Dueling Keynotes: How Two ESOMAR Speakers Reveal Very Different Takes on Technology
By Kathryn Korostoff
José Ignacio Wert, Minister of Education, Culture and Sport of the Kingdom of Spain (and past president of ESOMAR, 2005-2006) spoke on the broad topic of education in the 21st century. This is a topic of interest to many as a general topic—as parents, future-thinking citizens, or even just as social scientists. And to be honest, I have a special interest in this topic, as I run a training business (Research Rockstar).
Mr. Wert shared various interesting statistics about changes in educational activity and participation, mostly due to technology advances. My highlights from his talk may seem disparate at first glance, but they do share a common theme:
- Millions of students now study outside of their home countries. Today the number is estimated at 3 million and this is expected to grow to more than 8 million by 2020.
- As Mr. Wert points out, “education is a competitive weapon” for both emerging and developed countries.
- Investment levels (by country) do not always correlate to better educational results (countries that spend less, as a percentage of the GDP, but get better than average results include Japan And Macau).
- Corporate Universities are on the rise, through which larger employers provide professional skills training which is more effective and efficient than general universities can offer.
- “Lifelong learning” is essential for all workers—both to maintain their own personal happiness and to maintain employability (the Leonard da Vinci quote, “Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation… even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind”, came to mind as Mr. Wert shared some proof points on this sub-topic).
- ICT, as he and other government types often refer to computer-integrated learning, changes the role of the classroom teacher from human encyclopedia (focused on delivery of facts) to that of a coach (who stimulates conversation and provides feedback).
- Online learning, and here he cited the example of Khan Academy, offers an exciting way to support lifelong learning and bring world-class learning to everyone. One anecdote offered as an example of the benefits showcased students being able to learn material at their own pace—without a teacher standing over them impatiently probing to see if they “got it” yet (at which point in the speech, flashbacks from middle school geometry flooded my brain).
As I wove this list of facts together for myself, I found the theme distills down to a simple conclusion: who, how and why people learn is fundamentally changing due to economic and technological factors. Who is now nearly everyone regardless of age and nearly regardless of location. How is now aided or entirely delivered by online platforms. And why is often either self-fulfillment or employability.
But what does this have to do with market research? This is, after all, an ESOMAR keynote. Mr. Wert’s focus was recommendations related to assessment (assessing effectiveness of educational materials and programs), and a vague suggestion to conduct more forward thinking research. But I would have liked a clearer appeal for innovative market research. What kind of market research could be conducted to uncover emerging educational needs? What type of project might close the gap between employers’ emerging skill needs and employees’ current skill sets? What role could corporations play in funding related research? While he left me wanting more of a market research call to action, Mr. Wert also left me with an inspired, hopeful feeling about how technology can aid society on a global basis by enhancing and delivering educational content.
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