Road resilience: adaptive education for emerging challenges

The seeds of road resilience are sown in the non-clinical dimensions of paramedic education—the supporting sciences. Within these sciences are tools to address practice issues that researchers have labelled ‘wicked problems’ (Mertens et al, 2016), a phrase covering a raft of contemporary issues such as institutional complexity, technologies, inequity, risk, and increasing accountability and governance requirements, as well as interpersonal attitudes unique to those born at the turn of the century. Paramedic work is changing rapidly and diversifying, which is why practice education is moving to universities. Evidence-based, non-clinical subjects develop deep learning and reflective practitioners, providing insights into the self and others.

This discussion draws on the perspectives of educational theorist George Siemens (Siemens, 2004; 2014), who offers insights into the influence of technologies on 21st century teaching and learning. Technology is the first of the wicked problems, because of its impact on the younger generation. Siemens' work has informed educators who found 20th century paradigms were unworkable for producing employment-ready graduates. This is, first, because today's undergraduates will not have a fixed career trajectory and, second, because the social world and needs of the millennial student have been given scant recognition. Skills now have a shorter shelf life.