In this article, Ben, Simon and Rayhaan discuss the future of teaching in further education and the opportunities and challenges that digital and online learning bring. They explain the need to balance improved in-person learning with online options and outline strategies for success in a world increasingly driven by lifelong learning.While the pandemic forced an overnight change in the delivery of university and further education (FE) teaching, in many ways it simply turbocharged an existing shift toward digital learning, which caused many students and institutions to question how and where learning should take place.This rebalancing is still playing out, driving innovation in course delivery against a backdrop of a greater focus on improving the quality of in-person learning, lifelong learning, and non-traditional teaching options. Looking forward, this article focuses on the trends driving the sector and outlines potential options for the future of FE and HE institutions.The rise of digital learningThe rise of digital learning, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), and the growth of commoditised online courses from nontraditional providers increase pressure on educational institutions. They must deliver quality differentiated teaching to a wider range of students who are looking to invest in lifelong learning and build skills over a longer (or shorter) period than traditional courses. Student needs are changing, and they increasingly demand a return on the time and money they invest in tuition.This means that individual institutions need to make strategic decisions around their future. They need to embrace changes in both how they are structured and how they operate and teach, based on understanding these seven factors:1. Quality contact time vs. Commoditised learning environments. Since the pandemic required institutions to go digital for lectures, seminars, and other learning experiences, there has been a reluctance from academics and students to fully return to in-person instruction.While delivering courses digitally enables institutions to scale up the number of students they can teach (thereby increasing revenue), it also brings challenges. It increases competition from around the globe and can impact teaching quality when it minimises in-person contact time. To avoid this, many institutions are looking at “flipped” classrooms: lecture content delivered online but with greater efforts placed on highly interactive tutorials delivered to small groups.2. AI’s impact on student experience & learning. Educators clearly cannot ignore the AI-sized elephant in the room. Students have more capability at their fingertips than ever before, not just around access to information, but through access to generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT and the underlying technology of large language models (LLMs). This will continue to develop at a pace that will inevitably feel unpredictable and difficult for institutions to manage.The initial response has now evolved into more nuanced approaches to AI in a number of the leading universities. However, this changing, AI-driven world requires institutions to build critical thinking skills in all students and teach them ethical ways of working that set sensible boundaries for utilising AI in the classroom. Working with AI tools will be an expected skill set of graduates, much like data analysis in spreadsheet software or research skills beyond Googling. Learning to challenge easy answers and AI-generated arguments is what will set the best students apart in the future.The new reality of LLMs increases the need for universities to provide personalised and experiential learning, with the student at the centre of the learning environment, developing skills and knowledge in ways that (currently, at least) can’t be outsourced to AI. An experiential learning environment leaves little room to hide for a student who is overly reliant on hands-off tools to research and make decisions.3. B...

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