2026学习的未来：变革时代下的技能、技术与创新研究报告 The future of learning Skills,technology and innovation in a changing world

Thefutureof

learning

Skills,technologyandinnovationinachangingworld

Contents

01Introduction03

02Whyitmattersnow04

02.1Technologyandinnovationarereshapinglearning05

02.2Fromqualificationstocapabilities:

Modularandskills-basedlearning06

02.3Inclusion,wellbeingandtheriskofdisengagement07

03Fromprincipletopractice:

Whatthislookslikeinaction08

03.1Personalisedlearningatscale09

03.2Criticalthinkingandhumanagency10

03.3Immersiveandexperientiallearning11

03.4Supportingsustainabilityandresponsibleinnovation12

04Conclusion/Calltoaction13

Explorethethemesfurther14

References16

Thisreportisaimedatpolicymakers,employers,sectorleadersandspecialisteducationmediawhoare

shapingthefutureofeducationandwork.Itsetsouthowflexible,technology-enabledandskills-based

learningisevolvingwithinhighereducation,andhowinstitutionsmustrespondtoarapidlychanging

societalandtechnologicallandscape.

01Introduction

Thefutureoflearningisnottomorrow

–itisalreadyhere.

Acrosssocietiesandeconomies,thewayswelearn,

acquireknowledgeandbuildcapabilityarebeing

reshapedbypowerfulglobalforces.ArtificialIntelligence(AI)isalteringjobrolesatanunprecedentedpace,

withupto40%ofglobalemploymentpredictedtobe

affectedbyAI1,displacingjobsbutalsoprojectedtocreateapproximately2.6millionnewroles2.Upto39%ofexistingskillsetscouldchangeby2030astechnologyevolves3.Atthesametime,theurgentneedtorespondtotheclimatecrisisisacceleratingdemandforgreenexpertise,androlesrequiringsustainabilityandenvironmentalcompetenciesaregrowingsubstantiallyfasterthanthebroaderlabour

market4.Thesetransitionsarenotisolated:digital,greenandhumancapabilitiesareincreasinglyintertwined,

Upto

39%

ofexistingskillsets

couldchangeby2030astechnologyevolves

redefiningwhatitmeanstobepreparedforworkandparticipationinsociety.

3

Inthiseraofrapidchange,emergingdigitalandgreen

skillsarenolongeroptional.TheWorldEconomicForum

(2025)hasestimatedthataroundhalfofallemployeeswouldneedreskillingduetotechnologyadoption,

underscoringhowlearningmustbecontinuousand

adaptable.Lifelonglearning–embracingbothnew

technologieslikeAIandthetransitiontoanet-zero

economy–isbecomingthecornerstoneofindividual

resilienceandcollectiveprogress.Inaneconomywhereovernineintenjobsnowcallfordigitalskills5,theabilitytonavigatedigitaltoolsandtechnologieshasbecome

centraltoparticipationinthelabourmarket–notjustforemployment,butforresilience,wellbeing,andmeaningfulparticipationinarapidlychangingworld.Sohowdoyouprepareyourselftothriveinanenvironmentwherework,technology,andeducationareevolvinginrealtime?

1InternationalMonetaryFund(2024);OECD(2026).

2NationalFoundationforEducationalResearch(2022).

3WorldEconomicForum(2025);

UKGovernment(2025).AIskillsfortheUKworkforce.

4LinkedIn(2025).

5NationalSkillsCoalition(2023).

4

02Whyitmattersnow

Technologychangeisacceleratingtheshifttowardmodularlearningwithsmalladaptablelearningunitsbecauseskillsarecontinuallyreshaped,rolesevolvecontinuously,andpeopleneededucationthatcan

beupdated,recombined,andaccessedondemand.Therealmeasureofwhetherthistransitionsucceedsisinclusion,ifmodularlearningonlybenefitsthosealreadyadvantaged,itreinforcesinequalityrather

thanreducingit.Ensuringeveryonecanaccess,

navigateandbenefitfromflexiblelearningpathwaysiswhatturnsmodularityfromatechnicalupgrade

intoagenuinesocialadvancement.

