From "Just-in-Case" to "Just-in-Time"

Is AI going to impact education? Is that a serious question?

Some 2500 years ago, Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change.” If he felt that was true back in 535 BC, what would he say now? Maybe: “CHANGE! ARRRGHHHH!”

Recorded human history is around 5000 years old. The first PC was invented just 50 years ago. We’ve undergone more change in 1% of human history than in the previous 99% combined. That’s incredible, but it doesn’t always feel that way. We take it for granted, which is a testament to our ability to adapt. But in the age of technology, this adaptability has been put to the test.

One thing that hasn’t changed much at all: education.

If someone from 200 years ago walked down a city street today, they would think they were on an alien planet. Cars, skyscrapers, mobile phones, planes, TV, no rivers of horse manure… It would be unrecognisable on almost every level.

If someone from 200 years ago walked into a university lecture, they’d think, “those foldable chairs are comfy”. Unfair? Perhaps. Accurate? Yes. While some advances have been made, the core structure of lectures remains largely unchanged. Despite rapid technological advances, our education system has not kept pace.

It’s often remarked that the education system is a relic fit for producing mindless, obedient workers good for factories and not much else. The “factory problem” is a common complaint, but overly simplistic. Let’s look at the just-in-case nature of education instead.

Think back to your school days. Are there things you learned, spent hours on in classes, maybe even still remember to this day, that you’ve never used? The answer is probably yes. The system is set up to teach you things just-in-case they are helpful, but the curriculum often fails to predict future needs, leading to wasted learning on obsolete topics with little transferable skill.

In a certain, unchanging world, where you know exactly the skills and knowledge that will be useful in the future, you can teach specifically in that direction - this style of education worked well at points in the past. In an uncertain, changing world, whatever you plan for will be wrong. The specific skills or knowledge you teach will likely be irrelevant quickly.

If just-in-case is the problem, just-in-time might be the solution.

Post-World War II Japan faced massive resource shortages. Companies like Toyota focused on overcoming these challenges by eliminating waste. The idea of paying for warehouses full of parts “just in case” seemed wasteful. Instead, they adopted a “just-in-time” approach, producing or ordering materials only just before they are required. You aren’t storing things just-in-case, you are receiving things so you can use them just-in-time.

It isn’t without it’s downsides - you risk running out of stock, or being vulnerable to parts taking longer than anticipated. But, if you can become adept at adapting to changes in demand, you can thrive without being anchored by the baggage of pre-ordered parts that may become obsolete before they are useful.

Can we apply this to education? At School of Code, we do. We admit we have no idea what specific technology or skill will be useful in the future. We don’t apply a just-in-case education, stocking up on specific knowledge and skills that get outdated. We embrace training people for just-in-time learning - you tackle a problem, and embed the knowledge and skills needed to solve it as they are needed. This gives the content meaning - you’re learning it to solve the problem. However, it’s the meta skill of adapting and adopting knowledge quickly on-demand, meaning you are more likely to have the confidence and capability to thrive in the future no matter what the problem may be. You learn how to learn, how to adapt, and how to solve problems with knowledge you don’t have in stock.

In a world where AI may make creation abundant, we can imagine just-in-time movies, music, art, and books - your prompt creates content just as you need it. AI is squashing the distance between idea and creation, making a just-in-time mentality increasingly valuable for education and beyond.

In that world, it’s hubris to say you know what will be needed. Much better to prepare to thrive in uncertainty instead.