21 ST CENTURY SKILLS PURDUE UNIVERSITY MODEL

1. HOW TO PREPARE STUDENTS
FOR 21ST CENTURY
A.M. Subramanyam
E-mail : amsubramanyam@yahoo.com

2. 1. INTRODUCTION
Education is the kindling of a flame,
not the filling of a vessel - Socrates
A. Education - New Era, New Focus -Lifelong learning
Education and learning throughout an
individual working life-Lifelong learning.
Knowledge3
Next 40 years5 to 22 yearsIndustrial2
Next 40 yearsBetween age of
7-14 years
Agrarian1
WORKING LIFEEDUCATIONECONOMYSL.N
O.

3. B. Learning – New ways
TODAY STUDENTS NEED :
• To learn how to find what they need to know,
when they need to know and the best sources
available.
• To have higher order thinking skills to analyze
and evaluate the information they find.
HOW WILL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS DO THIS ?
• Educational institutions and classrooms must
be transformed from being storehouses of
knowledge to being a place for students to
explore, to question, to experiment, to discover.

4. • No longer is it necessary for teacher to deposit
information in student’s head. Instead their role
is to be a 'Guide on the side' - Encouraging
Guiding Mentoring supporting the learning
process. Creative classrooms today are ones
where everyone is learning from each other, as
well as the teacher!
• Curriculum and classes must be designed that
will engage students in active problem solving
and discovery. And today's digital age provides
nearly limitless resources for real world learning.
Curriculum and instruction are at the heart of any
educational endeavor, as they determine what is
taught and how.

5. 2. CURRICULUM
The curriculum must go beyond content
knowledge to include a strong emphasis
on 21st century skills.
WHAT ENGINEERING STUDENTS NEED TO
LEARN TODAY?
Engineering education that not only requires
students to grasp traditional engineering
fundamentals: such as mechanics, dynamics,
mathematics and technology, but to also
develop the skills associated with learning to
imbed this knowledge in real-world situations.

6. This not only demands skills of creativity,
team work and design, but in global
collaboration, communication, management,
economics and ethics. Furthermore, the rapid
pace of change of technology seems fated to
continue for many decades to come. This will
require the engineers we are training today to
learn to be lifelong learners and to learn to
develop adaptive expertise.
One model is the "Three curricular pillars"
developed at Purdue University for guiding
their curricular reforms.

7. 21st CENTURY SKILLS
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills
has developed a vision for 21st Century
student success in the new global
economy.

8. 21ST CENTURY SKILLS STUDENT OUTCOMES AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS

9. “21ST Century student outcomes”
(represented by the rainbow) are the skills,
knowledge and expertise students should
master to succeed in work and life in the
21st century.

10. We believe schools must move beyond a focus on
basic competency in core subjects to promoting
understanding of academic content at much higher
levels by weaving 21st century Interdisciplinary
themes into core subjects :
Global Awareness
Financial, Economic, Business and
Entrepreneurial Literacy
Civic Literacy
Health Literacy
Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes
Mastery of core subjects and 21st century
themes is essential for students in the 21st
century. Core subjects include English, reading
or language arts, world languages, arts,
mathematics, economics, science, geography,
history, government and civics.

11. Learning and innovation skills are what
separate students who are prepared for
increasingly complex life and work
environments in the 21st century and
those who are not. They include:
Creativity and Innovation
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Communication and Collaboration
Learning and innovation skills

12. Information, Media and Technology Skills
People in the 21st century live in a technology
and media-driven environment, marked by
access to an abundance of information, rapid
changes in technology tools and the ability to
collaborate and make individual contributions on
an unprecedented scale. To be effective in the
21st century, citizens and workers must be able
to exhibit a range of functional and critical
thinking skills, such as :
Information Literacy
Media Literacy
ICT (Information, Communication and
Technology) Literacy