5

2.1Technologyandinnovationarereshapinglearning

GenerativeAItoolslikeChatGPT,GoogleGemini,MicrosoftCopilot,andMistralarewidelyusedby88%ofUKstudentstoassistwithresearch,writing,notetaking,andrevision6.Likewise,eXtendedReality(XR)technologiesaregainingground,withnearly34%ofindividualsaged16–24inthe

U.S.usingvirtualreality(VR)devices7.Thesetechnologiesenablemoreflexible,curiosity-driven,andinteractive/engagingformsoflearning.Theychallengetraditional

educationalmodelsbuiltaroundfixedcurricula,linearprogression,andnarrowlydefinedcareerpathways.

Despitetheseadvancements,theintegrationoftechnologyandAIspecificallyintoeducationhasnotbeenwithout

concerns.ManystudentsworryabouttherapidpaceofAIdevelopmentandtheirpreparednessforanevolvingjobmarketthatincreasinglyvaluestechnological

competency8.Additionally,ethicalconcernsandanxietysurroundingAIareprominent.Misinformation,challengesindistinguishingrealfromfakecontent,andalackof

familiaritywithAI’sworkingscreateafeelingofmistrust,whilerecentexamplesofharmfulandmisogynisticAIoutputshighlightemerginglegalandsocietalrisks.

TherearealsofearsofoverrelianceonAItools,withsomelearnersreportingthatheavyusehasnegativelyimpactedtheircriticalthinkingandoriginality,andassociatedworriesaroundsovereigntyandpreservinghumanagency9.Thesetensionsunderlinetheneedforeducationalapproaches

thatdonotmerelyintroducetechnology,butactivelycultivatelearners’capacitytoquestion,evaluate,andgovernitsuse.

8Rientiesetal.(2024);Kosmynaetal.(2025).

9BBC(2026);Kosmynaetal.(2025).

6Chatterjietal.(2025);Freeman(2025).

7Kukulska-Hulmeetal.(2024);Pangarkar(2026).

6

2.2Fromqualificationstocapabilities:

Modularandskills-basedlearning

Inparallel,thereisagrowingshifttowardsso-called

modularandskills-basedlearning10.Careersare

becominglessdefinedbystaticqualificationsandmorebytheabilitytoapplydiverseandtransferableskills

acrosscontexts.Learningincreasinglyresemblesasystemofbuildingblocks:small,adaptableunitsthatcanbe

combined,reconfigured,andrepurposedovertime.

Thismodularapproachnotonlysupportscareermobilitybutalsobuildsresilience,allowinglearnerstorespond

toeconomic,technological,andsocialchange.Crucially,thisflexibilitylowersbarrierstoparticipation,offering

diversegroupsoflearners(e.g.,youngpeople,working

adults,careerchangers)greatercontroloverwhen,

where,andhowlearningtakesplace.Onlineandblendedenvironmentsenablelearnerstobalancestudywith

work,family,andpersonalcommitments,ensuringthat

accesstoeducationisnotconstrainedbygeographyorrigidschedules11.Thisshiftreflectsabroaderreorientationtowardslifelonglearning,whereupskillingandreskillingarenormalisedratherthanexceptional.

Modularandskills-basedpathwaysarenotareplacementfortraditionalqualifications,butanevolution,offering

greaterflexibilitywithinandalongsidedegreestoreflecthowpeoplelearnandworktoday,whilemaintainingthedepthandacademicrigouroffullqualifications.

Self-management

Ethicalawareness

Resilience

Dataanalysis

Communication

Collaboration

Criticalthinking

Problemsolving

Adaptability

Creativity

Digitalliteracy

AIfluency

10UKGovernment(2025).Post-16educationandskillswhitepaper.

11FergusonandWhitelock(2024);JISC(2025).

