La lista de las habilidades necesarias para 2030, según el Foro Económico Mundial
Se vuelve imperativo fortalecer las habilidades socioemocionales y aportar experiencias formativas que preparen a las personas para aprender de forma conti...
Educación
Ajedrez, educación y pensamiento superior
El ajedrez, más que un juego, se revela como una herramienta poderosa para el desarrollo del «pensamiento superior». Diversas investigaciones han demostrado que su práctica estimula la memoria, la planificación, la resolución de problemas y la creatividad, al tiempo que refuerza valores como la perseverancia y la autorregulación. Integrarlo en la educación impulsa no solo el rendimiento académico, sino también el crecimiento personal y cognitivo del estudiante como ser reflexivo y autónomo. | Imagen: Uvencio Blanco Hernández
Universities are embracing AI: will students get smarter or stop thinking?
Millions of students arriving at campuses are now using artificial intelligence. Worries abound.
students this year will take compulsory AI classes as part of an initiative to ensure that all of them are ‘AI fluent’ by the time they graduate
Eighty-six per cent of university students were regularly using AI in their studies in 2024, according to one global survey
some studies hint that AI-powered tools can help students to learn
those who used a custom-built AI tutor learnt more in less time than did students who were taught by humans alone
Our funding must not be misspent on profit-making companies, which offer little in return and actively de-skill our students
The thing that is different about AI to every other technology is the speed at which it moves
students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics were using it disproportionately more than were those in areas such as business and humanities
most were, unsurprisingly, using AI tools to write, improve or summarize text
This, however, is where many universities are falling short. Institutions around the world have been scrambling to introduce policies for staff and students on the best ways to use AI
helping to draft feedback on assignments
80% said their institution had not made it clear how to use AI in their teaching
ChatGPT Edu
tech firms are motivated by commercial interests and the opportunity to embed their AI systems into the lives of millions of young users
generative AI platform tailored to higher education. Called Cogniti
do students using AI tools actually learn more?
students who use an AI tutor often score higher in tests immediately after a class than do those who don’t use the agent. But two to three weeks later, the AI users scored lower than their peers.
The LLM-using group showed the weakest connectivity — suggesting that there was less cross-brain communication — and could sometimes barely remember a word of their prose.
students who rely on AI in their studies are failing to develop valuable skills such as critical thinking
Students are aware of the fact that overuse of AI will lead to them not developing intellectually
universities should teach students responsible use of AI by embedding training in their courses
how to assess what students have learnt, now that they can use AI tools to help them with any unsupervised test
All students will now take ‘secure’ assessments such as an oral, practical or sit-down exam, which they will attend in person and will be observed
What makes PhD students happy? Good supervision
Supervisors who invest in positive mentoring relationships with their PhD candidates also reap the benefits for their own research.
In the United Kingdom and Germany, for example, 61% and 60% of respondents, respectively, see their supervisors for less than one hour a week.
supervisors who engage closely with their students can benefit by learning new techniques and discovering emerging fields, and say that they often feel intellectually recharged
research today is highly interdisciplinary and often involves teamwork
more support is needed
good supervision requires curiosity, empathy and reliability
Time spent with the next generation of scientists is an investment
Nobel Prize in Economics Awarded for Research on Science, Technology and Growth
Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt share the Nobel economics prize for work that underlines the importance of investing in research and development
importance of investing in research and development
technological and scientific innovation, coupled to market competition, drive economic growth
the key difference between now and then was what he calls “useful knowledge,” or innovations based on scientific understanding
improvements in steam engines could be made systematic rather than by trial and error
Unless we replace inefficient firms from the economy, we cannot make space for newcomers with new ideas and better technologies
it is in society’s interests for the state to subsidize R&D, so long as the return is not merely incremental improvements
openness is a driver of growth
The great university shake-up: four charts show how global higher education is changing
More students than ever are studying across international borders, but where and what they learn is shifting.
The current global scientific system is facing unprecedented risks to the things that have made it robust
the standards have worked, and aided international collaboration between countries in the EHEA
universities have placed more emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees than they have before
How universities came to be — and why they are in trouble now
What and who universities are for has changed considerably since the Second World War, leaving long-standing institutions ill-equipped to cope with current financial and political challenges.
