Innovations in Knowledge and Learning. Jouko Sarvi

use of technology to continuously support professional discussion forums is gradually providing an alternative means for individuals and institutions to respond to the ubiquity of knowledge and learning, and the continuous need to upgrade oneself.

      As the demand for postsecondary education increases and more nontraditional service providers emerge, the means through which education services are delivered also evolves. While some infrastructure may be necessary, designs will be different to include e.g. teaching studios and e-libraries. One has to be mindful of the disruption caused by information and communication technology, transnational delivery, work-integrated learning, flipped classrooms,² and other hybrid modalities when investing in huge physical assets in central campuses. Delivering services through global partners by adopting franchising models similar to the Cisco Networking Academy and its partners, the use of satellite colleges both locally and off-shore, and institutional twinning arrangements all require a different conceptualization of university facilities. Often huge infrastructure investments are made for symbolism and marketing to capture the burgeoning demand for postsecondary education. To support new modalities of delivery, some DMCs may leapfrog and establish e-libraries instead of huge centralized physical buildings. The service providers have to be agile and responsive to changing labor market demands and able to deliver efficiently and at all geographic locations.

      Since the majority of ADB’s DMCs have progressed to middle-income status, diverse and multiple points of disruption will likely be needed to support human resource development that is in line with the diversification of economies and pace of development in these DMCs. Small, incremental changes in human capital development driven by industrial era thinking are no longer sufficient.