7

2.3Inclusion,wellbeingand

theriskofdisengagement

Importantly,adaptivetechnologies,GenerativeAIand

immersivedigitalenvironmentshavethepotentialto

contributetogreaterinclusionandequity,particularly

incontextswherelearnersfacediversechallengesand

competingpriorities.AtTheOpenUniversitythesetoolsarebeingusedtosupporttailoredlearningexperiencesthatalignwithindividualneeds,preferences,and

capabilities.Byembeddingaccessibilityasacoredesignprinciple,suchtechnologiescanhelptocreatemore

inclusiveopportunitiesforlearnerswhohavedisclosedadisability,orwhoarebalancingcomplexstudy,work,andcaringcommitments,byofferingalternativeandflexiblepathwaystoparticipation.

Sector-wideevidencereinforcesthesignificanceof

theseapproaches.Nearlyone-thirdofstudentsreportconsideringleavingtheircourses12,withthemostcitedcontributingfactorsbeingmentaloremotionalhealth(28%)andfinancialdifficulty(11%).Inaddition,76%ofstudentsreportedthatrisingcost-of-livingpressureshadanotableimpactontheirstudies,highlightingtheinterdependenceofeducationaldesign,wellbeing,

andinclusion.

12Nevesetal.(2025).

Nearly

1/3

Contributingfactorsincluding:

Mentalor

emotionalhealth

Financialdifficulty

withstudentsreportingtherisingcost-of-livingpressureshavinganotableimapctontheirstudies

ofstudentsreportconsideringleavingtheircourses12

8

3.0Fromprincipletopractice:

Whatthislookslikeinaction

AtTheOpenUniversity,recognisedforitscommitment

tolearninginnovation,theintegrationofemerging

technologiesintoteachingandlearningisunderstood

notasanendinitself,butasameansofenhancing

flexibility,inclusionandlearneragency.Learning

innovationistreatedasakeyindicatorofstudentsuccess,complementingtraditionalmetricssuchassatisfaction,

progress,andoutcomes.Thisapproachreflectsa

commitmenttoequippinglearnersnotonlytonavigateAI-drivendisruption(andtheresultingemploymentupheaval)butalsotoadaptandthrivethroughouttheirlives,as

activecontributorstoarapidlyevolvingglobalworkforce.

9

3.1Personalisedlearningatscale

Personalisedlearningisapromisingandpotentially

transformativeteachingapproachthatmovesbeyondone-size-fits-allmodels,andcansupportscalingup

learningopportunitiesglobally13.Itenableslearningthatisflexible,digitallyenhanced,andresponsivetodiverse

learners‘needs,pace,goals,priorknowledgeandlifecircumstances.

Overthepastdecade,TheOpenUniversityhasbeen

attheforefrontofthesedevelopments.Predictive

learninganalyticstoolsprovidedynamicdashboards

tothousandsofeducators,flaggingstudentsat-riskof

failingandenablingteacherstoproactivelyintervene

andsupportthem14.Whenaccesseddirectlybystudents,ourpersonalisedstudent-facinglearninganalytics

dashboards,enhancedwithrecommendationsofwhat

tostudynextinordertosucceed,havebeenshownto

enhancestudents’awarenessoftheirstudyinghabits,

motivateengagement,andsupportmoreequitable

outcomes15.Morerecently,TheOpenUniversityhas

introducedAI-powereddigitalassistantsthathave

beenpedagogicallydesignedandco-createdwith

over300learners,consideringtheirlearningneedsand

requirements16,andaregraduallybeingmadeavailable

toallOpenUniversitylearners.Thisempowersourlearnersnotjusttokeeppacewith,buttolead,thefast-moving

developmentsinAIandthechangingworldofwork.

TheOpenUniversity’sapproachisgroundedinabeliefthatpersonalisationmustextendbeyondefficiencyandperformance,recognisingthatempathyisfoundationaltoeducationalrelationships,andcareshouldbe

bothaneducationalgoalandaconditionforeffective

learning17.Thisisparticularlyimportantbecauseempathyincreasinglyfunctionsasafuture-facingcapability:whilelearnersareexpectedtoadapttoAI-mediatedsystems,theymustsimultaneouslycultivatethedistinctlyhumanqualitiesthatmachinescannotreplicate18.

15Herodotouetal.(2025).

16Rientiesetal.(2025).

17Chandleretal.(2025).

18Rets(2025).

13EADTU(2025).

