From knowledge to durable skills: rethinking higher education

What should universities teach in the age of AI?In this episode of Education Futures, Svenia Busson speaks with Art Markman, Chief Academic Officer at Minerva University and a leading expert in cognitive science, decision-making, and learning.With a career spanning academia, research, and applied learning design, Art brings a powerful perspective on how education must evolve — not just to keep up with AI, but to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world.In this episode, we explore:• Why education should focus on “far transfer” — the ability to apply knowledge across contexts • The shift from teaching content → developing durable skills (reasoning, communication, empathy, systems thinking) • Why most universities are still structured like they were centuries ago • How Minerva Project is redesigning higher education from first principles • Why grades and transcripts fail to capture real learning • How AI is reshaping the role of assignments, assessment, and feedback • Why trying to ban AI in universities is the wrong approach • How AI can be used as a tutor, feedback engine, and learning acceleratorTo go further:Minerva University: https://www.minerva.edu/UT Austin’s Homegrown AI Tutor Platform: https://tech.utexas.edu/news/ut-austin-and-aws-launch-ut-sage-ut-austins-homegrown-ai-tutor-platform