Higher education wicked problem

Higher education wicked problem

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  What is aWicked Problem? A wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that is difficult or impossible to solve for as many as four reasons: • incomplete or contradictory knowledge, • the number of people and opinions involved, • the large economic burden, and the • interconnected nature of these problems with other problems.
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   Wicked problemsare also characterized by the following: • The solution depends on how the problem is framed and vice versa (i.e., the problem definition depends on the solution) • Stakeholders have radically different world views and different frames for understanding the problem. • The constraints that the problem is subject to and the resources needed to solve it change over time. • The problem is never solved definitively. Although Rittel and Webber framed the concept in terms of social policy and planning, wicked problems occur in any domain involving stakeholders with differing perspectives. CHARACTERISTICS OF A WICKED PROBLEM
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  Strategies to tackleWicked Problem Wicked problems cannot be tackled by the traditional approach in which problems are defined, analysed and solved in sequential steps. The main reason for this is that there is no clear problem definition of wicked problems. In a paper published in 2000, Nancy Roberts identified the following strategies to cope with wicked problems: Authoritative These strategies seek to tame wicked problems by vesting the responsibility for solving the problems in the hands of a few people. The reduction in the number of stakeholders reduces problem complexity, as many competing points of view are eliminated at the start. The disadvantage is that authorities and experts charged with solving the problem may not have an appreciation of all the perspectives needed to tackle the problem. Competitive These strategies attempt to solve wicked problems by pitting opposing points of view against each other, requiring parties that hold these views to come up with their preferred solutions. The advantage of this approach is that different solutions can be weighed up against each other and the best one chosen. The disadvantage is that this adversarial approach creates a confrontational environment in which knowledge sharing is discouraged. Consequently, the parties involved may not have an incentive to come up with their best possible solution. Collaborative These strategies aim to engage all stakeholders in order to find the best possible solution for all stakeholders. Typically these approaches involve meetings in which issues and ideas are discussed and a common, agreed approach is formulated. Reference:Nancy Roberts,2000
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  10 Distinguishing propertiesof a Wicked Problem- RITTEL & WEBBER • There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem • Wicked problems have no stopping rule • Solutions to wicked problems are not true or false but good or bad • There is no immediate and no ultimate test of solution to a wicked problem • Every solution to a wicked problem is a one shot operation; because there is no opportunity to learn by trial and error, every attempt counts significantly • Lack of criteria that indicate all solutions have been identified • Every wicked problem is essentially unique • Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem • Any discrepancies in wicked problem can be explained in multiple ways • Planners have no right to be wrong in that they are responsible for the outcomes that result from the actions they take. Planning problems are wicked problem, Rittel and webber, 1973
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  HIGHER EDUCATION India’s highereducation system is the third largest in the world, next to the United states and China The main governing body at the tertiary level is the University Grants Commission UGC, which enforces its standards, advises the government, and helps coordinate between the center and the state.  Indian higher education is in need of radical reforms. A focus on enforcing higher standards of transparency, strengthening of the vocational and doctoral education pipeline, and professionalization of the sector through stronger institutional responsibility would help in reprioritizing efforts and working around the complexities. Higher education in india, wikipedia
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  The “WICKED” Problemof Creativity in Higher Education • Creativity in higher education is embedded in the wicked problem of how we prepare and sustain learners for a lifetime of uncertainty, change, challenge and emergent or self-created opportunity and they will need not only their intellectual ability, practical skills and will to survive and prosper, but also their imaginations and practical creativity. • Valuing and recognizing the creativity of our students is one small step towards creating a more creative society: something that ultimately the health of our economy depends on. Norman Jackson says, I see Higher education’s role as: a) to help people develop as creative individuals because this is the foundation for a more creative society an b) access to domains, the training necessary to build a creative life in a domain and access to the field of people who are already experts in the domain. Tackling the Wicked Problem of Creativity in Higher Education, Norman Jackson
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  The “WICKED” Problemof Quality in Higher Education • Posing particular challenges for the higher education sector is the expectation that universities will demonstrate evidence of quality in all aspects of their operations. • This is an international challenge but nowhere is this wicked problem more evident than in the Australian higher education sector at present, where the federal government has introduced a significant new package of higher education reforms. • These include: a new set of performance-based funding indicators to measure the quality of learning and teaching; the introduction of mission-based institutional compacts; and the new Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency to monitor quality and standards. The ‘Wicked’ Problem of Quality in Higher Education: Macro, Meso and Micro Perspectives
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  The “WICKED” Problemof Transforming Higher Education Jon Kolke wrote in his book (The Wicked Problem and Wickedness) puts the difficulty of solving wicked problems into four categories: 1. Incomplete or contradictory knowledge 2. The number of people and opinions involved 3. The large economic burden 4. The interconnected nature of these problems with other problems These four categories apply to the transformation of higher education. We focus here on two broad complementary aspects: governance and culture with the premise that no solution is effective or viable unless it encompasses these two hand in hand Fatma Mili | Executive Director of the Center for Trans-Institutional Capacity Building, Purdue University
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  The changing Roleof Higher Education: Learning to Deal with Wicked Problems Judith A. Ramley Abstract The role of higher education is changing in today’s world because the world itself is changing, and complex problems confront us daily. This essay will explore the role of an emerging group of individuals who can serve as a bridge between the academic community and the world at large. These administrators, faculty members, staff, students, and community members can help create new opportunities for different disciplines to work together and for all parts of a campus community and members of the broader society to form new working relationships to address the complex problems of today’s world. What role will these boundary spanners play in building a culture of engagement? How will their work change our ideas about faculty work, staff work, and the role of students in achieving the goals of the institution and in responding to the changing world around us?
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  Higher Education inthe 21st Century: Learning to Deal with Wicked Problems • Our nation’s colleges and universities have always sought to prepare their graduates for life and work in their own era. The pressures we face as educators and administrators in higher education today, both from outside the academy and from within our own community, are complex, interlocking, and hard to manage. • These challenges require us to rethink what it means to be educated in today’s world and to explore ways to provide a coherent and meaningful educational experience in the face of the turbulence, uncertainty, and fragmentation that characterize much of higher education today. • The management of this kind of problem requires collaboration, a sharing of exposure to risk and an opportunity for benefit, and a willingness to learn as the problem changes.
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  Wicked problems arehard but not impossible. The increasing number of initiatives around the country and abroad is indicative that there is a definite movement to change higher education.
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