A crisis of reckoning: put learning first.

Byline: Dr Arshad Ahmad

Covid-19 presents a crisis of reckoning for all of us. The enduring lesson for the 200 universities serving Pakistan's 1.4 million students is that we must put learning first.

Nobel laureate Herbert Simon summarised the essence of our challenge, 'Learning results from what the student does and thinks, and only from what the student does and thinks.' Universities need to help students learn how to learn, how to unlearn, and how to relearn.

Simon's truth forces universities to recognise that the current, dominant instructional paradigm undermines student learning. Whereas our education systems have sanctified teaching, quality learning is an afterthought. It's time to discard instructional practices based on one-way transmission of disconnected and obsolete facts, memorised by disengaged students.

By shifting from an instructional paradigm to a learning paradigm, universities can create conditions for quality learning. These conditions should resist prior patterns of standardisation and do more to encourage variety. They must recognise that one size never fits all. The conditions for quality learning compel students to actively engage with their university as partners, co-designers, and co-creators of their own learning experiences.

Putting learning first also requires that universities reconsider their entire approach to assessment. Universities are rife with poorly designed assessment systems that value rote memorisation at the expense of quality learning. Exams that test what wasn't taught are common. Such exams act as silent killers not only of learning but of the desire to learn. If our goals are to develop analysis and critical thinking skills, why are we stuck on assessing memorisation? Instead, effective assessments are fit for purpose to help students achieve intended learning goals. Assessments, therefore, provide feedback to students on their progress on a variety of learning goals and on the gaps in their learning.

As is evident during the current pandemic, shifting to a learning paradigm requires that universities look beyond their campuses for critical issues that impact students and their learning. This past month students have spoken not only about the lack of technology access but also about cognitive overload and mental health challenges. Inadequate learning conditions at home have become acute for female students burdened with additional caretaker responsibilities. The pandemic has amplified serious...