Cathy N. Davidson

It was once widely understood that a college education is the ultimate pathway to upward mobility and a better future all around. But college application rates are dwindling; tuition soars while public funding withers; think piece after think piece ponders whether college is still “worth it;” and campuses are in political turmoil. One of the driving factors of increasing college dropout rates is that students no longer see how what they’re learning connects to a better life outside the classroom. And it’s no wonder—the college structure has not changed in over a century. Renowned innovative thought leader in higher education Cathy Davidson is here to guide the much-needed revolution at your institution. Backed by scientific research and case studies (including initiatives that she has led) that provide proof of concept, Davidson advises audiences on leading constructive change during times of destruction in higher education. She emphasizes the benefits of active learning over traditional learning, how to navigate teaching in our new AI-powered world, and why we must redefine both student and faculty success to ensure we’re preparing students for the ever-changing future of work.

A passionate manifesto from one of the nation’s leading educational innovators, this talk is a real-world critique of current educational practices and an optimistic argument that we can redesign learning in school for the skills students are already developing out of school — collaborative, interest driven, connected to technology, but also deep in global understanding, diversity, and equity. “Learning to Make Better Lives” is the story of educational change — how the system we have inherited was made by real individuals, preserved by real institutions, in reaction to real technological and economic circumstances. We are a tipping point where, now, we can remake the systems we have inherited for the contemporary, global, connected world. To make change happen we have to be able to think in several directions at once. The good news is that this process is beginning everywhere worldwide. This talk offers powerful, inspiring stories of people who have already made change happen and realistically addresses the opportunities, challenges, and possibilities for changing our educational institutions for the world we live in now.

Although we’ve all welcomed digital technology into our lives, many of us are still skeptical of its effects on our minds. We worry that the content overload and multitasking are dumbing us down. We look back with nostalgia and regret at the days people could just sit down, do one thing at a time, and do it well. In this talk, Cathy Davidson shows us that this old-fashioned model of attention is just one of many possible ways for the mind to work. She traces “the myth of monotasking” to the specialised, task-based, assembly-line model of work and education that grew out of the Industrial Revolution. Things have changed, and it’s only right for our brains to change with them. By combining the best new research in brain science with practical models and methods for changing our habits, Davidson doesn’t just diagnose the problem of living in the 21st century. She helps us to address those challenges in ways that help us thrive.

In this highly interactive virtual or onsite presentation, higher education innovator and technology scholar Cathy N. Davidson challenges audiences to be inspired by all the ways higher education changed overnight to address the crisis of the pandemic. She insists we must reimagine our classrooms, our institutional structures, and ourselves (our inherited assumptions and standards) in order to inspire our students’ curiosity and creativity. She reimagines a deft, agile, challenging, and relevant future for higher ed and for our students.

In this talk, noted higher education innovator and technology scholar Cathy N. Davidson addresses four key impediments to student success and offers an array of inventive, workable solutions. She examines the material conditions of today’s students; the “hidden curriculum” of cultural issues students face; the extraordinary benefits of active learning over traditional classroom pedagogy; and the need to change our ways of rewarding and recognizing teaching if we truly want to help students succeed.