March 4, 2016: Friday news roundup
This is the perfect date for Udemy — what could be more stirring than the call to March Fo(u)rth? Okay, that’s a bit corny, but the point is that everyone in our community — whether they’re learning, teaching, or working at Udemy — is moving boldly into the future toward the lives we imagine for ourselves.
Udemy CEO Dennis Yang interview: ‘coding is the key to the jobs of the future
We kick off with this piece from an Irish publication, wherein Dennis discusses Udemy’s presence in Dublin, the growing global skills gap, and the shortcomings of traditional higher education in a fast-changing world.
Higher ed gen ed misled?
Speaking of traditional education… this college professor doesn’t like what he sees, as schools add fancy amenities to justify tuition hikes and stick by their insistence on requiring students take courses unrelated to their interests. He calls on institutions to “evolve the content model of their institutions in a fairly quick manner” and incorporate more digital technologies to do it.
When social and emotional learning is key to college success
This article — and the schools it examines — asks “how to address social and emotional skills like collaboration and students’ sense of belonging” since “… educators and academics across the country have come to agree that content knowledge isn’t enough to prepare students for life after high school.” Some pretty cool programs described here around fostering the “growth mindset” in kids.
A plan in case robots take the jobs: Give everyone a paycheck
This concept of “universal basic income” (UBI) is getting kicked around Silicon Valley as the disruptors think about how we’ll support ourselves and spend our copious free time after the robot uprising. As the article explains, UBI is being touted by some as the answer to the question: “As the jobs dry up because of the spread of artificial intelligence, why not just give everyone a paycheck?”
Building the case for skill-based education
The author aligning education, apprenticeships, and job opportunities in order to close America’s skills gap. This would also reduce the economic burden on students who don’t need a four-year university program to go into their chosen field.