The call for educational innovation is louder than ever, according to EUR alumnus Tomas Moška. Tomas has set up a platform called 'Turing College' with the aim of contributing. "The educational system needs to be more adapted to the personal needs and wishes of students."
Failing in a safe environment by learning in practice
It is vital to make the educational system more adapted to the personal needs and wishes of students, Tomas says. "If you look specifically at Erasmus University Rotterdam, with 30+ thousand students, I believe student organisations can teach what is not necessarily in the curriculum. For example skills that are useful to everyone in their lives."
Skills like leadership, time management and decision-making. Skills that are incredibly important in today’s world, yet which Tomas believes are impossible to teach in a classroom.
There is no better way to learn than through real-world situations, says Tomas. He believes that this approach provides a safe place to fail. "I would love for EUR to make use of this opportunity and create better incentives for students to participate in and start new student organisations."
Educational innovation by giving students a bigger voice
Educational innovation needs to be a two-way system. That is Tomas’s dream. This gives students a bigger voice. "Today, you can complete any bachelor’s degree online for no tuition fee, no need to relocate away from your family and do that while studying at your own pace. We are no longer in times where information is scarce and you must go to university to acquire knowledge."
Overall, students nowadays have many other options. "Only by being student-friendly can a university keep bright students applying. That includes hearing them out, understanding their needs and adapting to support these needs", Tomas stresses.
"To be honest, everyone is a loser in the beginning"
Tomas Moška
Platform 'Turing College'
Keep trying!
What are the lessons Tomas and his team have learned while working with their Turing Society? Tomas shares: "Turing is a community that was started with a desire to help a few students (ourselves included). Now it’s already a life-changing experience for thousands. The biggest learning point in this journey for us was that things take time. It’s quite easy to drop something if you’re not instantly good at it, be it sports, music, or entrepreneurship. Truth be told, everyone is a loser at the start. We unfortunately are not born with incredible knowledge. What’s important is that you do what you truly enjoy, and if you are lucky enough to have an opportunity to do it for a long enough time, you will not only become good, but great at it."
