Computational skills in geosciences higher education system for the 21st century

Abstract

There has been a lot of research worldwide on what the education of the future will look like. We are witnessing a growing number of indicators of the slow collapse of education as we know it. It is likely that higher education is approaching a major turning point. Thereafter, the speed and flexibility of adapting to global change will be the main determinants. Ubiquitous digitalisation, new trends, and sustainability will be the key concepts of business models in the future. Alongside computer skills, the new generations will need programming skills as well. The higher education system must take this task as seriously and urgently as possible. Without the mentioned knowledge and skills, it will be difficult for future employees to compete in the labour market and/or further professional career advancement. This article addresses the question of what the future directions of the geoscience education ought to be as the technology is evolving while datasets become richer. Hence, machine learning will have more success in the field. The application of computer and mathematical methods in geosciences, incorporated in the concept of computational geosciences, will determine the future of geology and related disciplines.