Ulf-Daniel Ehlers

Prof. Dr. Ulf-Daniel Ehlers is a scholar and strategist of digital higher education and Future Skills. His work connects research and practice to help universities build learner agency and institutional capability in the age of AI.

How Artificial Intelligence is Shaping the Future of Learning
Artificial intelligence is no longer a peripheral tool; it is redesigning the grammar of learning. Drawing on current research and implementation work in Future Skills, AI-enabled learning trajectories, and student agency, this keynote outlines how AI shifts roles, processes, and outcomes in higher education. I will map the transition from content-centric teaching to capability- and challenge-based learning, show how compound competencies (e.g., transformation competence, AI competence) can be cultivated at scale, and discuss governance and assessment implications. Real examples will illustrate how universities can move from pilots to systemic change while safeguarding academic integrity and human autonomy. The session concludes with a pragmatic roadmap: aligning strategy, pedagogy, and infrastructure to leverage AI for freedom and responsibility in learning.

Learning outcomes
  1. Distinguish content-, capability-, and challenge-based designs in AI-supported curricula.
  2. Apply a practical lens to cultivate compound competencies (Future Skills, AI competence) across programs.
  3. Identify governance, assessment, and integrity guardrails for responsible AI adoption.