Ten highlights from our conversation with innovator Paul LeBlanc, who shares advice for higher ed leaders and learners.
By Stephanie Ogilvie Seagle, Communications Director, Education Design Lab
Only minutes into our conversation about artificial intelligence (AI), Paul LeBlanc makes a bold statement:
“I am in a camp that thinks the whole universe changes now. I think this is the biggest thing, perhaps, that has happened to the species.”
And he offers a key AI-related book recommendation to understand its potential impact on society.
But before we jump into more highlights, let’s settle in with some background about Paul, with a little help from ChatGPT (and a few human edits):
LeBlanc, [former] president of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), is a leading innovator in higher education, known for expanding access to affordable, flexible learning through online programs. Under his leadership, SNHU has become one of the largest nonprofit online education providers in the U.S., particularly known for its competency-based education (CBE) model, which emphasizes skills over time spent in the classroom. LeBlanc is a vocal advocate for rethinking higher education to better meet the needs of modern learners [the Lab calls them new majority learners] and has been a key adviser in national education reform efforts.
LeBlanc has authored two notable books that reflect his deep insights into the future of education. His most recent, “Broken,” takes a broader look at the flaws in various social systems, including education, healthcare, and criminal justice, offering practical solutions to reform these institutions and better serve individuals.
What ChatGPT didn’t highlight was one of the central messages of both books, namely that “people and human relationships, not technology, are key to transformable educational experiences,” as Paul writes in “Broken.”
This the same human-centered approach that drives our work at Education Design Lab.
During this September 2024 virtual chat with the Lab’s Don Fraser, Jr., Paul talks again about the importance of human relationships … and how he expects AI will impact education and the economy, exploring the question, What will AI do, and what is left for humans to do?
In Paul’s view, our knowledge economy should shift to a care economy: Creating jobs “that humans are really great at that make us feel better, that make our world better, that make our community better, that help people be better … where we actually value and support and pay teachers and social workers and coaches and counselors.”
Paul also talks about his current projects since stepping down from SNHU, including the birth of his first grandchild over the summer .… and co-founding Matter and Space (formerly Human Systems) with George Siemens, to build “the best learning model we’ve ever experienced at a radically affordable cost.”
Watch the full, one-hour recording, or jump to 10 highlights from the conversation below:
1.
We now have a technology that’s better than humans. What does that mean for knowledge economy jobs that get displaced? And how might we create more of what Paul calls “soul-building” jobs?
2.
What is a university for? What are the most important questions educators can help learners navigate in the future?
3.
How do we start to rethink learning? Paul explains how we might shift from product to process, and as a former writing faculty member, why he would encourage students to use AI to write papers.
4.
What advice would he give to higher ed leaders on how to manage this change? Paul breaks it down into three phases.
5.
What are the implications for equity and serving learners and communities who are too often left behind when there are these types of technological advances?
6.
What doesn’t change with AI?
7.
Paul says we should rethink the role of teachers, and he uses an analogous example of how AI could change the role of doctors.
8.
What advice would he give learners? Paul addresses learners currently in the college system and those who are still in high school.
9.
What about parents of young children?
10.
Feeling a bit scared about all of this? Paul’s hopeful message about change and reshaping our world …
Related reading, also recommended by Paul …
- When everything changes: AI and the university by Paul LeBlanc (The Pie, June 2024)
- Online Pioneers Begin Urgent Pursuit of Value From AI (Inside Higher Ed, January 2024)
- We’re Asking the Wrong Questions About AI by Paul LeBlanc (Inside Higher Ed, March 2023)
Humans of AI
How might we center humans and leverage AI as a tool to drive engagement and better outcomes for all? Education Design Lab’s virtual gallery elevates the critical voices of learners and earners … and the educators, employers, and designers who support them. Explore the Humans of AI gallery + prompt library.
Thanks to Paul LeBlanc for sharing his insights, Don Fraser for hosting, and the Lab production team for coordinating all of the details. The Lab team included: Jordan Lin, Andrea Flores, Gabriel Ramos, Ayanna Conway, Emily Caplinger, and Gaby Martinez Chio.
