“Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” – GK Chesterton
The cultivation of knowledge and intelligence, when undertaken through systematic efforts, represents the core essence of an education. In earlier ages, education thrived on oral traditions and methods that taught vocational skills to students, interns, and learners. In the modern age, the higher education process has emerged as a complex, multi-faceted system in its own right, one that enables students to acquire instruction, skills, and knowledge through multiple phases of structured learning. Higher education also implies a deeper acquaintance of specialized knowledge systems, an inquiry into the various disciplines and domains of knowledge, and the cultivation of ability to negotiate the different rhythms of human lives. In this broad context, investigating and delineating the outlines of the higher education process through diagrammatic constructs such as flowcharts, makes the task simpler.
- Developing Ability to Think Critically
A core aspect of the higher education process resides in developing the ability to think critically. In this context, educators and their students may design/develop flowcharts that promote various lines or techniques of critical thinking. Such technique may interrogate assumptions, the basics of an idea, the manifestations of phenomenon, certain aspects of observations, and the contours of a process, among others. When rendered in flowcharts, such technique could take shape in the form of various lines, angles, convergences, divergences, etc. In addition, students or learners could fashion in-diagram flows based on their perceptions of an idea. Educators could enrich outcomes by adding inputs and molding the direction of flows etched inside flow diagrams, resulting in sophisticated methods of critical thought.
- The Spirit of Inquiry
An active undertaking, underlined by the spirit of inquiry bears potential to reinforce the fundamentals of the modern higher education process, with flowcharts cast into multiple tiers, – each tier denoting query into the subject matter. This technique may spur the process, encourage students to pose questions and embark on a quest for knowledge, locate alternatives inside an established narrative (or body of knowledge), assess possible answers to queries, and broaden their understanding of specific domains. Such an undertaking can help expand the possibilities of knowledge systems, empower learners to explore the higher education process, and generate higher levels of outcomes from learning initiatives. Flowcharts can assist in such creation, and allow the learning process to resonate with the objectives of modern schooling and education.
- A New Model
Collaborations (and debate) between teachers and learners can bear fruit when included in the matrix of the higher education process. This method would thus be a manifestation of innovation, one that removes the limitations inherent in the traditional systems of educating. Debate can yield rich dividends in terms of generating a better understanding of subject matter, while collaboration can point the way to newer forms of exploration of ideas, constructs, theories, etc. In addition, such actions can help the institutions of higher education to build smarter curricula, instill a sense of discipline and inquiry into the thought processes of students, and elevate the quality of instruction inside modern classrooms and other teaching environments. Flow diagrams can help educators spotlight the locations of collaboration, thereby effecting a qualitative improvement in the mechanics of learning processes.
- Learning Communities
Learning communities – when fashioned in various tiers – could help uplift the higher education process by promoting systematic learning across various student populations. For instance, students of technical education could invest in community learning initiatives with a view to power an even distribution of learning materials. This could potentially ensure fewer dropouts from the education pool, and allow a balanced utilization of resources. The formation of learning communities could also empower educators to cover the curricula and reduce the risks that arise from haphazard/unproven learning systems or methods. A multiplicity of learning communities could enable improvements in modern education systems, allow institutions to embrace higher levels of functionality, and accelerate outcomes across the board.
- Tutorials & Their Import
Tutorial systems remain central to the functioning of the higher education process. Such mechanisms interrogate the understanding of students at regular intervals, and enable learning organizations to fine-tune the contours and processes of education delivery systems. Tutorials would be testing mechanisms, ones that encourage students to stay abreast of the learning curve. The act of writing tutorials also encourages senior students to develop a deeper understanding of knowledge systems. Deploying flowcharts to devise diversifications into tutorial systems is a smart approach. Such initiatives may impart greater velocity into the higher education process and empower students/faculty to invest further into modern education. Assessors of tutorials, when sourced from external organizations, could contribute to independent evaluation of the quality and scope of such testing initiatives.
- Focusing on Theses
The creation of original theses comprises an integral aspect of the higher education process. Pursuant to this, educators could guide learners and senior students on the best practices that underlie thesis writing. Such actions indicate an effort to bolster the sinews of processes that impart velocity to the idea of modern higher education. In this context, a flowchart could help educators assemble the diverse aspects of writing a quality thesis, elucidate the inputs that students must invest in such activity, and develop an outline of actions that combine to generate landmark instances of academic creation. In addition, students may elect to develop an initial thesis into scholarly articles and papers for publication. Further, educators must ideate constantly to expand the scope of student theses; this allows a certain vitality to inform/enrich thesis projects, leading to enlightened stances that spotlight the intricacies and efficacy of the higher education process.
- The New Iteration
Deans of academic organizations may utilize flowcharts to expand the mechanics (and develop fresh iterations) of the higher education process. A multi-disciplinary stance, for instance, can lend greater functionality to such process, empower students to participate deeply in education systems, allow them to gain a wider spectrum of knowledge and skills, and equip learners with ability to join high-quality white collar professions. Deans and Masters, on their part, can encourage the uptake of multiple disciplines among students, generating greater traction for education systems and initiatives. Further, academic institutions could develop interesting variations to expand the scope of such initiatives, thereby imparting sophistication and additional functionality to courses and curricula.
- To Conclude
We can gain insights from these readings into the dynamics of using flowcharts to devise higher education process. Educators and policy makers may deploy such constructs in the interests of improving and refining existing versions of said process; such constructs can also allow new ideation that enriches the practices and methods that underlie modern education. Interesting versions of diagram can also empower diversification in education systems and processes, thereby promoting modes of specialized instruction to emerge. Students, on their part, can utilize spatial constructs to drive their own interpretations of process, or segments thereof.
Further, the idea of higher education therefore, is a journey towards refinement, is a paradigm that indicates immense possibility, is a method of grooming the heirs of modern civilization, and a lot more. Flow diagrams can assist in developing ideas and methods of validation, registering progress in such ventures, empowering citizens and educators to locate and evolve the avenues of development, innovation, and growth. Intelligent designers, on their part, may elect to meld the processes of education and professional up-skilling as technique that enables accelerated personal and professional development. In enabling these scenarios, flowcharts offer much scope to the human race.
