Learning outcomes must be deliberate, not just organic, writes uWaterloo President

“Why wait for professional development to take place at the end of your degree instead of the beginning?” asks University of Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur in a recent op-ed for the Ottawa Citizen. One of the primary viewpoints holding back university education, Hamdullahpur suggests, is the belief that learning outcomes should emerge organically instead of being planned deliberately from day one. This approach can often produce students with high intellectual capacity but no concrete skills that can offer immediate benefits to employers. For this reason, Hamdullahpur argues that Canadian universities should expand and enhance opportunities for co-op placements and applied research. Ottawa Citizen