Back to Plato: The future of higher education lies in understanding

If you need an explanation of a complex financial concept, rapid coding output, or the analysis of a legal argument, generative artificial intelligence (AI) can draw on more information than any individual could acquire in a lifetime and produce a result in seconds.

But does having an answer mean you understand the problem?

For Dr Riaan Steenberg, executive director of Eduvos, one of South Africa’s largest private higher education institutions, this distinction goes to the heart of higher education.

“Knowledge is infinite, but understanding is not infinite,” he says.

In 387 BC, the ancient philosopher Plato explored the concept of eidos, or Forms, seeking to understand the fundamental essence of things beyond their appearance. Steenberg believes this remains relevant today.

“Guessing better what’s going to happen in the future is not going to fix anything,” he says. “We’re not here to teach people the minimum; we’re here to teach understanding.”

When the future moves faster than the curriculum

The World Economic Forum (WEF)’s latest Future of Jobs Report states that approximately 39% of workers’ existing skill sets are expected to change or become outdated by 2030, and 59 out of every 100 workers are expected to need training, reskilling or upskilling by the same time.

Developing and securing regulatory approval for a new higher education qualification in South Africa can take one to three years, followed by another three years before the first graduates enter the workplace.

Designing curricula exclusively around today’s technologies, tools or employer requirements is therefore futile. Qualifications must combine enduring disciplinary knowledge with practical, digital and adaptive capabilities.

Understanding as the foundation

As AI increasingly performs tasks that previously required years of accumulated tried-and-tested technical knowledge, the ability to critically evaluate its output becomes essential.

But without a firm grasp of the underlying principles, how can graduates distinguish a credible answer from a convincing but flawed one?

More importantly, how can they recognise what has been omitted, challenge the assumptions on which an answer rests, or determine whether it is appropriate to apply in a particular context?

Steenberg advocates for a strong and steady foundation of understanding, developed in graduates at the higher education level. He stresses the importance of structured learning journeys and repetitive practice to establish demonstrated competence.

“A higher education degree is the certification of that,” he says.

This is becoming vital in a world where it is perhaps unrealistic for humans to know more than AI, but where they would need sufficient understanding to exercise informed judgement.

The importance of shared meaning

For Steenberg, higher education institutions create the environment where students can “norm”: collectively defining or determining the standard, the values and principles of the kind of future we want to create and using our understanding and judgement to actively shape it.

Having an established base of shared meaning and agreeing on the language that we use to discuss that meaning, is imperative, he says.

“That, for me, is the sociology of higher learning. It is to agree on the words, to invent the new words, to understand them.”

Eduvos’s annual industry-partner survey indicates that communication and collaboration, the skills used in forming that normative base, are listed as critical employer needs. To further support the development of these skills, Eduvos has introduced social house and sports programmes for its students.

Creating the future that is required

Two examples of how Eduvos integrates this approach into learning are its legal clinics, where law students assist individuals who require legal support, and its work-integrated learning projects.

“This past year, we dealt with 40 gender-based violence cases and also assisted in drafting more than 100 wills,” Steenberg states.

Graphic design students also collaborated with non-profit organisation NOSH Food Rescue to develop website improvements for donors, food waste education materials and recipe videos.

These experiences take learning beyond the theoretical application of knowledge.

Students must understand the needs of the people they are assisting, work with others to develop appropriate solutions and consider the practical consequences of their decisions.

In the process, they develop not only technical competence, but also the judgement, empathy, communication and problem-solving abilities needed to make a meaningful contribution.

It is this distinction between knowing how to do something and understanding why it matters that Steenberg believes should be central to higher education.

Responsive curricula

While strong academic foundations remain essential, higher education institutions cannot afford to stagnate as the world of work evolves.

Steenberg says Eduvos maintains ongoing engagement with employers, industry bodies and professional associations to understand changing workplace requirements and incorporate these insights into its curricula. This allows the institution to respond to emerging needs without losing sight of the fundamental principles that underpin each discipline.

Technology is also creating opportunities to make curriculum development more responsive. NetEd, Eduvos’s holding company, recently acquired a company specialising in AI-supported course development. Steenberg has demonstrated how this capability could, for example, enable law course material to be updated more frequently to reflect new legal cases and developments.

Another development is the introduction of virtual internships that would allow students to complete workplace-style assignments against deadlines and assessment criteria, with simulated consequences for their decisions.

Shaping the future

“We are trying to teach students that they should establish their own meaning, to express that, and to live with an impact mindset,” says Steenberg.

We live in a world where knowledge is very accessible. The value of higher education therefore lies in teaching graduates to grasp fundamental concepts, establish shared meaning with others and apply their knowledge to make a meaningful impact.

Rather than simply adapting to an unpredictable future, graduates should be equipped to help shape it.

Brought to you by Eduvos.

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