Learning from a Crisis: Human + Machine

The first three New Horizons columns in 2020 published in February, May, and August set out to explore the ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) will challenge the traditional model of higher education and how the sector should respond. These challenges lie in how we will learn and work in the future. Our response depends on our shared sense of urgency, our willingness to lead, and our ability to experiment. In the first column, George Siemens describes a "post-learning" era in which learning is evolving into a cognitive partnership between humans and the AI technologies that outperform us in traditional educational tasks. AI, he argues, will push educators to respond by exploring and designing the range of learning activities that are likely to remain human. In her column Allison Salisbury reminds us that AI is also fundamentally changing the nature of work and the types of jobs that will be needed. Colleges and universities should respond to that change by creating experiences that go beyond domain knowledge to develop occupational identity, social capital, and skills. In the future, graduates' agility may matter more than their degree.