Occupational Criteria of the Robot Age: Human Emotions and Skills

Altınbaş University's Faculty of Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Technology Department Chair and Coordinator of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Prof. Dr. Neşe Buket Aksu, emphasized that in the future, social and emotional skills will be more crucial than ever in human life, unlike the mechanical age.

During the Altınbaş University Wednesday Meetings seminar, Prof. Dr. Neşe Buket Aksu stated, "We must raise our young people to be tolerant, capable of managing emotions and stress, collaborative, and open-minded. Our educational curriculum should not just be about transferring knowledge; it should be redesigned to instill these skills."

Speaking about the future, Aksu stated that the human factor should not be overlooked, even in the era of Society 5.0, which signifies a period where we will live and work with robots. She said, "Let's use robots, of course. With digital home systems, which are an artificial intelligence application, we can remotely turn the heating on and off. This brings comfort. However, we still cannot ignore the human factor in the future."

Aksu pointed out that the biggest drawback of the artificial world is its inability to express emotions, provide the human touch, warmth, and a sense of security. Referring to the OECD, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Aksu stated that future high-performing individuals are described as those who can balance emotions, are collaborative, open-minded, possess strong communication skills, and are related to others. She emphasized that emotional balance and control would become extremely important in future professions. Aksu further stated, "Success is not possible without tolerance, social, and critical thinking skills. Therefore, we need to move away from an education system that only transfers knowledge and adapt these concepts to the education system to instill these skills in our youth."

Prof. Dr. Neşe Buket Aksu highlighted that Altınbaş University's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching is working on education methods that emphasize human emotions and skills. Aksu pointed out that especially Generation Z and Alpha youth struggle with motivation and setting goals for themselves. She stressed the need for an education system that is student-centered and not only focused on knowledge transfer, supporting students in developing their lacking skills.

Aksu outlined seven actions that should be taken to achieve this goal:

1. Every student should have a portfolio. Identifying their strengths and weaknesses can lead to different forms of support.

2. Collaborative learning is essential, and rules in classes should be established together with students.

3. Group work can provide peer support, promote socialization, and enhance communication skills.

4. Topics should be illustrated with real-life examples. Case studies can allow students to empathize and add value to the knowledge discovered through social structuring.

5. Identify the motivation factors that connect a student to life and develop a sense of mission and vision through questions like "Why am I here?" and "Where am I going?"

6. Help students create their missions through the question, "What am I here for?" and form their visions through "Where am I going?"

7. Encourage collaboration and socialization with non-governmental organizations and open learning activities.

Addressing the students during the Wednesday Meetings seminar, Prof. Dr. Aksu urged them to have goals in life. She emphasized the importance of setting smart goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Aksu concluded by stating that Altınbaş University's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching is implementing a student-focused education approach throughout all university departments, particularly in the Faculty of Pharmacy, where a 9-star program is applied, including leadership, entrepreneurship, communication skills, and a curriculum on lifelong learning and teaching. The main goal is to equip young people with the skills they will need in the future.