In the United Kingdom, financial pressures are pushing some institutions to the brink of bankruptcy
in Germany and the Netherlands, face budget and research cuts
focused on teaching a tiny proportion of the population to vast, sprawling businesses offering both research and education for large numbers of students
The world’s oldest university still in operation is the University of Al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco. Established as a mosque in AD 869
The next structural shift came in 1810, when philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt conceived the world’s first research-intensive university in Berlin, then the capital of Prussia
The birthplace of the Western academic conventions that the world’s universities now follow — formal lectures and official qualifications — was the University of Bologna in Italy. Founded in 1088
The University of Oxford, UK, followed in 1096 and the University of Paris in 1150
In the United States, 68% of all faculty staff are either part-time or contingent workers, for example, with only 32% on the tenure track
many institutions now see the need to prove their usefulness in the job market by adding vocational subjects to their curricula. Many argue that these trends have damaged the conventional values of higher education, such as critical thinking and academic autonomy.
Populist politicians are often critical of elite research universities
Universities, especially in the private sector, are closing down in these countries
As AI becomes more prevalent, teaching and learning culture could shift in ways that we can’t yet predict
No lectures, exams, essays: inside a twenty-first-century university
Some innovative higher-education institutions are reimagining pedagogy by prioritizing local needs over research and international student recruitment. Anna McKie visits one of them.
Some innovative higher-education institutions are reimagining pedagogy by prioritizing local needs over research and international student recruitment
it concentrates on undergraduate teaching, industry-led projects and preparing graduates for immediate employment
The best way is to learn by doing, she says. “Authentic learning, experiential learning is the best pedagogy.”
Those who flunk out of engineering don’t do so because the subject is too hard, but because they’re bored
learning by doing, with a curriculum co-designed with industry to prioritize real-world challenges
students spend their days in a single studio space, working in small teams with educators moving between them
Attendance is closely monitored — the minimum requirement is 80%
We’ve found that people without that academic preparation can still make great engineers
This policy could help to attract female candidates
Assignments range from presentations and reports to creating prototypes
Students work directly with mentors, simulate client meetings and collaborate “with industrial partners from the first day of the programme to the last, and every day in between”
starting a university from scratch isn’t easy
It’s hard to create a world-class university in a rural setting
Universities under fire must harness more of the financial value they create
Attacks on US academic institutions miss the point that they generate wealth for society. Tapping even some of that could keep innovation going.
Universities must move with the times: how six scholars tackle AI, mental health and more
Societies are evolving, and so must higher education. Researchers describe initiatives that can help to create stimulating and nurturing environments fit for today’s learning landscape.
Higher-education institutions need to be accessible places of learning, firmly embedded in their communities and society at large.
how to commercialize discoveries made in their laboratories
PhD need assurance that it is a valuable qualification in the workforce beyond academia
creative thinking
Universities should also be nurturing environments in which students can thrive
projects between art and science
Students develop the critical-thinking and communication skills that they will need in their future careers
Universities are — and must continue to be — a force for good
From funding squeezes to political attacks, higher education is in trouble in many parts of the world. Fresh ideas will allow the sector to thrive and deliver value for society.
hostile politics to funding pressures to the role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in teaching and learning.
The world’s student population has ballooned from 6 million in 1950 to more than 260 million in 2023
how to fund these institutions
the idea that universities should be free-to-access is under severe pressure
some universities have started to become less like institutions of public service and more like businesses
higher education has become a point of societal division, and a target of attacks by populist leaders who accuse universities of not fully representing all shades of the social and political spectrum in their teaching and research
Universities are — and must continue to be — a force for good
The future of universities: A Nature special report
The world's universities are under intense pressure. Nature examines the threats they face and asks how the sector can and must adapt to survive.
Faculty members are facing ever bigger workloads and intense competition for funding as research budgets are squeezed.
How can universities train the skilled workers of tomorrow?
The high cost of running educational laboratories is hindering industrial progress. An innovative path forwards must be charted.
, increasing numbers of highly skilled workers are needed to build them
sophisticated technologies require complex manufacturing processes, making them vulnerable to training shortfall
the nation will need highly proficient workers
These plans fail to acknowledge the true cost of a highly specialized, highly technical education.