Education Series - Part 4 - An Overview on Higher Education: What must change?

Analysis by Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer

February 15th, 2021

As already discussed in this series, Lebanon is at a very important junction in its history. The decisions that are made during these crises will determine much of the future of this country. Universities must be looked at extensively. A lot must change and while that might seem overwhelming at first, it is important to realize where these changes are coming from. 

Nature has been around for billions of years (literally). Its “research and development” is better than anything we could ever hope to achieve, and it has discovered one simple tool to help itself. Any system that is meant to work effectively requires a feedback loop. Whether in nature or in our very own bodies, everything uses feedback loops. So, what is a feedback loop? The best way to understand a feedback loop is through example: when a heating system exceeds a certain temperature, it turns itself off, and when the temperature gets below a certain degree, it turns itself back on. That’s a feedback loop: changing the input to satisfy the desired output. Feedback loops are everywhere, from climate change, to the production of growth hormones in humans, to our brains. 

Now you might think that something as widely prevalent as feedback loops must also be popular in classrooms, yet  it’s not. Teachers do give out grades and subsequent feedback on those grades, but it is most often generic or group-level feedback that causes students to “tune out”[1].

Even though research has shown that the average effects caused by feedback are twice the average effects of all variables in education[2], it is also important to realize that positive feedback is better for our brains than negative feedback. The latter, specifically the perceived loss of “points”, results in less attempts by the individual, and in turn results in less success.

Let’s use an example that we are all familiar with, GPS systems.: You say where you are, where you want to go, and the device starts your journey to your destination. If you make a mistake during your journey, the device doesn’t punish you, but rather reroutes and shows how you can get back on track.

GPS systems don't punish errors, universities do. When you fail a course, or fall below a certain level, you are punished. Some universities choose to rescind your financial aid until you get back on track, for example. It’s akin to the GPS system not showing you how to get back on track, punishing you for your error and hoping you can do it yourself. What would be more helpful for students would be for universities showcasing the errors one has and guiding the individual back onto the path towards graduating

Guidance is key: students who receive feedback but get little to no guidance as to how to improve next time around may feel frustrated, often leading to further negative effects.[3]

This brings us to the feedback we all know within the classroom: grades. Studies have shown that the standard type of feedback, such as letter grades, are less effective compared to feedback that reflects the progress made in terms of actual accomplishments. A process-oriented feedback is one such system, and it provides elaborate feedback information on individual strengths (‘How am I going?’, i.e., the abilities shown), weaknesses (‘Where am I going?’, i.e., the abilities still needed) and competence supportive strategies on how to reach the learning goal (‘Where to next?’)[4]. These simple changes have massive implications on a student’s learning process.

However, this presents a new problem. Feedback that is more detailed would be difficult for the country right now, mainly due tothe fact that there is only 1 public university that is already having difficulties. As such, the country should work immediately on opening up new public universities to ensure that more individuals have access to quality education, increasing the enrollment rate, keeping the average class number down to a level that is acceptable for teachers to administer this process-oriented system. 

Given the current circumstances regarding the pandemic, it is important to note that education doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it impacts and is impacted by a wide range of factors, from social issues to a country’s economy and infrastructure. If a country isn’t able to offer the basic necessities of life, then the education sector will suffer. Therefore, one of the most important infrastructure improvements that is necessary in the country right now is the internet. Getting it to the point where it is at least passable for e-learning is crucial. We can then focus on improving the public universities with better systems in place in the future. That doesn’t necessarily mean SmartBoards for everyone, no, but having a country that is focused on sustaining a minimum level of competent technology is necessary.

This also means giving teachers the extra training they need in order to be able to use the technology presented to them. The Ministry of Labor is well aware of Coursera and the positive impact it has on the Lebanese population, so why not offer all teachers in the country the ability to learn how to teach online via Coursera? This increase in the quality of education would lead to less individuals leaving the country in search of better education outside. The country offering financial help to students would also impact those who seek to drop out of university in hopes of making money to sustain themselves. The increase in individuals getting quality education would also lead to improved circumstances, standard of living, and at times even working conditions in the future as more educated individuals get into the workforce.

Every system needs a way to know whether or not something is working, or not. As your body lets you know that you broke your bone by causing you pain, there should be a similar system in place in universities regarding courses and professors. Students should be able to give feedback to the university about these aspects and, most importantly, universities should listen to them carefully. If universities choose not to listen to the feedback that is given to them, they risk running an institution, and a country, that will be stuck in ineffective and uninspiring loops of failure. The country should push private universities to improve by offering quality public universities that are well run and encourage private universities to improve as well; so far, the country hasn’t risen to the challenge, but it should start 

[1] "INSTRUCTION BASED ON FEEDBACK | Taylor & Francis Group." INSTRUCTION BASED ON FEEDBACK. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

[2] "Visible Learning Meta-Study - VISIBLE LEARNING." 11 Feb. 2009, Visible Learning Meta-Study. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

[3] "(PDF) "I really need feedback to learn:" Students' perspectives ...." 26 Aug. 2009, (PDF) "I really need feedback to learn:" Students' perspectives on the effectiveness of the differential feedback messages. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

[4] "The effects of feedback on achievement, interest and self ...." 11 Oct. 2020, The effects of feedback on achievement, interest and self-evaluation: The role of feedback's perceived usefulness | Request PDF. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.