The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government has opted for an experience-based approach to learning. Antonie Robertson/The National
The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government has opted for an experience-based approach to learning. Antonie Robertson/The National
The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government has opted for an experience-based approach to learning. Antonie Robertson/The National
The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government has opted for an experience-based approach to learning. Antonie Robertson/The National

With AI and radical thinking taking over, can traditional university degrees still pass the test?


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"After two or three years, your ability to perform at Google is completely unrelated to how you performed when you were in school," Laszlo Bock told the New York Times, in a wide-ranging interview a few years ago. "You're fundamentally a different person. You learn and grow, you think about things differently."

Back in 2013, Mr Bock was the tech giant’s senior vice president for people operations. Under his leadership, Google conducted extensive data analysis on the qualifications and performance of its employees, which led him to conclude that test scores were more or less worthless as a hiring criterion.

With artificial intelligence already transforming industries such as banking, healthcare and transport, the discrepancy between industry needs and academic training is growing. But businesses are taking steps to adapt to this problem. Google – along with high-profile global companies such as Apple, IBM, Starbucks and the Bank of America − has recently announced that academic degrees are no longer mandatory to apply to some of its high-profile positions. Non-traditional vocational training, such as coding boot camps, and practical industry or research experience are now increasingly valued by employers.

One man who embodies this trend is Pascal Weinberger. He heads the AI department at Telefonica Alpha, the “innovation facility” of Spain’s biggest telecoms operator, set up in 2016 to “address some of the biggest problems in society by conceiving and delivering radical solutions and breakthrough technology”. His LinkedIn profile is filled with prestigious work and research experience, yet academic degrees are nowhere to be found. Whenever I have met Mr Weinberger, he has been passionate and has a rare, holistic way of approaching human behaviour, paired with a systemic approach to problem-solving. He clearly did not acquire these skills in university lectures.

Corporations are not alone in challenging the relevance of higher education. According to a survey conducted by NBC and the Wall Street Journal earlier this year, only 39 per cent of Americans between 18 and 34 years old now consider a four-year college education to be a worthwhile investment of money or time. This represents a 17 per cent drop on figures from four years ago.

So how can universities adapt to a job market that is changing so rapidly that even the companies looking for talent are struggling to keep pace? It's a question that is giving a serious collective headache to deans and professors everywhere.

Some institutions, however, are embracing change. Last week, the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government in Dubai made public its decision to follow a learning-by-experience strategy. The goal is for students to no longer face traditional exams, but to be confronted with real-world problems and then be evaluated on their ability to solve them. This approach is closer to executive education programmes than a traditional university approach. It is hoped it will foster mental agility and adaptive skills, and better prepare students for their professional lives.

Some believe that such measures should be implemented earlier in the education process. Researchers from Hope College in Michigan investigated the effects of experience learning programmes in middle schools. They found that students in experiential programmes enjoyed school more, learned to successfully collaborate with others and progressed better in standardised tests.

In this month's edition of the scientific journal Development, Growth and Differentiation, researchers from the university of Niigata in Japan published an article focusing on experience-dependent regulation in juvenile brain development. It underscored the vital role that environmental stimulation plays in shaping the primary neural networks of children and suggested that the earlier students are exposed to experiential learning, the better.

However, new brain-imaging technologies have shown that experience-dependent neural plasticity − the ability of our brains to change structurally and functionally − can be also observed in adults, which just goes to show that it is never too late to change the way we learn new skills.

There is much speculation as to what the world of work will look like in 20 years’ time, but the truth is that we simply don’t know. That is why it is vital for students to develop agile, creative minds and hands-on, practical skills. As the old saying goes, there’s nothing like learning from experience.

Professor Olivier Oullier is the president of Emotiv, a neuroscientist and a DJ

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Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Essentials

The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes. 
 

Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes. 


In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes. 
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.

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Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

The Abu Dhabi Awards explained:

What are the awards? They honour anyone who has made a contribution to life in Abu Dhabi.

Are they open to only Emiratis? The awards are open to anyone, regardless of age or nationality, living anywhere in the world.

When do nominations close? The process concludes on December 31.

How do I nominate someone? Through the website.

When is the ceremony? The awards event will take place early next year.