Guiding students to thrive in an AI-first world

As AI and automation change the nature of professions, it’s up to universities to prepare students to succeed in an evolving workplace. Like many universities, the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) has been reflecting on this challenge.

“Educators are not the only source of knowledge for students anymore,” says Nabil Sahli, dean and head of the Department of Computer Science at GUtech. “We do not have more knowledge than AI, so our pedagogy needs to focus on skills and other aspects of teaching, such as ethical considerations, security insights and offering encouragement to students.”

AI has also changed how educators approach assessment. At GUtech, the emphasis is less on the end results students produce and more on evaluating the steps they take to get there. This prepares students for a workplace where employees are expected to be adaptable and create innovative solutions, says Sahli. It also enables graduates to know how to use AI tools efficiently and be able to work well as a team player to solve problems. “We should not rely fully on AI. But neither should we avoid it nor prevent students from using it,” Sahli says.

The university has made strategic changes to facilitate this, including placing greater emphasis on self-learning, collaboration, problem-solving and group discussions in class. “We wanted to flip the classroom,” he adds. “This way, class time becomes precious, and teachers are given clear instruction that they can use 40 per cent of that time for online activities such as virtual courses.”

For some educators, adapting to students’ evolving attention spans and expectations is a challenge. According to Sahli, the move to a new pedagogical approach has led to a culture and mindset shift at GUtech. “We have to change ourselves as educators,” he says. “But we also have to give students friction in the way we grade and assess, give them problems with incomplete specifications, get them to think outside the box with whatever tools they have.”

Embedding online learning is an effective way to modernise the student experience. GUtech has partnered with Coursera to provide students with access to short courses and microcredentials offered by the platform. They are encouraged to explore topics outside of their main discipline to broaden their skills and strengthen employability. Another key component of the university’s strategy is industry collaboration. It has an advisory board of senior business leaders who help the institution identify valuable competencies and skills.

Looking to the future, Sahli argues that institutions must become more adaptable as employer demands and the nature of teaching and learning change. “What you think is a long-term objective soon becomes a short-term objective. Universities must upskill educators and adopt new tools and technologies,” says Sahli. “You can either be reactive or anticipate, so we need to have clear strategies.”

Find out more about the German University of Technology in Oman.