Reimagining learning for the future of work

As gen AI is integrated into education technology, both students and employers will benefit.

Curiosity is an innate human trait. It instinctively triggers a process of reasoning and learning. Case in point:

One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a nonprofit organization established by Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the MIT Media Lab, envisaged low-cost laptops preloaded with educational content. In 2012, OLPC distributed laptops among illiterate children in remote villages of Ethiopia. The children had neither seen computers nor experienced computing. Much to the surprise of OLPC researchers, the children switched on the computing devices within four minutes. In a few months, they had learned the alphabet through nursery rhymes using interactive apps, without supervision.

A curious mindset is the starting point of knowledge discovery, resulting in breakthrough inventions. However, traditional education has focused on instruction-led learning right from kindergarten to vocational and on-the-job training. Creativity gets stifled when learning is restricted to classrooms. The learning journey should assimilate structured as well as unstructured formats so that children and adults develop skills for identifying and solving problems.

Students become agents of change when they develop critical thinking faculties. Learning systems should cultivate a mindset to seek and apply knowledge. They should also hone creativity and develop storytelling abilities, which help people articulate problem statements and devise strategies.

Technology transforms education

Mobile communication democratized access to information. Education technology, or EdTech, created hybrid classrooms and training centers to transform the learning experience for students, interns and employees. EdTech not only eliminates the barriers of class size and addresses educational gaps in a cohort or among communities, but also enables collaborative learning and self-empowerment. It introduces personalization via content delivery platforms that enable self-paced learning.

Massive Open Online Courses redefine distance education by facilitating reuse of a rich repository of resources. Digital tools help students better understand complex concepts by accessing those concepts multiple times, at their own convenience. Notably, audiovisual content improves knowledge retention while accelerating learning. Most important, EdTech solutions enhance learning outcomes by incorporating a personalized feedback and support mechanism.

Artificial intelligence-powered learning platforms analyze semi-structured and unstructured data, and recognize the unique requirements, preferences and learning patterns of an individual learner. Using these inputs, AI systems recommend resources and learning pathways to achieve goals. The integration of generative AI into EdTech platforms further enriches student and teacher experiences.

Additionally, e-learning platforms allow teachers to engage with students across the learning journey. Real-time insights into a student’s profile help identify strengths and areas for improvement. This data-driven approach enables teachers to align lesson plans and diversify pedagogy practices to meet the diverse needs, objectives and learning styles of students. Moreover, instructors can leverage gen AI-powered learning solutions to provide meaningful support and improve the performance of students by sharing relevant resources, in-class activities, and assignments.

Smart learning systems enhance the effectiveness of education by:

• Facilitating collaboration between stakeholders. Pearson, the educational publishing and services company, adopts a data-driven, prescriptive approach to learning services. Digital solutions create a unified learning environment for students, teachers and parents. A teacher dashboard enables tutors and school management teams to track and analyze student assessment reports. A student dashboard allows students and their parents to access topic- and question-level analysis of assignments, monitor performance, obtain recommendations for improvement, and interact with teachers.
  
  
• Creating a student-centric ecosystem. A public community college in Arkansas implemented a unified platform to integrate academic and administrative processes and to streamline student enrollment and registration. The application enhanced communication and collaboration among students, faculty and staff. Further, reporting and analytics modules improved operational efficiency and enabled the administrative staff to focus on student engagement.
  
  
• Simplifying content discovery. Pearson applies AI-powered tools to enhance the learning experience. A semantic content store facilitates easy retrieval of content from the education platform. GenAI chatbots generate page- and chapter-level summaries. Students use chatbots to find answers and retrieve practice questions, including multiple-choice questions for specific content. Notably, the conversational bots foster critical thinking via the Socratic teaching method.

EdTech defines the future of work

K-12 education systems that foster a culture of curiosity and lifelong learning better prepare students for the future. The curiosity to learn and explore develops high-quality skills in impressionable minds, thereby improving employability. Significantly, smart learning platforms bridge the gap between education and employability.

AI platforms analyze trends in specific job markets and map skill requirements with job profiles. This approach ensures that jobseekers are aware of the skillsets required to gain a competitive edge, while helping them identify and acquire the skills needed for career growth. At the same time, this continuous learning approach enables digital enterprises to rationalize the cost of hiring and training in-demand skills.

Gen AI reenergizes the work environment

Enterprises need to cultivate a workforce that can adapt to challenges, change, emerging technologies, and new ways of working. Employees with a learning mindset and gen AI-driven workforce skilling programs enable enterprises to navigate shifts in business while developing an equitable future of work. Moreover, a team of curious employees with a passion for exploring new ideas is a force multiplier for business growth.

Gen AI-based learning solutions are useful for deepening employee engagement and ensuring that the workforce is motivated to improve skills and share knowledge. Talent development programs that ensure ready access to learning resources, personalize learning goals, and provide opportunities to apply new learning are highly effective in retaining employable talent pools. Significantly, these programs develop technical and business teams capable of making informed decisions, and proactively leading the enterprise in the pursuit of innovation.

Cognizant develops skillsets for tomorrow

Cognizant equips the workforce with skills and knowledge to succeed in workplaces of the future. The Cognizant Synapse initiative is reskilling more than one million individuals for gainful employment by 2026. The global train-to-hire Synapse program seeks to empower underserved communities, marginalized groups, and youth with the skills of tomorrow.

Cognizant collaborates with governments, academic institutions, businesses, and strategic partners to create employment pathways for persons who have been upskilled through this initiative. Notably, the Synapse skilling program includes training in cutting-edge technologies, which is an imperative for jobs of the future in the digital economy.

The future of work will continue to evolve with refreshing perspectives and work-life experiences of multi-generational talent. Enterprises need to foster a workforce that unleashes creativity and innovation. Gen AI reimagines learning to unlock human potential.