The Future of Learning

What if there was a tool that could analyze your workflows and share what you need to learn next? Randy Swearer introduces us to the Autodesk Knowledge Engine.

In the past, we learned in order to do. That meant that, while young, you went to school to acquire a stable stock of knowledge that you would use over the course of a fairly stable career. For centuries, the way your work was done when you entered the field was more or less the same way it would be done when you retired.

But we are in a new era of rapid technological change. Today, according to Randy Swearer, VP of Education Experiences at Autodesk, we do in order to learn. Learning is an essential part of doing our job now, and everyone learns in the course of working on projects. In this AU Theater presentation, Swearer shares his thoughts about how to advance your career in the new era of professional learning and introduces us to the Autodesk Knowledge Engine, a tool that observes your workflows, then analyzes and enables you to visualize not only your current level of knowledge, but what you should learn next.

About the speaker

Randy Swearer is the VP of Education Experiences at Autodesk. Prior to that Randy was the Provost at the University of Philadelphia, Dean of Parsons School of Design, and also led the design division in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. He is active on the speaker circuit, focused on the future of learning and higher education. Randy received his PhD in Anthropology and Urban Studies from Union Institute, an MFA in design from Yale University, and a BA from Wesleyan University.

Related learning

Ready for more? Check out this related AU content.

The Future of Learning Things

Dan Chasteen and Justin Benjamin lead an industry talk highlighting the importance of convenience and quick consumption when it comes to on-the-job learning that increases knowledge. Discover a strategy for capturing concise how-to answers about design tools and techniques for advancing your firm’s expertise with Autodesk tools.

Using Technology to Improve Cognition

Humans naturally suffer from more than 200 cognitive biases. They’re natural, we all share them—we developed them through evolution. But they limit us when it comes to design. At the same time, we have numerous distractions draining our cognitive abilities, social media being an important new one. Mickey McManus of Autodesk explores a few of these biases and cognitive drains and explains the work of his team within the Autodesk Office of the CTO to use technology to help designers tune out both the internal and external factors that hold design back.

Good Versus Evil—Is There a Winner in Training Versus Learning

Rebecca Arsham leads an industry talk on training versus learning and how the latter is critical to a company’s success. Discover how to create a company-based learning strategy and how an internal user group can promote learning.