In Features this morning he sets out what is coming and looks back for an inspiring solution 

Where we are: “for a decade, we’ve witnessed disengagement of students from universities, evidenced by the reduced number coming to lectures and the increased number watching recordings at double speed just before the exam.

What’s coming: “Before long, there will be a metaverse model, offering immersive experiences via headsets and glasses. Coupled with 5G, we could imagine a ‘metaversity’; a 3D virtual university.

“Machine learning is still its infancy but with incredible potential, including the potential to wipe out thousands of high end white collar jobs that today’s graduates go into; whilst robotic process automation eats away at the low end.

What is to be done: “I suspect the answers will lie in the idea of the personal, transformative experience of being a university student, of a course of study deliberately designed and delivered in a particular sequence, of personal interaction and life-changing moments; the laying down of memories.  And the good lecture, which inspires and galvanises students, should never be dead.”

The complete piece is here.