The LSU Top 5 #6

This is the sixth of our weekly Top 5 links to the most interesting bits and pieces we’ve found from around the internet.

Do online courses spell the end for the traditional university?

This article considers whether MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) will replace traditional university programs and content delivery methods. The author interviews Sebastian Thrun, one of the founders of Coursera, and others experimenting with opening courses at prestigious universities to anyone with internet access and makes it clear that the presence of MOOCs must be reckoned against the future design of universities, their programs and the mix of nationalities and backgrounds in their student profiles.

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What skills are employers looking for in Vietnam’s workforce?

Critical thinking, communication, team work and problem solving skills were found to be the most demanded attributes of employers in a recent survey of 350 Vietnamese firms by the World Bank and Vietnam’s Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM).

The firms reported that despite this demand, these skills are not being developed in the Vietnamese education system. While employers are also unhappy with the levels of the workforce’s technical skills, the author of this blog post says that any educational reform needs to focus on improving technical and thinking and behavioural skills.

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Graduate view: ‘we are not customers’

In this opinion piece, two recent graduates talk of their most beneficial learning experiences, and note that these were not in line with what most students expected from university study and not what they felt comfortable with or wanted to do. They warn universities against seeing students too much as customers, as being focused on ‘customer’ feedback might lead to an abandonment of what is actually – though not always recognised by students as being – most useful in learning.

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Why you should start your own business at university – even if you’ll probably fail

Many students think about exams and textbooks or clubs when entering universities. However, in this article, Andrew Jervis gives five reasons to start a business while at university. Anyone tempted?

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First graders taught to tell lies

Primary school kids are being taught to cheat on tests and lie about any extra tutoring they get. Parents are concerned, but it seems that few see any alternative. This article offers an interesting insight to how many Vietnamese students start their educational journey.

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