Why higher education needs to embrace AI

For all the talk of how artificial intelligence will revolutionize the way we live and work, there are few industries where generative AI has already had a profound impact. Across the education space, however, from K-12 schools to universities, AI has been widely adopted by students and teachers alike. Educators are using AI to create lesson plans and save time on administrative work and even grading. And students now regularly use AI chatbots in the classroom and for help with assignments—to varying results.

The rapid clip of AI adoption has raised fraught questions about academic integrity and responsible use of the technology, among both teachers and students. But colleges and universities are also grappling with how to meet the moment and equip a new generation of students with the AI skills they will inevitably need as the workplace transforms. 

In a panel discussion this week—which aired as part of an Education for Impact webinar presented by Inc., Fast Company, and Texas A&M University—a group of education innovators shared how their companies are partnering with higher education institutions to do exactly that. Laura Ipsen, the president and CEO of education tech company Ellucian, talked about how an AI-powered solution called Ellucian Journey enables continuous learning by pairing skills with actual career paths and workforce gaps. 

“It [has] got to almost be real-time and predictive,” Ipsen said during the panel. “What are the skills that . . . are going to match the global market of today? Because it’s evolving very quickly. We’ve got to leverage the power of AI to build those solutions and capabilities across all of education technology to enable that. These are the types of things that are going to put a great spotlight on higher education—that they are transformational [and] moving with speed.”

Online learning platforms like edX and its parent company 2U have made it possible for workers to upskill and reskill at different points in their careers, through certifications and courses from top higher education institutions. 

“What we are trying to do, working with our partner institutions, is make sure that people have the right skills at the right time,” said Anant Agrawal, the chief academic officer of 2U and founder and former CEO of edX. “If you are 35 and you have a couple of kids, the odds that you’re going to be able to go back to university and get a new degree are zero. So really, your only choice is to do something online, and you don’t have the time or patience to spend two years or four years learning something new.”

As lifelong learning becomes the norm, colleges and universities can play a crucial role in reaching people long after they have left the education system. EdX is now offering courses on generative AI—including one taught by generative AI, Agrawal said—that are tailored to workers and leaders who need to get up to speed on the technology. A partnership with Microsoft called CxO Edge caters to executives who want to run their business by harnessing AI. 

“Employers are having their employees take courses on our platform . . . like AI for finance or AI for marketing, or more foundational subjects like core AI,” Agrawal said. “We’re just seeing a huge, huge embrace of AI courses and content by employers.”

Some higher education institutions have been reluctant to adopt or invest in AI, to which Ipsen argues: “You have got to jump into the sandbox and play with it, because this is going to happen. It’s going to happen with you or without you.” 

Many colleges and universities are facing existential questions about their value in a world that is being reshaped by AI, especially as tuition costs continue to rise and new graduates struggle to find employment. Lee Weiss, the chief commercial officer of higher education at Kaplan, believes that’s an opportunity for colleges and universities to step up. 

“We’re at a point right now where there’s more disagreement on whether higher ed is relevant,” Weiss said during the panel. “Universities have a really important role here to make sure that the degrees [and certifications] that students are getting are relevant for a fast-changing world.

“Making sure that students are getting the AI skills that they need to be competent and confident is really, really important.”

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