Founder and CEO, AND Academy, Dr. Jitin Chadha, took part in a panel discussion on key fading and emerging trends in higher education and remote work, as well as the hype around AI, at the esteemed DesignUp StepUpTo24 Conference on 24th November, 2023, held at the Sheraton Grand Brigade Gateway, Bangalore.
The discussion, titled “Running to trends, Running from trends”, covered six trends – three that are expected to fade away and three that are evolving to soon be the next big conversations. Dr. Chadha threw light on how the trend of treating degrees as a signal of ability, skills, and competence is fading away, and gradually being replaced with a focus on practical experience and real-time evidence of one’s skill set. On the topic of emerging trends, he spoke about increasingly flexible and discontinuous pursuits of higher education in times ahead, and about the irreplaceability of human interaction in the learning process, despite all the hype around AI.
“I am delighted to have been part of this esteemed panel discussion at DesignUp’s StepUpTo24 Conference and hope the audience gained something from the insights I could share. As an edu-preneur, I strongly believe that learners are increasingly looking to pursue higher education flexibly, by dipping in and out of courses as needed, in order to give maximum impetus to their careers, as opposed to signing up for an immovable 4-year block of undergraduate study. The second key trend we’ve noticed quite clearly is that learners attribute great significance to human interaction in the learning process, be it with peers or mentors. As a result, and given how higher-order a skill or task it is to learn anything, we don’t think this human support in higher education will be replaced by AI in any material way anytime soon. I’m positive that these trends will shape education offerings in the near future and only by staying cognizant of them can educators remain relevant,” said Dr. Chadha.
Dr. Chadha has close to two decades of experience as an educational entrepreneur, and through this panel discussion, attendees were not only able to learn about his views on these trends but also enjoyed some light-hearted banter about trending X (previously Twitter) feeds of other renowned entrepreneurs and the Indian cricket team’s World Cup score.
About DesignUp Conference 2023 DesignUp is Southeast Asia’s largest community-led and volunteer-driven design-in-tech event and encourages open, inclusive, and ongoing conversations encompassing user experience (UX), Product, and Data. The focus of their 2023 event was to openly and honestly discuss the future and its uncertainties, whether negative, positive, or challenging, in turn fostering an environment where embracing change becomes effortless and is not met with resistance.
About AND Academy Backed by a decade of experience in design education, AND Academy was founded in 2022 and offers professional upskilling courses in Graphic Design, UI UX Design, Interior Design, and Motion Graphics. Powered by live and interactive online classes, these courses combine an industry-relevant curriculum, expert mentorship, and practical training through project-based teaching to cater to the needs of graduates and working professionals from varied backgrounds. Course durations vary from 16 weeks to a year and focus on teaching learners to think like designers. The school steers away from pre-recorded lectures and the webinar mode of teaching, and instead recreates a studio-based learning atmosphere in the virtual space, ensuring accessibility, flexibility, and affordability for learners. Since its inception, AND Academy has touched the lives of 450+ learners from all over India as well as other parts of the world.
