Today´s goal is to provide a list of key elements which need to be considered in our roadmap to transform our educational system correctly, holistically and integrally.

I will start to provide the elements of a Ph.D. Transformation for the future, just as an example of the educational system. Nevertheless, we can use this same list of key elements for a roadmap transformation in every single level of our education: Early Childhood Education, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary (university degrees before the Doctorate). But I started with the Ph.D. because it is linked to educators, and before anything else, we need to train or re-educate the educators FIRST.

Let´s start:  I have segmented the road-map in three large sections: Past, Present, and Future. We will stick to the variable Time as our general guideline. Remember this is a list of key elements to consider in our roadmap. Other components may be added or removed, depending on the context of the development of the country, and depending on the level of education to be analyzed.

PAST: Understanding the history and legacy of the Doctorate Degree.  How did we end up with the current doctorate system?

1. Doctorate Definition: How did we end up having a post-graduate degree designed as such per each discipline, with a duration of 4 to 5 years? For example, at Harvard University, we need to understand in the past records of the university, why is this higher-education institution offering 76 Ph.D. degrees? Who were the scholars’ target in the past?
2. Financing aspects of each of the Ph.D. degrees: State vs. Private. How has been the financing relationship between the thesis topic and the sponsors?
3. Candidate Profiles. What has happened in relation to the admission requirements? By Merit by grades or intellectual capacity.
4. Employment: Where were the doctors working? As academic faculty or as researchers. In the academics, the origin of the Tenure Track Arrangement. In the Research field, the origin of the past work assignations
5. Purpose of the Ph.D. Each academic doctorate degree was conceived with a purpose. It is important to understand the roots of this purpose in the past.

PRESENT: Understanding the Doctorate Degree at the current present state.

1. Global Mapping. Find out how the Ph.D. functions in each country. In different countries, in different states, in different educational systems. Perform a comparative matrix
2. Learning proficiencies triggered by the current Ph.D. scheme per discipline: We need to do and apprehend a deep comprehension and impact analysis in the mental capabilities developed at the scholar or Ph.D. Candidate per discipline. What impact has a Ph.D. degree in the mind of those who get the degree at different levels?
3. What type of Ph. D. is being created through each current program: proficient? adept? skilled? skillful? accomplished? expert? constant learner? discoverer? qualified scientist? professor? researcher? writer or author? or an originator or creator?
   “These adjectives mean having or showing knowledge, ability, or skill, as in a profession or field of study.
   • Proficient implies an advanced degree of competence acquired through training.
   • Adept suggests a natural aptitude improved by practice: became adept at cutting the fabric without using a pattern.
   • Skilled implies sound, thorough competence and often mastery, as in art, craft, or trade: a skilled gymnast who won an Olympic medal.
   • Skillful adds to skilled the idea of natural dexterity in performance or achievement: is skillful in the use of the handloom.
   • Accomplished bears with it a sense of refinement after much training and practice: an accomplished violinist who played the sonata flawlessly.
   • Expert applies to one with consummate skill and command: an expert negotiator who struck a deal between disputing factions. An expert is a person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject.
   • Learner: To gain knowledge of or skill in through study, instruction, or experience: learned how to sail; learned the new computer program; learn to speak Hindi.
   • Discoverer: To notice or learn, especially by making an effort. To become aware or informed of; find out new things
   • Explorer: One who explores, who performs acts or an instance of exploring.
   • Qualified Scientist: A person who is engaged in and has expert knowledge of science or field of specialization
   • Professor: A college or university teacher who ranks above an associate professor. A teacher or instructor.
   • Researcher: Someone who careful studies a given subject, field, or problem, undertaken to discover facts or principles.
   • Writer or author: One who practices writing of books, articles, papers as a profession.
   • Originator or creator, as of a theory or plan”.
   • All of the above? Some of the above? None of the above?
4. Discernment Isometrics Review using the Strategic Innovation Paradigm for each of the existing and current Ph.D. disciplines (as they exist right now in each university and country)

The discernment Isometrics Review for each Ph.D. degree (per discipline) has to be analyzed using the strategic innovation paradigm as follows.

• Does this Ph.D. degree help the scholar to know how to do talent development once it is finished?
• Does this Ph.D. degree have a purpose to help our humanity to tackle any of the current problems of the planet? At a micro and macro level (country, global)
• Does this Ph.D. degree cause ethical awe? Is the value proposition of the Ph.D. degree moral enough?
• Does this Ph.D. degree carry out a generational impact?
  • Is the Ph.D. in this discipline producing individuals or scholars, which are helping humanity to evolve with balance?
  • Is this PH.D. degree necessary in this specific field of interest?

5. Technology Analysis for each Ph.D. Discipline:

• This is an element to be explored in terms of doing a benchmarking or comparison or break point between how each Ph.D. degree was done without internet and without new emerging technologies, and how it is done after the internet and new disruptive technologies already available.
• Holistic Analysis of advantages and disadvantages (or pros and cons), beyond the data or numbers.
• There are several current technologies which are not good for the human being brain development and will need to be dismissed. Neuroscientists and Brain Development experts are able to help in this stage. For example, there are technologies which make us dummies or hurt the brain or eyes-vision, and these technologies have to be rejected.

6. Design and validation of the new Ph.D. model for the future

• This is the training proposal that Eleonora Escalante Strategy has tried to put into the table.

• The new Ph.D. model has to be solid enough to last for at least 5 centuries. It has to be integral, holistic, putting ethics at the core. Do not confuse the tech tools with the methodologies. Do not confuse the content with the format.
• All the universities (from the developed and developing countries) have to validate it, through their Ministries of Education approvals.
• Variables and indicators have to be defined for future performance reviews, particularly during the pilot project stages.

FUTURE. Going slowly into the Ph.D. degree future. SLOWLY.

1. Launching pilot projects: The model has to be tested first in several countries and universities. It needs to be in place for at least 20 years to understand the results.
2. Review the model after pilot projects have been tested. Refine the model. Do adjustments and tunning. Correct what is wrong. With enough evidence of its success
3. Deployment on a large global scale. Only when we are secure this is the right way to go. Otherwise, do not change what doesn´t need to be changed.  

As you can see, this is a list of basic elements for the Doctorate Degree new design for the future. The same has to be done for the rest of education levels. I chose to introduce the Ph.D. degree roadmap elements, because we need to re-educate the teachers first, before moving forward with the rest of the education levels.

Teachers or educators have to be the first ones to be re-educated.

This is the last episode of this saga. Thank you so much for reading me and for being patient. I need some pace to think, and I can´t deliver without a minimum of reflection. That is why I appreciate your patience with my blog. Good things take time.

Next week we will start a new saga: “How do I wish a Country´s president to be?” Stay tuned. Instead of a list of virtues or leadership characteristics, we will dig deeper into what must be the mindset or mental framework of an exemplary State leader.

Sources of reference for the adjectives of the Ph.D. scholars types:  (Used to write the section What type of Ph. D. is being created through each current program): https://ahdictionary.com/

Disclaimer: All the presentation slides shown or hand drawings on this blog are prepared by Eleonora Escalante MBA-MEng. Nevertheless, all the pictures or videos shown on this blog are not mine.  I do not own any of the lovely photos posted unless otherwise stated.

Published by eleonoraescalantestrategy

Corporate Strategy Artist, San Salvador, El Salvador View all posts by eleonoraescalantestrategy