6 Takeaways from the 2023 HolonIQ Summit

Last week, our team attended HolonIQ 's Back to School Summit to hear and lead discussions on how technological change can transform the way the world learns. We gathered our insights into the biggest themes shaping higher education, the workforce, and EdTech in the year(s) ahead:

1. AI is a balancing act. During a session on the ethics of AI in education, a Department of Education representative quipped that we should think of AI like an electric bike, not a Roomba, and that AI’s biggest potential is to augment human capacity — not replace it. Similarly, data ownership is key. While companies should leverage AI to support business processes, decisions, and insights, they need to do so in a way that ensures customer privacy and security.
2. Collaboration is critical to workforce development. More and more players are calling for greater support and collaboration between the federal government, higher education, and private companies to create a more skills-centered infrastructure. Employers have steadily decreased their investments in continuing education in the workforce over the past several decades, creating a challenge — and opportunity — for higher education to fill that gap. But without participation from the other players, these efforts can only be so successful.
3. Consumer perception is a global barrier to innovative educational offerings. According to OpenClassrooms CEO Pierre Dubuc , a French government-funded initiative to increase apprenticeships in colleges has decreased the public perception that these opportunities are solely for vocational tracks (and of lesser social value). But cultural challenges persist despite this intervention. Similarly, both negative and nonexistent consumer perception around apprenticeships remain especially high in the U.S. given our fragmented, state-based approach to this type of training and other nontraditional offerings.?
4. The future of higher education will be as content creators, consumers, and hybrids. Panelists predicted that more institutions will start licensing the content they create to other colleges and universities — a trend we’re already seeing unfold. Others will find their place on the receiving end, not only purchasing licenses for courses developed by other institutions but also by private companies. For example, the University of Texas system recently announced it will soon allow students to take Coursera courses and external certifications and apply them for credit. The most likely scenario for most institutions will be a little bit of both. They’ll augment their existing offerings with industry certifications and specialty courses that they can’t develop themselves due to resource constraints. Higher education will therefore become less place-based and tied to specific institutions, which is already reflected in the growing movement toward creating artifacts of learning (e.g., digital wallets) that follow students as they progress along their educational journeys.
5. The investment path must become more nuanced. HolonIQ’s platform centers on mapping the investment flows in and around education worldwide. But the macro lens doesn’t always impact what needs to happen at the institution, classroom, or learner level. Consider: What works, for whom, and under what conditions?? “Philanthropy is society’s risk capital,” one panelist remarked, suggesting that philanthropy should play a role in experimentation and pushing the boundaries of education research and programs. Rather than investing in solutions that are safe bets for student outcomes and only address the needs of the majority of learners, investors should consider more personalized and nuanced solutions that show promise for the overlooked learners.
6. We need to think outside the box — and inside the cell — when it comes to prison education. Access to Pell is just the first step in broadening post-secondary access to incarcerated individuals. And the life-changing role of education for a formerly incarcerated person is insurmountable. Darryl Epps Jr. from the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity shared his own story of pursuing higher education while incarcerated and discussed how new EdTech solutions can make a huge difference in the lives of currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, ultimately reducing recidivism rates. While Pell Grants are a great first step, structural challenges remain. Epps recounted the many barriers to education that exist for individuals who are incarcerated, such as losing access to your classes because someone started a fight and your unit is in lockdown, getting your access revoked for a minor rule violation, getting transferred to another prison that doesn’t provide the same educational opportunities, and the high costs for services such as phone call usage that can limit access to support.?

At Labs, we’ve honed in on the promise — and peril — technology poses in the learner journey. The discussions at HolonIQ highlighted a growing uncertainty around the future of work and learning as technology continues to reshape our lives. We believe that understanding the impact of these tools, especially on learners from under-resourced communities, is critical to tipping the scales toward promise. We left the conference feeling energized about a future of learning that is more inclusive and learner-oriented.?