‘Higher education needs more of the empathetic mindset’

In the rush to adapt to artificial intelligence, higher education may overlook something critical in the process: the human capacities that technology cannot replace. In my experience as a designer, educator and academic leader, meaningful innovation does not begin with technology; it begins with empathy.

This is not always how universities approach innovation education. We often emphasise technical expertise, analytical rigour and productivity. Those qualities matter deeply. But innovation that improves human lives requires something more difficult – and profound: the ability to understand people whose experiences differ from our own. That ability deserves far greater attention in higher education.

Empathy allows us to ask better and deeper questions, recognise unmet needs and undiscovered aspirations, and create solutions that genuinely improve human experiences and quality of life.

• Spotlight guide: How to advance collaboration across higher education
• Using literature to increase students’ empathy
• What skills will help students thrive in the job market of the 2030s?

It is also learnable. Universities can cultivate it intentionally through the way we teach, collaborate and structure learning environments.

One of the most influential lessons I encountered early in my career came from industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss. In Designing for People, he described presenting sketches to illustrate ideas to clients long before digital tools existed. He learned to draw upside down so people sitting across a meeting table could view the sketches correctly as they emerged. He never described this as empathy. But that is exactly what it was: adjusting one’s own process to improve another person’s understanding and experience. 

Higher education needs more of that mindset.

Too often, universities encourage students to become highly knowledgeable within disciplines but spend less time helping them to understand how other people think, experience systems or approach problems differently. In interdisciplinary, collaborative environments, this is especially important.

Throughout my career, I have worked extensively with engineers, designers, healthcare professionals and industry teams. One recurring lesson is that collaborations become far stronger when people move beyond defending their own expertise and begin listening to one another.

That is not always easy.

Disciplines often have different assumptions about what matters most. Designers may prioritise human experience and creativity. Engineers may focus on functionality and practicality. Business professionals may emphasise scalability and efficiency. And that’s great; universities should not eliminate these differences. Instead, they should teach students how to engage them constructively.

Collaboration in the AI-saturated era

Artificial intelligence can output information and optimise systems at extraordinary speed. But human-centred innovation still depends on human imagination, judgement and emotional understanding. As universities rethink curricula for the future, we should ask ourselves whether we are giving empathy and imagination the same institutional attention we give technological advancement.

This is why I believe universities should think more intentionally about how students encounter real human experiences throughout their education. One practical approach is experiential learning. Students develop empathy most effectively when they engage directly with communities, organisations and real-world challenges. Listening to people with different experiences changes how students define problems in the first place.

I witnessed this power during a research project focused on healthcare experiences for patients managing multiple chronic illnesses. Our team interviewed patients, families, nurses and physicians to better understand the emotional and logistical complexity of long-term care. At one point, we asked physicians what moments brought them the greatest sense of satisfaction at the end of the day. I expected many would describe solving difficult medical cases. Instead, several described conversations with patients and families – moments of trust, connection and understanding.

That answer revealed something important about professional success: even in highly technical fields, human connection remains central to meaningful work.

Universities must remember this as we prepare students for increasingly technological futures. Innovation is not valuable simply because it is advanced. It becomes valuable when it improves people’s lives in thoughtful, inclusive and humane ways. That is why empathy should not be treated as separate from innovation education. It should be recognised as one of its foundations.

This does not mean universities should slow technological progress or invest less aggressively in AI, research or emerging technologies. We absolutely should continue pushing those boundaries. But we should invest just as intentionally in the human capacities that allow innovation to serve society wisely. The future will depend not only on what technologies we create, but on how deeply we understand the people who will live – and thrive – with them.

Lu Liu is dean of the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design and professor of industrial design at Virginia Tech. He was inducted into the Academy of Fellows of the Industrial Designers Society of America in 2025 in recognition of his distinguished contributions to design education and leadership.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.