Abstract:

As Fazlul Hoque (2019) expresses it, an industrial revolution is a profound change in economic and social structures brought about by the advent of new technologies and novel ways of perceiving the world. The term “Fourth Industrial Revolution” was coined by Klaus Schwab, founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum. The term “Fourth Industrial Revolution” refers to a fusion of technologies that blurs the lines dividing the physical, the digital and the biological realms. The main characteristic of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is automation, which goes beyond digitalization.

Like with the other industrial revolutions, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will have impacts on the economy, the society, and labour, therefore transforming people’s lives. One of the realms that will be most transformed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution is education-specifically higher education. While the main aims of higher education will remain the same, i.e., preparing graduates for their participation in labour and the economy, university curricula will have to be adapted to the globalized, digitalized and automated world economy of the 21st century, as former curricula will be either of limited utility or altogether useless.

The purpose of this study is to research the factors defining the process of development of the new educational paradigm based on the new generation of students. In particular, this research will examine these factors from two different angles: entreprenurs and educators. The paper builds upon a qualitative methodology. The data collection instrument that will be used to gather information will be a semi-structured interview.

Pryor et al (2009) reported that 40% of freshmen found traditional classroom lecture boring, also finding that these same college freshmen were less bored during practical, hands-on class sessions or when participating in group discussions or assignments (Pryor et al., 2009). Because of the nature in which students want to learn, (Bennet and Maton 2010) emphasized a need for fundamental change in education to meet the needs of the technology-savvy students found in today’s college classrooms.

However, an increase in technology use to accommodate how students want to learn also requires a closer look at an instructor’s pedagogy and the role technology will play to enhance teaching and learning (Schrader, 2008). Despite this, studies indicate that there continues to be reluctance on the part of the professoriate to utilize technology as a tool for teaching and learning (Ajjan &Hartshorne, 2008; Fiedler, Giddens, & North, 2014). However, COVID-19 pandemic instigated a digital revolution in academia and higher education.

Review of the studies conducted recently offer two main questions, which will help developing the new approach to education:
- How to facilitate the process of digitalization of learning and teaching?
- How to make the educational process constantly ready to the innovation and global modernization?
- What is the new business model for higher education ?

As contemporary research begins to expound upon key digital native claims, there is clearly an opportunity for new research that informs theory and practice by investigating whether and how undergraduate learners see value in emerging technologies within their own diverse learning contexts.

Keywords:

Academics, Universities, Curriculum, Employability, skills, Technology, Sustainability.