13. Life and Career Skills
Today's life and work environments require
for more than thinking skills and content
knowledge. The ability to navigate the
complex life and work environments in the
globally competitive information age requires
students to pay rigorous attention to
developing adequate life and career skills,
such as :
Flexibility and Adaptability
Initiative and Self-Direction
Social and Cross-Cultural Skills
Productivity and Accountability
Leadership and Responsibility

14. 21ST CENTURY SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Developing a comprehensive framework for 21st
century learning requires more than identifying
specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and
literacies. An innovative support system must be
created to help students master the multi-
dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st
century. The Partnership has identified five critical
support systems that ensure student mastery of
21st century skills.
21st Century Standards
Assessments of 21st Century Skills
21st Century Curriculum and Instruction
21st Century Professional Development
21st Century Learning Environments

15. Purdue's Future Engineer
Vision : Purdue Engineers will be prepared for leadership roles in responding to
to global technological, economic, and societal challenges of the 21st century.
Strategy: We will provide educational experiences that develop student’s knowledge
areas, abilities, and qualities to enable them to identify needs and construct effective
solutions in an economically, socially, and culturally relevant manner.
Abilities
Leadership
Teamwork
Communication
Decision-making
Recognize & manage change
Work effectively in diverse &
multicultural environments
Work effectively in the global
engineering profession
Synthesize engineering,
business,and societal
perspectives.
Knowledge Areas
Science & math
Engineering fundamentals
Analytical skills
Open-ended design &
problem solving skills
multidisciplinarity within
and beyond engineering
Integration of analytical,
problem solving, and
design skills
Qualities
Innovative
Strong work ethic
Ethically responsible in a
global, social, intellectual, and
technological context
adaptable in a changing
environment
Entrepreneurial and
intrapreneurial
curious and persistent
continuous learners
The Three Pillars of the Purdue Engineering Undergraduate Education

17. There are many possible teaching strategies that
are debated in education circles. Fig. depicts them
in the diagram format: Lecture based, text based,
inquiry based teaching, etc.
Are some of these teaching techniques better than
others ?
Is lecturing a poor way to teach ?
Is cooperative learning effective ?
Asking which teaching technique is best is
analogous to asking which tool is best – a
hammer, a screwdriver, a knife or pliers. In
teaching as in carpentry, the selection of tools
depends on the task at hand and the materials one
is working with. Books and lectures can be
wonderfully efficient modes of transmitting new
information for learning.
There is no universal best teaching practice!

18. Focusing on how people learn also will help
teachers move beyond either or dichotomies that
have plagued the field of education. One such
issue is whether educational institutions should
emphasize 'the basics' or teach thinking and
problem-solving skills. Both are necessary!
Student's abilities to acquire organized sets of
facts and skills are actually enhanced when they
are connected to meaningful problem-solving
activities and when students are helped to
understand why, when, and how those facts and
skills are relevant. Attempts to tech thinking skills
without a strong base of factual knowledge do not
promote problem-solving ability or support
transfer to new situations.

19. B. THE PARADIGM SHIFT
Teachers use discovery
approach based on a
process of inquiry
Facts and information are
"spoon-fed" by teachers to
students
Goal is to learn skills
(access, analyze, evaluate,
create, participate) to solve
problems
Goal is to master content
knowledge
(literature, history, science,
etc)
Emphasis on process skills
for lifelong learning
Emphasis on learning
content knowledge that may
or may not be used in life
Infinite access to knowledge
and information (content)
through Internet
Limited access to
knowledge and information
(i.e. 'content') primarily
through print
21st Century Learning :
Process Skills
20th Century Learning :
Content Mastery

20. Flexible individualized
exposure to content knowledge
and process skills
"Lock-step" age-based
exposure to content
knowledge
Project-based learning on team
basis
Conceptual learning on
individual basis
Real-world, real-time learning
from multiple sources, using
technology tools
Textbook learning from
one source, primarily print-
based media
World-wide learning and
connecting, with ability to team
up world-wide
Classroom-limited learning
and dissemination with
little collaboration
Powerful multi-media
technology tools for
expression, circulation and
dissemination
Pencil/pen and paper or
word processing for
expression
Multi-media analysis and
collaboration using technology
tools
Print-based information
analysis with pen and-ink
tools

