Education on the 21st century
AIU is striving to regain the significance of the concept of education- which is rooted into the Latin “educare”- meaning “to pull out”- breaking loose from the paradigm of most 21st century universities with their focus on “digging and placing information” into students’ heads rather than teaching them to think. For AIU- the generation of “clones” that some traditional universities are spreading throughout the real world is one of the most salient reasons for today’s ills. In fact- students trained at those educational institutions never feel a desire to “change the world” or the current status quo; instead- they adjust to the environment- believe everything is fine- and are proud of it all.
IN A WORLD where knowledge and mostly information expire just like milk- we must reinvent university as a whole in which each student- as the key player- is UNIQUE within an intertwined environment. This century’s university must generate new knowledge bits although this may entail its separation from both the administrative bureaucracy and the faculty that evolve there as well. AIU thinks that a university should be increasingly integrated into the “real world”- society- the economy- and the holistic human being. As such- it should concentrate on its ultimate goal- which is the student- and get him/her deeply immersed into a daily praxis of paradigm shifts- along with the Internet and research- all these being presently accessible only to a small minority of the world community. AIU students must accomplish their self-learning mission while conceptualizing it as the core of daily life values through the type of experiences that lead to a human being’s progress when information is converted into education. The entire AIU family must think of the university as a setting that values diversity and talent in a way that trains mankind not only for the present but above all for a future that calls everyday for professionals who empower themselves in academic and professional areas highly in demand in our modern society. We shall not forget that- at AIU- students are responsible for discovering their own talents and potential- which they must auto-develop in such a way that the whole finish product opens up as a flower that blossoms every year more openly.
THE AIU STANCE is against the idea of the campus as a getaway from day-to-day pressure since we believe reality is the best potential-enhancer ever; one truly learns through thinking- brainstorming ideas- which leads to new solutions- and ultimately the rebirth of a human being fully integrated in a sustainable world environment. Self-learning is actualized more from within than a top-down vantage point- that is to say- to influence instead of requesting- ideas more than power. We need to create a society where solidarity- culture- life- not political or economic rationalism and more than techno structures- are prioritized. In short- the characteristics of AIU students and alumni remain independence- creativity- self-confidence- and ability to take risk towards new endeavors. This is about people’s worth based not on what they know but on what they do with what they know.
Read more at: www.aiu.edu
