development. Higher education helps learners to become leaders of change to help the world and the economy, both should be viewed holistically.

“Students study not just for personal living, but with a commitment to build a better world by helping the economies of developing countries” (age >60, nonbinary, China)

6 Conclusion

This chapter presented a new theory of change that moves the conversations about future skills to the next level by contextualizing skills with three core accelerators that together lead to a series of goals. As the UNESCO Futures of Education initiative makes clear, the paths ahead vary, reflecting different realities and contexts around the world. Nevertheless, this theory of change captures an approach towards those multiple avenues that could lead to our plural futures. In the shared vision, higher education offers a concrete set of skills that are accelerated by critical thinking, problem solving, and the application of knowledge, and then transformed into the possibility to reach the goals. In this theory of change, higher education institutions act as catalysts of change because it is through higher education that the accelerators can be developed in students. In this lies the unique role of higher education because it is higher education that provides the accelerators that connect future skills to goals.

The theory of change devised from the results of the public consultation conducted by UNESCO IESALC on the futures of higher education can be taken up and implemented at both a theoretical and a practical level. While the public consultation was wide-ranging, it was far from being universal. Its coverage could have been diversified both in terms of regional coverage and by incorporating the views and ideas of stakeholders without existing connections to (and therefore ‘insider’ knowledge of) higher education. As such, the first recommendation for developing the theory of change is to see whether the future skills → accelerators → goals links continue to hold true after sampling different population segments.

Finally, it is important to note that while this theory of change offers a unique and novel way of deepening the future skills debates, it is equally important, if not more so, to acknowledge diversity among different contexts. Such contexts can be regions, countries, institutions, and even individuals. Each context has its own opportunities and challenges that demand specific skills that may not be as relevant in other contexts. Contextualization in the discussion of skills is essential in providing the optimal outcomes of skill trainings. At the same time, while one of the missions of higher education is to provide training—whether knowledge-based or skill-based—it is a constant reminder for all stakeholders that higher education offers more than this single mission. Higher education’s practices should always remain human-focused to serve the realization of the common good for all.

Future Skills in Practice: Our Recommendations

On a more hands-on level, there are a wide range of possibilities for putting the theory of change into practice. Here we delineate how key stakeholders could promote the future skills, accelerators and goals put forward in the theory of change through higher education:

• Future students: When choosing a course of study in higher education, look beyond the subject matter to consider what skills can be obtained during the study period. Select a higher education institution because it can provide you with skills and accelerators to meet your personal and societal goals as well as opportunities to practice these outside the classroom.

• Current students: Through governance structures (student unions, representation on committees, etc.), advocate for greater inclusion of future skills and accelerators in all courses. Seek out students based in other departments and faculties through cross-institutional opportunities to learn from each other and share skills and knowledge. This inclusive process accelerates the possibility of promoting the skills mentioned in the theory of change, such as diverse and pluralistic thinking and interdisciplinarity.

• Higher education teachers: Redesign courses to emphasize future skills but particularly to promote the accelerators. For example, where assignments/evaluations are required, evaluate students’ progress in developing the accelerators and not only subject expertise. Work with colleagues in other departments to create transdisciplinary courses. Build up links with relevant societal sectors to support students to build up relevant skills.

• Higher education researchers: Engage students in transdisciplinary research, both blue skies and applied, either as part of their courses or as extracurricular provision. Provide training to students to enhance their abilities when it comes to the accelerators.

• Student support teams: Work with students to outline their own theory of change, identify those skills that have yet to be developed, or even the inclusion of those that they did not expect to develop but which as a result of their participation in the higher education experience, they have managed to acquire or master. Also, complementing the theory of change, engage with students to brainstorm the new skills that could emerge in the future.

• Institutional leaders: Conduct whole-of-institution reviews using the theory of change to support future planning. Integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into the institution’s strategic plans as a way of promoting the connections between future skills, accelerators and goals.

• National policymakers: Review course evaluation/quality assurance requirements for higher education institutions to integrate future skills and accelerators. Where national development plans for higher education exist, use the goals in the theory of change to update the mission/objectives section, suitably adjusted to the local context.