Reimagining Higher Education
Why Community Colleges Will Lead the Way 🚀
Zia Hassan
IBM
DC Teaching
Microsoft
Things I've been paid to do
ICF-Certified Life & Engagement Coach
Corporate trainer
Podcast producer/host
EdTech Consultant
Author
Musician/Singer
Education Grant Reviewer
Education/Coaching/Psychology Professor
I help people find meaning the midst of turbulent change. 🚢
We will explore...
1️⃣ The Unsung Struggle of the Modern Educator and Student
2️⃣ The Game-Changing Shift in How We Work and Learn
3️⃣ The Future of Higher Ed (What Really Matters)
What is school for? 🏫
School was built to create productive workers...
But it could be...
To create a society that moves us forward.
To further science and knowledge and pursue wisdom for its own sake.
To enhance civilization while giving people the tools to make informed decisions.
What are the top two emotions of the modern student?
Nervous and excited
Let's do an experiment 🧑🔬
Let's meet an AI-generated persona
Meet Maya
Maya
🥊 First-generation student
🥊 Studying computer science
🥊 Active in Latinx Student Union and coding club.
🥊 Wants to pursue a career in software development.
🥊 Believes in the value of community college
Alex
🚙 High school graduate
🚙 Interested in various fields but unsure which path to pursue.
🚙 Uncertain, exploring potential careers and educational paths.
🚙 Skeptical about the necessity and value of community college, considering alternative paths like work, online learning, or vocational training.
Alex, what makes you uncertain about enrolling?
This is consistent with research nationally
You said AI is making you re-think everything. Can you say more?
But it goes deeper
The AI splash 🌊
💡 Is AI going to replace teachers/admin?
💡 Will it be easier for students to cheat?
💡 What skills decrease in value?
💡 What skills increase in value?
Adapting to new technology
Tale as old as time...but right now, it just feels different ✨
What do I need to know about Generative AI?
AI is algorithmic.
Algorithm: a set of instructions
"Write an essay about Romeo and Juliet in 5 paragraphs."
"Do the steps in this math problem."
"Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."
Learning is creative 🎨
Creativity: something new and useful in a sociocultural context (Plucker, et al., 2016)
(and it's one of our core values!)
ChatGPT, write a poem like Ada Limon...
I felt nothing.
"Not very creative."
AI can create, but it is not creative. It has no context unless humans provide it.
"But wait, why would I do that?" 😮
Humanize the parts of the process you love; outsource the parts you don't. 🤗
For students, teachers, administrators and everyone else, too.
When you feel pain, I feel it, too.
Humans learn through experience; AI learns through text.
Empathy is the ability to accurately perceive others internal states and to have affective responses to them (Fuchsman, 2015).
Intuition: a sense of knowing without knowing how one knows.
"The energy in the room just changed. What do you make of that?"
"What you just said resonated so deeply with me. What's true for you?"
What will students crave in an AI-powered world?
- Outside-the-box thinking. AI is literally inside the box.
- Moral and ethical reasoning; computers don't have core values.
- Emotional intelligence: we learn through experience
- Embracing vulnerability and incompetence
- Creating and guiding communities
- Interpersonal skills
- Using somatic (body) information
- Genuine human warmth
- Personal connection
How does AACC lead the way?
Newsflash ⚡
We have a lot of work to do. But we're already on the road. 🚗
Let's look at it through the lens of our core values... 👁️
Building relationships ➡️
Personalized student connection
Example: Faculty
Positivity ➡️
Helping students find their why
Example: Mastery Project, New Performance Reviews
Resilience ➡️
Mentorship, coaching, and critical thinking
Example: Coaching culture
Equity and Inclusion ➡️
Leading communities
Example: Leadership Challenge Program
Opportunity ➡️
❓❓❓❓❓❓❓
In this new era, what will YOU offer our students?
Reminder...
The Magic is in YOU 🪄
Slides available at ziahassan.com/opportunity
LinkedIn.com/in/zia-s-hassan
Reflection time
1️⃣ What are your biggest takeaways from this talk?
2️⃣ What feels more important to include in the next Strategic Plan? (use the QR code to respond online right now)
