Nations are investing exponentially in the generation of knowledge for better status in the global economy and improvement in their social interests such as education, health, and entertainment. The emergent status of knowledge in the national and global economy and society necessitates that nations create infrastructures, cultures, and educational systems for the transformation from an information to a knowledge society. A knowledge society is a society with the power of scientific, technical, and professional knowledge and with knowledge workers to help people, organizations, and society meet successfully the challenges of the 21st century. Just as education played a valuable role in the transition from an industrial to a service and information society, it is hoped that educational institutions can also make needed contributions to transform our information society to a knowledge society.
 
In the next century, the most important asset to society will be the ability to generate new knowledge from current knowledge, to share and distribute knowledge among organizations and communities, and to find innovative ways to utilize knowledge in the economy and society. Some countries, such as Finland, Canada, and the United States, have already taken major steps in the movement toward a knowledge society.  In Finland, the communication technology infrastructure is very advanced, and the cost of access and information transmission is relatively low. Now, attention is being given to the content of that knowledge and its distribution.  Canada is creating the Canadian Institute for a Knowledge Society, an organization committed to building a knowledge society in Canada. European countries as well are working as a unit, discussing and looking forward to the challenge of creating a knowledge community in Europe.  In part, this is being done through conferences such as "Quest for Competence—Toward a Knowledge Society" for teachers, students, and businesspeople.

The National Information Infrastructure (NII), proposed by the Clinton-Gore administration, created a major opportunity for the development of infrastructure to access the Internet potentially from every home, school, library, community, and work place in the United States.  The NII has the potential to support the knowledge-age model of learning and business. In addition to the contribution of NII and educational institutions, other changes are necessary to facilitate a successful transformation to a knowledge society. These include some changes in the current political, social, and economic status of many people in the United States.

 For the first time in history, workers in the 21st century who have the power of knowledge will replace capital as the most important resource and asset for organizations.  Moreover, the most prosperous organizations will be those which provide a fertile environment and learning community for employees to obtain and share knowledge, work collaboratively in teams, and develop innovative ways of utilizing knowledge. In a knowledge-based society and economy there should be opportunity for an individual to be a lifelong learner, to access needed knowledge, and to apply knowledge in life and work. Therefore the characteristics of a knowledge society can be summarized as follows:

• Opportunity of lifelong learning for citizens.
• Opportunity of learning-on-demand and access to knowledge for citizens.
• Opportunity of adaptive and self-paced learning resources and programs.
• Opportunity of sharing knowledge and applying it in life and work.
• Continuance of a culture and values that support and benefit a knowledge society.
• Participation in educational programs that support a knowledge-based economy and society.
• Investment in the generation and distribution of new knowledge.
• Partnerships among education providers, business branches, industries, and government agencies in maintaining status as a knowledge society.
• Recognition of knowledge workers as the most important asset of society.

• Develop a national policy that supports learning as a basic right of all citizens.
• Provide equity in access to needed knowledge without limitation of social and economic status.
• Develop national organizations to direct and support development toward a knowledge society.
• Provide quality educational resources and contents that are appropriate to the knowledge society and economy of the 21st century.
• Provide opportunities for citizens to be lifelong learners, to acquire needed knowledge, and to apply it in work and life.
• Invest in and encourage the generation of new knowledge from current knowledge and the sharing of knowledge among different branches of society.
• Develop innovative ways of using new knowledge for better performance, products, and services.
• Utilize the power of knowledge for national health, welfare, status, culture, and for solving current social and economic problems.
• Receive needed support and contributions from educational institutions in the generation of new knowledge, distribution of knowledge, and preparation of citizens for a knowledge society.

Higher Educational Institutions
Throughout history, knowledge has played a major role in the transformation of society and the economy to a new level. Traditionally, higher educational institutions have made major contributions to the transformation by providing needed knowledge and by preparing economically, educationally, and socially capable intellectuals. Society has high expectations from higher educational institutions regarding the development of a knowledge society; these expectations involve the following activities:

• Generate new knowledge through research and share this knowledge with businesses, communities, other institutions, and society.
• React quickly to the educational needs of society at local, national, and global levels.
• Develop relations between educational programs and the economic and social needs of society.
• Develop a structure, culture, and values to support the socio-cultural context of learners.
• Develop programs that satisfy learning needs of a knowledge society.
• Provide adaptive environments and programs to make all citizens eligible learners.
• Cooperate with other institutions and different branches of society in the generation, distribution, and application of knowledge.
• Create a lifelong learning center in addition to traditional degree programs.
• Change from centers of distribution of information to centers of knowledge providers.
• Initiate social trends for solving some of today's problems such as drugs, familial dysfunction, violence, social and economic injustice, and environmental disasters.
• Endure new challenges posed by the development of a knowledge society.

• Accessing sources of knowledge.
• Improving the content of knowledge and generating new knowledge.
• Developing innovative ways for applying knowledge to social and economic improvement.
• Distributing and sharing knowledge at the local, national, and global levels.
• Delivering knowledge-oriented and learning-on-demand resources and programs.
• Developing learning environments and programs that make all citizens eligible for learning.
• Developing adaptive processes, programs, and resources that empower learners with different styles, abilities, and load of life to develop through learning.
• Establishing relations between education, research, business, industry, government, and community.

Society’s Contributions

• Develop a culture and structures that support citizens’ rights to access knowledge throughout life.
• Develop a National Knowledge Society (NKS) that facilitates generation, distribution, and innovative application of knowledge.
• Develop links between NKS and education providers, businesses, industry, and government for needed knowledge generation, distribution, and application.
• Develop regulations for protection of intellectual property and innovation.
• Develop digital infrastructures and communities at local, national, and global levels.
• Develop digital security, ethical and moral customs, and social policies for a knowledge society.
• Develop cultures and structures that support lifelong learning for all citizens.
• Support and sustain socioeconomic development.

• Produce needed knowledge.
• Use effective models of knowledge transfer.
• Share and distribute knowledge.
• Develop local, national, and global partnerships.
• Develop adaptive programs, processes, and technologies.
• Develop resources for learning-on-demand.
• Develop a culture and processes that benefit and support knowledge-based learning.
• Respond fast to local, national, and global needs for knowledge and knowledge workers.
• Stay current with the development of new knowledge.

• Create time for learning.
• Participate in formal, informal, and self-directed learning.
• Develop skills for accessing knowledge and participating in digital communities.
• Develop desire for new knowledge and skills.
• Share knowledge at the work place and in the community.
• Support teamwork and contribute to a group’s knowledge.

Higher educational institutions must fulfill their important goals effectively in order to facilitate the successful transformation of the current information society to a knowledge society.