Learning for life: Reclaiming Higher Education’s Fuller Purpose
So much has been shifting in higher education – emerging technologies like GenAI, a growing focus on innovation, employability and workplace learning, demands for flexible degree structures and transdisciplinary learning opportunities, and an intentional focus on educator and student well-being. When we spoke with academic leaders across Canada’s research-intensive institutions last year, many of our questions became grounded in one fundamental question, “What is the purpose and value of higher education?”
The variety of possible answers to that question prompts us to ask, “What is the purpose and value of higher education for whom?” Exploring this question requires considering both individuals and society as a whole. What is the value of higher education for a nation, a city, a community? What does it mean for educators, innovators, and administrators? To begin, though, let’s start with students.
Many people assume that students plan to complete a university degree so they can get a job. Our research (Kenny et al., 2025) and experiences challenge this assumption. Sure, higher education contributes to employability and economic benefits for students. Across the U15 universities, post-graduation employment rates exceed 90% for undergraduate students, and median annual wages for students five years after graduation far exceed those with a college-level diplomas (Statistics Canada, 2024). Focusing only on the individual economic advantages of a university education, however, risks reducing learning to a simplistic transaction: time/effort + credential = job.
Informal conversations with students and current research (Brooks et al., 2021) reveal this emphasis on job acquisition is something of a veneer: significant and widespread, but not the whole story. Scratch a little deeper and we start to get more substantial answers. Students’ responses begin to echo enduring perspectives on the benefits of learning: personal growth and development, engagement with new ideas and new people, and developing skills and knowledge to make positive contributions to the world. What is more, students do not universally attach their beliefs about success solely to monetary value - they want to have flexibility, actively experience their learning, be engaged and feel passionate about their interests and future (Mahesh et al, 2021). Today’s students are tomorrow’s scientists, nurses, educators, economists, artists, historians, engineers, etc. We need them to thrive as individuals if we are to thrive as a society.
For learning in higher education does do more than just benefit individual students. Universities advance knowledge and innovation, provide strong economic benefits for local communities, improve health and the quality of life for individuals, communities and nations, and contribute to society, civic engagement, and social development (Addie, 2017; Chan, 2016; Czerniewicz & Cronin, 2023). These broader benefits are essential for our collective flourishing because successful universities – like the communities they serve - are fuelled by communities of keenly engaged learners.
Some questions for reflection moving forward:
- How can we encourage more conversations about why learning in our academic courses and programs matters – for careers, for community wellbeing, and for individual growth?
- How do we design meaningful and authentic teaching, learning, and assessment activities that prepare students for their future work and help them think about their impact on society?
- What activities help students develop metacognitive skills, build relationships, and gain confidence to contribute to their communities and a positive future?
- How can we create space for everyone – students, educators, leaders, and the public – to explore the broader purposes of higher education?
- How can we strengthen partnerships with communities and students to make teaching, learning, and assessment practices more relevant?
Jobs matter. Economic stability matters. It’s not an either/or proposition. We want our students to get meaningful jobs, and we want them to have meaningful learning experiences that expand their thinking and help them develop as people who can contribute to the common good of society. Is it too idealistic to imagine we can do both?
References:
Addie, J-P. (2017, August 11). Seven ways universities benefit society. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/seven-ways-universities-benefit-society-81072
Brooks R., Gupta A., Jayadeva, S. & Abrahams, J. (2021). Students’ views about the purpose of higher education: a comparative analysis of six European countries. Higher Education Research & Development, 40(7), 1375-1388. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1830039
Chan, R. Y. (2016). Understanding the purpose of higher education: An analysis of the economic and social benefits for completing a college degree. Journal of Education Policy, Planning and Administration, 6(5), 1-40.
Czerniewicz, L., & Cronin, C. (Eds.). (2023). Higher education for good: Teaching and learning futures. Open Book Publishers. https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0363
Kenny, N., Arshad, M. A., Biswas, S., Carter, J., Dyjur, P., Flanagan, K., Grant, K. A., Kaipainen, E., Martineau, C., Mason, D., Miller, S., Norman, D., Smith, E. E., Stowe, L., & Usman, F. (2025). Shifts and Transformation in Canadian Postsecondary Teaching and Learning: Views from Teaching and Learning Centre Leaders. Calgary, Canada: University of Calgary. https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/49576
Mahesh, J., Bhat, A. K., & Suresh, R. (2021). Are Gen Z values the new disruptor for future educational institutions?. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 21(12), 102-123.
Statistics Canada. (2024). Labour market outcomes for college and university graduates: Interactive tool. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2019031-eng.htm