Western universities are finding it difficult to update their AI curricula to keep pace with rapid technological advancements, especially with the corporate sector’s demand for graduates who also possess crucial soft skills – abilities essential for adopting this transformative technology.
However, the bitter truth is that in terms of educating their students in both AI and soft skills, even the Ivy-League universities in the USA, are facing an uphill battle with their own faculty. In addition, they face tough competition with private -non-university skill-based programmes in both areas (AI and soft skills). Such non-university certification cost less, require less time, and are more innovative compared to universities. No doubt a university certification still holds good value, but the credibility of the non-university-based programmes has increased hugely. Google, for example, hires some of its new people without a college degree. (But in most countries in Asia, Africa, South America, there are more complex and challenging obstacles.)
My fundamental thesis is that any STEM degree requires not just skills in managing an AI assistant (or swarms of them) but also needs well-grounded soft skills. What are soft skills? In my view, they include critical thinking, creative problem solving, a mind of a scientist, being adaptive and flexible, interpersonal skills, including both written and verbal skills, self-management and other emotional intelligence skills.
Western universities are still struggling with how they should adopt AI into their pedagogy, for both teachers and students; what skills to teach as AI evolves into ASI/AGI over the next few years; and what curriculum to develop (when tenured faculty are slow to adapt). In terms of soft skills, their faculty cannot and have not acknowledged the value of such skills, nor do they know how to teach such practical skills.
However, the tough reality is that in the age of AI/AGI, just getting a STEM degree (science, technology, engineering, math) or even a business degree is not enough. No matter what demand is forecasted by companies worldwide.
Nepali students in Western universities (or planning to go) must pay attention to this new shift – which many universities may not inform them fully (after all, they care about the tuition fee regardless of what you study, even if they have a totally un-employable degree). This article is not meant for those Nepali students who really just want to migrate to the West, and hence a student visa is only a means to this end.
However, if you are graduating with any college degree around 2030, you MUST PREPARE for a vastly different job situation, even if your university did not fully inform you when you apply for admission.
What is currently being taught in western universities (diagram of 3 circles)
(Diagram below shows the popular design of STEM programmes, before the introduction of AI)
Now, with AI/AGI, here is the EMERGING set of skills for STEM graduates.
The Emerging Field of Educational Neuroscience
Recent discoveries from neuroscience are pointing to a new type of pedagogy that can help develop these skills. Over the past 15 years a new specialty called “Brain Mind and Education (MBE)” or “educational neuroscience” has emerged, which incorporates pedagogy, psychology and neuroscience.
According to neuroscientists, cognition involves the thinking area of the prefrontal cortex, the emotional or limbic brain, and the body. In essence, the brain, mind, emotions and body/actions are naturally interconnected and affect and are in turn affected by learning. The new science of neuroplasticity says that new learning and training of the mind/emotion/body can change the very structure and functioning of the brain, and it in turn influences the mind and body (Davidson & Begley, 2012). This kind of thinking is part of our legacy from the Hindu-Buddhist traditions, even if ignored or dismissed by the wise PhD professors in our Asian universities.
Many Western experts now challenge the current established pedagogy of education in schools and colleges. Of course, letting go of old legacy beliefs is much harder than it seems, particularly in the teaching and learning of STEM.
One reason it seems so difficult to adopt a more experience-based pedagogy stems from the widely accepted Western paradigm of intellectual and cognitive knowledge and skills, based on Bloom’s taxonomy, as being the real aim of university education. In particular, STEM disciplines involve inquiry, curiosity, research and experimentation to understand the physical or materialistic world. It also means being intellectually curious, suspending one’s previous knowledge, and having an open, innovative mind for dealing with existing problems or generating out-of-the-box solutions.
As Tony Wagner (2012), formerly at Harvard writes in his book ‘Creating Innovators’: “The making of young people who will change the world, the reluctance of universities and their faculty to adapt and evolve represents a major obstacle. He goes on to say that Harvard and other top universities do not see an incentive to change their core curriculum and teaching methodologies, and it will be second tier universities that will lead innovations in university education.”
Current Reality of University Programmes in Asia/Africa
As I mentioned above, even top Western universities are struggling with the introduction of skills related courses. Forget soft skills as these are considered to be below the dignity of the professors with PhDs. So, today, you have to learn the full range of soft skills outside the universities. After all, who would rather learn from: A master chef, a seasoned pilot, an experienced yoga or Tai Chi instructor or someone who has a PhD in culinary arts, or aerodynamics or a medical doctor???
Eventually, the universities will be humble enough to include the training of soft skills as there is money to be made with increasing demand.
The sad reality is that Asian universities will take 10 years after the West adopts AI and soft skills – despite the history of yoga, tai chi, dhyana in these cultures. The West has done an excellent job of brainwashing our PhD professors into ignoring, suppressing or dismissing this legacy.
In terms of AI, my suspicion is that faculty and other educational experts in Asia will fight it because AI challenges the role and status of the content masters (lecturers) and judges of a student’s intelligence (forget competence). They have a government monopoly to issue a certificate or degree accepted by the market or employers.
Note: Universities in Japan, Korea, China and Singapore are already adopting AI. But soft skills are still ignored for the most part, especially CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING, INNOVATION.
Recommendations : If you are a parent, encourage your child to learn some soft skills. And INSIST (AS THE FINANCIER OF YOUR STUDENT/CHILD) THAT s/he include learning the latest tech of AI or at least how to manage AI assistants in any degree programme.
(Pradhan can be reached at karunadoj@gmail.com for queries & comments)
