This year, the 2024 ASU+GSV Summit, an essential fixture in the edtech conference, plunged into the transformative possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) in reshaping the landscape of learning. Undoubtedly, one of the highlights for my colleagues and me was the level of interest in OES and our capacity to move beyond course design and support areas like program planning, marketing, enrolment, student onboarding, and support.
As I unpack my experiences from the San Diego-based summit, I reflect on the depth of discussion we had with our fellow attendees and the palpable shift in how we perceive the intersection between education and technology.
Emphasis on AI and Educational Integration
The pervasive theme at the Summit was undoubtedly artificial intelligence, particularly its integration into various aspects of education, highlighted by the AIR Show preceding the main event. My anticipation for AI’s applications in education was met with insightful sessions, although a significant portion of the focus remained on K12, reflecting current market trends.
New-Collar Jobs and Skills-Based Hiring
One of the central themes this year was the growth in new-collar jobs, as highlighted in this Harvard Business Review article. This shift emphasizes vocational and skills-based training being crucial for adapting to a technology-driven job market.
Sessions like How Generative AI Enables Skills Based Hiring, featuring experts from BCG and McKinsey, detailed how GenAI is becoming essential in refining hiring processes, emphasizing a skills-first approach that could streamline how employers match candidates to job requirements.
Diversity and Inclusion in Talent Pipelines
This led to thought-provoking presentations on Building Diverse and Inclusive Talent Pipelines highlighting the redefinition of entry-level roles to encompass a broader array of skills. The approaches shared by BCG and Caro aim to tap into the vast pool of workers without college degrees who possess the requisite competencies for roles many companies struggle to fill, underscoring a crucial strategy for future workforce development.
Interestingly, Christine Cruzvergara, Chief Education Strategy Officer at Handshake, highlighted that many higher education institutions have not yet mapped their curriculum to skills, resulting in many of their students not mapping their qualifications to a set of skills. When you look at it from this perspective, you start to wonder how many skilled graduates are not being employed simply because they’re unable to articulate this or are unaware that their qualification provides them with the required skills.
Higher Education and Reducing Student Debt
The other headwind to face the status quo is critical concerns in higher education, such as the rising student debt and the sustainability of current educational models. The session Graduating Students with Less Debt and More Skills brought to the forefront the need for institutions to reevaluate their value propositions, ensuring they equip students with relevant skills while also making education financially viable.
ROI from Skills-First Approaches
The session ROI in a Skills-First World brought many of these themes together to explore systemic changes that could lead to the transformative potential of skills-based hiring and development. I believe that this approach not only benefits employers but also stakeholders, and job seekers, offering a new paradigm in how we evaluate the return on investment in human capital.
OPM Services and Unbundling
Unsurprisingly, the continuing trend of universities moving OPM services in-house and engaging experienced unbundled solution providers like OES was apparent at the conference. After discussions with institutions and partners, it is evident that this shift suggests universities are seeking greater control over their online programs to better cater to specific needs, something that was touched upon in various sessions around online learning strategies and innovations.
AI’s Role in Student Success
The exploration of AI’s role in enhancing student success, particularly through sessions moderated by experts like Matthew Rascoff, emphasized the need for a flexible policy framework. This flexibility is crucial as institutions explore AI’s potential beyond conventional applications, like chatbots, to more strategic implementations that could significantly enhance student engagement and success.
Conference Dynamics and Future Directions
Despite, some logistical challenges of the Summit, such as nice-to-have problems like overcrowded sessions, the mix of attendees—from educators to investors and technologists—continues to make ASU+GSV a crucial nexus for discussing and shaping the future of education technology.
What stood out for me at the 2024 ASU+GSV Summit was that it didn’t bring together 7000 people to watch a series of interesting presentations, it created a vibrant forum for confronting and shaping the future of education. The insights I gained here, particularly regarding AI, new-collar jobs, and innovative hiring practices, are integral as I look forward to integrating these concepts into my strategic planning and thought leadership in the education sector.
This blog post is made available by the author for educational purposes only and to provide general information. All views expressed are the author’s own and do not represent the opinions of any entity whatsoever, to which they have been, are now, or will be affiliated. If you have a specific problem related to this topic and need advice, contact OES directly.
