7 Questions on Anthology's Approach to AI

• 08/23/23

CT: What is Anthology's vision for what will be possible with AI in the future?

White: Anthology's ongoing vision is to unify data across the siloes of ed tech systems to create data-driven insights that provide a more personalized and guided experience that improves the learner journey. It's a vision we call Anthology Intelligent Experiences (iX). The results are to better position faculty and staff with just-in-time information to promote student success. iX combines data across multiple solutions to help learners align their courses with the skills needed to compete for their desired career and provide them with the badging to showcase mastery of skills to a future employer.

When these intelligent experiences and learning opportunities are infused with AI, instructors and advisers can spend more one-on-one time with the learners, identifying and scaling interventions to students at the time of need. Administrative leaders can query data more effectively by building new models to guide institutions' strategic directions and improve student outcomes, and the learner is empowered to make decisions to author their own education and future. It has the possibility to place the learner at the center of their learning experience.

CT: Where do you see opportunities for ed tech innovation moving forward?

White: Institutions have a wealth of data, yet they often lack the tools and skills to take advantage of it. We envision ed tech solutions that embrace the siloed data instances, align the necessary elements of that data as it relates to a specific student or specific job function, and deliver in-product insights that are personalized and guided to the task at hand. This approach is a huge opportunity that can exponentially benefit institutions around the world. Students, faculty, and staff need the insights that the data can provide, but they don't always have the skill sets to build the necessary reports or even know exactly what elements of the data exist within the ed tech solution they are using. The potential is limitless as the solutions can become more intelligent and help guide the user based on personalized needs and goals.

We often hear about the lack of alignment between education training and the real-world skills required to make a new student hire effective in their job from day one. Today's learners are expected to enter the workforce and hit the ground running, but there is a disparity between the skills they gain in the classroom and the skills employers need in the workforce. Ed tech innovation has an opportunity to help institutions pivot with the pace of workforce demand in real time, aligning those ever-changing skills requirements to the courses being provided. This might also include showcasing to institutional leaders areas where they need to expand course material or subject matter to better align their resources with the latest job market requirements. Imagine a world where all the new jobs created by AI that don't yet exist can be identified on a moment's notice, and your institution can adjust course to align just as quickly. Not only can the intersection between the instruction and workforce skills become better aligned, but there is potential to establish industry-wide alignment on the certifications or badging that showcase mastery of that skill across institutions. This type of centralized skill recognition could ensure that an employer, as well as student, is on the right track from school to workforce.

Ed tech innovation is on the cusp of major change. Those who embrace innovation will be able to offer new ways to accelerate institutional efficiency, promote retention and student success, and deliver the tools available to instill a lifelong passion for learning.