14Herodotouetal.(2023).

10

3.2Criticalthinking

andhumanagency

Criticalthinkingandhumanagencymustformthe

cornerstoneofthefutureoflearningiflearnersareto

interpret,challenge,andsometimesresistalgorithmic

guidanceandpersonalisation.TheOpenUniversity’s

longstandingtraditionincommunitycitizenscience

andinquiryprovidesonemodelforsupportingthese

capabilities,throughthegeneralpublicengagingwithrealresearchandscientists,scaffoldedbyplatformssuchasnQuire19.Evidenceshowscitizensciencetobeaneffectivemethodfordevelopingknowledge,skillsandagency,

particularlyamongyoungpeople.

Inaddition,andinresponsetoAIdevelopment,The

OpenUniversityhasdevelopedaCriticalAILiteracy

SkillsFramework20,supportinglearnersandeducatorsinunderstandinghowAIcanbeusedresponsiblywhilemaintaininghumanjudgementandautonomy.

19nquire.co.uk

;Herodotouetal.(2021);Herodotouetal.(2022).

20TheOpenUniversity.(2025).30%ofthestudentsdiscloseddisabilitiesand67%ofstudentsbalancepaidworkalongsidetheirstudies.

11

3.3Immersiveandexperientiallearning

UsingXR/AR/VRtoprovidehands-on,practice-based

experiencescanbridgethegapbetweentheoryandits

competentapplication21:Meta-analysesshowthatlearninggainsthroughXRarerealwherebysuccessfulutilisation

dependsoninformedstrategy22.The£5.8mOfficefor

StudentsfundedXRstudiosatTheOpenUniversityenableslearner-facingAR/VR/XRproductionacrossdisciplines,

includinglanguagelearning,Industry5.0training,and

healthcaresimulations.Theseinitiativesdemonstrate

howimmersivelearningcansupportskillsdevelopment,confidenceandemployabilityatscale.

21Lin,&Yu.(2023);Cobanetal.(2022);Kaplanetal.(2021).

22Kaplanetal.(2021).

12

3.4Supportingsustainability

andresponsibleinnovation

Digitaleducationcarriessocialandenvironmental

responsibilities.Itshouldmodelsustainablepractices,

acknowledgetheenvironmentalfootprintoftechnology,andpreparelearnersforemerginggreencareersthatcombine

digitalcapabilitywithenvironmentalunderstanding23.The

OpenUniversity’sclimateeducation-focusedonlinecoursesaresupportingeducatorsindesigninglearningopportunitiesthatraiseglobalawarenessandincreaseempathetic

understandingbyconnectingpeopleacrossculturesand

contexts,enablinglearnerstoengagecriticallywithglobal

challengessuchasclimateinjusticeandstructuralinequality.Inthiscapacity,digitalandAI-enablededucationcan

contributenotonlytoeconomicparticipation,butalsotothedevelopmentofmoreinformed,compassionate,andsociallyresponsiblecitizenship.

23UNESCO(2023);Linkedin(2025).

13

4.0Conclusion/Calltoaction

Thisreportshowsthatopen,flexibleanddigitallyenablededucationisnolongerafutureaspirationbutapresent

necessity.AsAI,sustainabilityimperativesandwideningsocialpressuresreshapelearning,workandparticipationinsociety,educationsystemsmustevolvebeyondcontentdeliverytowardsmodelsthatactivelycultivatecritical

thinking,humanagency,empathyandethicaljudgement.Butevolutionaloneisnotenough.Thenextdecadewill

requireinstitutionswillingtolead-notsimplyadapt.

Thecalltoactionisthereforeimmediateandshared:

policymakersmustcontinuetoalignandstrengthen

regulatoryandfundingframeworkstoembraceand

incentivisethesechanges,suchassupportformodular

lifelonglearning;employersmustmovebeyondtraditionalcredentialismandrecognisediverse,skills-based

pathways;educationalleadersmustinvestinethicaldigitalinfrastructuresandlearner-centreddesign;andlearnersmustbeempoweredasactivepartnersinshapingtheirjourneys.

