Our Students’ Future in an AI-World is Debatable
Today the Higher Education Digest published an article by Anand Rao and me about AI’s advances and how classroom and competitive debate can help prepare students for that world. You can read the full article here. Here is an excerpt:
It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the traditional higher education model, concentrating on memory, repetition, and long-form written expression of what is known, is insufficient as we struggle with this new and constantly changing reality. In today’s rapidly changing world, the most valuable skills will be the ability to think critically, continually identify complex problems, solve these problems, question our assumptions, and exercise our meta-cognitive faculties to adapt to new situations. Our students also need to be able to communicate effectively and collaborate one-on-one and in groups, both with each other and with interactive AI tools. These durable skills are the skills in greatest demand by employers and also are the skills employees will need to thrive in an AI World. We know that this is an area where universities can excel.
To help develop these skills, we should look to what many in an AI world would find an unexpected source of inspiration: the age-old art of academic debate. By teaching students the skills central to this time-honored tradition – critical thinking, adaptability, and the ability to construct, choose, critique, and defend complex arguments – we can help them develop the durable skills essential in an AI-driven future. These “analog” skills form the bedrock upon which students can build a flexible and future-proof skill set.
At the core of debate lies the art of logical reasoning and argumentation. Students develop critical thinking abilities that will serve them well in any field by learning to construct and analyze arguments based on sound logic and evidence. Debate also fosters confident and articulate communication as participants learn to express ideas clearly, persuasively, and concisely – an invaluable skill in both professional and personal contexts, including communicating with bots.