Reinventing the Economics of Higher Education in the AI Era
Exploring how artificial intelligence, lifelong learning, stackable credentials and next-generation digital learning platforms could reshape the economic model of universities and expand access to education across careers and borders.
Dr. Ali Jafari
CEO & Founder
CourseNetworking (CN), USA
Professor Emeritus
Purdue University, USA
About the Special Session
Artificial intelligence is changing the skills the workforce needs and how often people must learn new ones. For universities, this raises an economic question: can an institution built around the four-year degree also serve learners throughout their careers and across national borders?
This session explores how shorter, stackable programs, professional certificates, and globally accessible online learning could help universities reach new learners and develop new sources of revenue. It also asks what institutions must do to make these offerings academically credible and valuable to employers.
Drawing on his Beyond the LMS white paper, Professor Ali Jafari will examine why today’s learning platforms may be insufficient for this shift and propose a framework that connects learning across courses, credentials, institutions, and careers—giving learners a lasting record of what they know and can do.
Dr. Ali
Jafari
Dr. Ali Jafari is an internationally recognized educator, researcher, and EdTech entrepreneur whose work focuses on learning technologies and intelligent learning environments. He is Professor Emeritus at Purdue University in the United States and Founder and CEO of CourseNetworking (CN).
Sometimes referred to as the “father of the LMS” for his pioneering work in learning management systems, Dr. Jafari led the development of Oncourse, contributed to the Sakai project, and co-founded ANGEL Learning, where he led the development of its platform.
His career spans educational technology research, entrepreneurship, and the adoption of new learning platforms by universities.
