Applied beats imagined

In the programs my team and I developed with higher-ed institutions, the ones that consistently received the most appreciation were those that blended academic rigor with industry relevance. Faculty brought the theoretical foundation. Industry leaders brought real-world application. That’s where the value was created.

And with the current rush to upskill in AI, I think this blend is even more critical.

Academia, by design, leans toward theory. But AI demands hands-on experimentation. Knowing about a tool isn’t the same as knowing how to use it, and more important is knowing where it breaks, where it shines, and how it fits into actual workflows.

Even schools are jumping on the AI training bandwagon. But I think the challenge is this:

Teachers can’t teach it meaningfully unless they’ve used it meaningfully.

It’s easy to watch a few videos and pass that information along to students. I’ve done that myself. But that’s a far cry from being able to guide them through real, applied learning.

In school we spoke a lot about Photoshop but at the end of the year, all we knew was how to draw shapes in MS Paint. Huge difference.

In college, we spoke a lot about professional communication, but hardly anybody knew how to write emails to recruiters. No real ability.

True enablement doesn’t come from talking about possibility. It comes from doing, testing, failing, and figuring things out.

That’s real learning. That's where confidence is built.