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AI, Power Skills, and the New Digital Learner: Rethinking Higher Ed with Westcliff University
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In this episode, host Kelsey Peterson sits down with Dr. Ying Iverson, Chief Academic Officer at Westcliff University, to explore how higher education is evolving for today’s global, digital-first learners. Dr. Iverson shares what she’s seeing across Westcliff’s worldwide student population from rising expectations for flexibility and mobile learning to the growing influence of AI on study habits, assessment, and faculty roles.
The conversation digs into why power skills like communication, critical thinking, and collaboration matter more than ever and how universities can embed them authentically into online and hybrid environments. Dr. Iverson also unpacks how stackable credentials, transfer-friendly pathways, and microlearning can support working adults while still preserving the deep value of a degree.
Whether you're rethinking curriculum design, exploring AI’s impact on learning, or imagining a more student-centered future, this episode offers a grounded, forward-looking view of what higher ed can become.
Key Moments
01:17 What today’s digital learners expect flexibility, accessibility, and bite-sized content
03:54 AI as a “jetpack” and a crutch helping students use it ethically and effectively
09:57 How AI is used for research, reading expansion, and formative assessment
11:20 How faculty roles are shifting from “knowledge keepers” to facilitators and co-creators
19:13 Building critical thinking through multi-AI analysis assignments
20:50 Communication, group work, and collaboration in digital learning environments
24:11 The core competencies remain the same even as context changes
24:57 Stackable credentials, transfer credit, and meeting adult learners where they are
28:20 Rethinking pathways: designing flexible, modular systems for real student needs
32:28 Recognizing experience, validating prior learning, and building student-centered systems
Why You’ll Love This Episode
If you care about the future of higher education especially for working adults and global learners this conversation offers a refreshing and practical perspective. Dr. Iverson explains how universities can embrace AI without losing academic integrity, how power skills can be woven into digital programs, and why flexibility and transfer pathways matter more than ever. You’ll walk away with clear, actionable ideas for building programs that are both innovative and deeply human-centered.
Connect with Dr. Ying Iverson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ying-iverson-ph-d-66bb742b
Website: https://www.westcliff.edu/about-westcliff/leadership/ying-iverson-ph-d/
Follow Us On
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-peterson-b80171142/
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kyronlearning/
Company Website: https://www.kyronlearning.com/
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