21. Teacher framing and guidingTeacher selecting and
lecturing
Students active participants
and contributors
Students passive vessels
Teaching to state education
standards with testing for
accountability
Teaching with state-
adopted textbooks for
subject area with little
accountability for teaching
Students learn to set criteria
and to evaluate own work
Teacher evaluates and
assesses work and assigns
grade
Mastery demonstrated
through multi-media
Mastery demonstrated
through papers and tests

22. Integration of
21st Century
Skills into
Subject Matter
Mastery
Subject
Matter
Mastery
Assessment
Model
Integration of
21st Century
Skills into
Subject Matter
Mastery
Subject
Matter
Mastery
Teaching
Model
Flexibility
And
Adaptability
Mastery
of
One Field
Job Skill
10-15 Jobs1-2 Jobs# of Jobs
21st Century20th Century

24. 4. LEARNING SPACES & TECHNOLOGY
A. Learning Spaces
Learning is the central activity of colleges and
universities. Sometimes that learning occurs in
classrooms (formal learning); other times it results
from serendipitous interactions among individuals
(informal learning). Space whether physical or
virtual – can have an impact on learning. It can
bring people together; it can encourage
exploration, collaboration and discussions. Or,
space can carry unspoken message of silence and
disconnectedness. More and more we see the
power of built pedagogy (the ability of space to
define how one teaches) in colleges and
universities.

25. Facets of learning space design: learner
expectations, the principles and activities
that facilitate learning, and the role of
technology.
Many of today's learners (Net Gen Students)
favour active, participatory, experiential
learning.
IT has highly integrated into all aspects of
learning spaces.

26. SEVEN-FOOT DIAMETER TABLE

27. SEATING THREE TEAMS OF THREE STUDENTS

28. Computer with an Internet
Connection, a video projector, a
VCR, a telephone, a sound
system and an external Laptop
ports all controlled by single
touchscreen switching panel.

29. B. TECHNOLOGY
1. POWER ELECTRONICS
Interactive Power Electronics Seminar
(iPES)-www.ipes.ethz.ch
The following Java applets are part of the
Introductory Course on Power Electronics
taught by Prof. Kolar at the ETH Zurich. The
interactive and animated applets are used as
aid for teaching in the classroom and are
displayed using a laptop and a beamer.
Furthermore, the applets do provide an
opportunity for the students to experiment
and learn at home more efficiently.

31. 2. MODEL-BASED DESIGN

33. 3. NANO TECHNOLOGY
Learning in an Emergent, Model-Based Environment
Created by Cyberinfrastructure and Community – nanoHUB.org

34. Vision :
•Foster a transformation of engineering
education in both instructional materials
and devices for the delivery of instruction.
•Pioneer development of a pedagogy of
cyber-education
Goals :
•Promote effective use of simulation in
education
•Explore application of nanoHUB.org to
outreach and efforts to increase diversity.
•Be a resource for education in
nanotechnology and for cross-disciplinary
and continuing education by self-learners

36. REVIEWING CURRENT PEDAGOGICAL
APPROACHES :
•Noticing with simulations and models
Construct models (physical or mathematical) of
phenomena at the nanoscale level
Define relationships through systematic inquiry
of a model as a black box
What does it predict ?
Instruction can make the black box transparent
•What theories define the models?
•What principles govern the behavior of the
system?

39. The illiterate of the future are
not those who cannot read or
write, but those who cannot
learn, unlearn and relearn.
Alvin Toffler.

40. 5. REFERENCES
University – MIT, PURDUE, ETM-
ZURICH, American Society for
Engineering Education.
Industry – Mathworks, Partnership
21st Century Skill, IBM, Microsoft,
CISCO.
Books – Engineer 2020, How people
learn, Learning Spaces.