TheOpenUniversity’scommitmentisclear:toplaya

centralroleinshapingtheUK’slifelonglearninglandscape,demonstratingthatinclusionandinnovationarenot

competingprioritiesbutmutuallyreinforcingones.By

embeddingethicalAI,accessibility-by-designandflexibleprovisionatscale,theOUoffersnotonlyamodelof

response,butablueprintforwhatfuture-facinghighereducationcanbecome.

Thefutureofeducationisnotsimplyopenin

principle-itmustbeopeninpractice,atscale,andforall.

14

Explorethethemesfurther

OpenLearnfreecourses

AImatters

Thisfreecourseexploreshowartificialintelligence

isshapingeducation,workandeverydaylife.You’ll

examinetheopportunitiesandrisksassociatedwithAI,developcriticalunderstandingofitssocietalimpact,

andbuildtheconfidencetoengagewithemergingtechnologiesininformedandresponsibleways.

Digitalskills:succeedinginadigitalworld

Thispracticalcoursehelpsyoudevelopessentialdigitalskillsforstudy,employmentanddailylife.You’llexplorehowtonavigatedigitalenvironmentsconfidently,useonlinetoolseffectivelyandstrengthentheadaptabilityneededtothriveinanincreasinglyconnectedworld.

Developingcareerresilience

Thiscoursefocusesonbuildingresilienceand

adaptabilityinachangingworldofwork.You’llexplorestrategiesformanaginguncertainty,

respondingpositivelytochangeanddevelopingthemindsetneededtosustainlong-term,skills-basedcareergrowth.

Climatechangeandrenewableenergy

Thiscourseexaminesthescienceofclimatechange

andtheroleofrenewableenergyinbuildingsustainablefutures.You’llexploreenvironmentalchallenges,energytransitionsandthesocietalchoicesshapingresponsestotheclimatecrisis.

Learninghowtolearn

Thiscoursefocusesondevelopingeffectivelearningstrategiesforflexibleandindependentstudy.You’llexploremotivation,reflectionandself-managementtechniquesthatsupportsuccessinlifelongand

modularlearningpathways.

Workingwithemployers

TheOpenUniversityworkswithorganisationsacrosssectorsto

supportworkforceupskillingandreskillingthroughflexiblelearningandsector-relevantprogrammes.

15

Explorethethemesfurther

Professionalandadvancedroutes

GenerativeAIineducation

Thisshortcourseoutlinescurrentthinkingonhow

toutilisethistechnologyeffectivelyinteachingand

learning.You’llexplorekeythemesthathelpyoumakethemostofwhatGenAIoffers,whileunderstandingandmitigatingitschallengesandlimitations.

TeachingwitheXtendedreality(XR)

Inthisinnovativecourse,you’lllearnhowtousecutting-edgetechnologies,includingVirtualReality(VR),

AugmentedReality(AR),3DmodellingandgenerativeAI,tocreateimmersive,interactivelearningexperiences.

andtrainers

Blendedlearninginnovationsforteachers

Thispracticalcourseexploresinnovativeapproachestoblendedlearning,helpingyoucombineface-to-faceandonlinemethodsinpurposeful,engagingways.

You’llexamineeffectivedesignstrategies,digitaltoolsandevidence-basedpracticetocreateflexiblelearningexperiencesthatmeetdiverselearnerneeds.

Teachingclimateaction:

empowerstudentstotackletheclimatecrisis

Thisforward-lookingcoursesupportseducatorsto

integrateclimateactionintoteachinginmeaningful

andempoweringways.You’llexplorehowtoengagestudentswiththerealitiesoftheclimatecrisis,developcriticalthinkingandinspireinformed,solution-focusedactionacrossdifferentsubjectareas.

Communityofpracticeinonlineteaching

AspartoftheMastersinOnlineTeachingprogramme,theIETcurriculumteamhasdevelopedaCommunityofPracticemodelthatfostersdialogue,collaborationandglobalpeerlearning.Regularonlineeventsenablegeographicallydispersedstudentstoconnectwith

eachotherandwithOUacademics,strengtheningprofessionalnetworksandsharedpractice.

16

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