How Tech and Education are Evolving Together

Alex Sarlin, Senior Advisor, Product for Cambiar Education

Alex Sarlin serves as a Senior Advisor, Product for Cambiar Education, bringing nearly two decades of expertise in education technology and instructional design. His career spans impactful roles at leading organizations such as Coursera, Scholastic, and Newton, where he drove innovations in adaptive learning, career preparation, and instructional media. At Cambiar Education, Alex collaborates on initiatives that address educational inequity, leveraging his diverse experience to empower ventures across K-12 and higher education. He also leads EdTech Insiders, fostering a vibrant community of thought leaders, educators, and investors to advance the EdTech industry.

Bridging the STEM Speed Gap

The biggest challenge in STEM education is keeping up with the breakneck speed of technological and engineering advancements. Science and mathematics, while foundational and evergreen, evolve more slowly compared to the rapid innovation in technology and engineering, where tools, techniques and programming languages change constantly.

Bundling these fields under the STEM umbrella creates a mismatch. Teaching core scientific principles like the scientific method is vastly different from equipping students to navigate fast-changing tech landscapes. This gap leaves educators struggling to match the pace of innovation.

Even well-trained graduates often require continuous upskilling to remain competitive. Worse still, many students, particularly internationally, graduate with outdated knowledge that fails to align with industry demands, making it difficult for them to secure relevant jobs. The challenge lies in closing this gap between the speed of technological progress and the slower evolution of education systems.

The AI Era: Redefining Technology Education

What excites me most about technology right now is how artificial intelligence is reshaping how we create and use tech products. For decades, being a technologist required learning to code—a task that created high barriers to entry. While tools like no-code platforms and WYSIWYG editors have simplified things, AI is taking this to a whole new level. Today, even major tech companies rely on AI for significant coding tasks.

This shift means the focus is moving away from memorizing coding languages toward understanding what technology can achieve. It’s about crafting ideas, sourcing data, and ensuring usability rather than spending years mastering syntax. While coding skills will still hold value, AI lowers the barriers for everyone. This transformation is making it possible for people to build apps, systems, and products without a coding background, fundamentally changing how we approach STEM education and innovation.

"STEM education is on the brink of a major shift, especially in K-12. Traditionally, we’ve followed a skill-based approach—building up from basic arithmetic to advanced mathematics. But with advancements in technology, we may finally transition to a purpose-driven, project-based model of teaching"

Project-Driven Learning: The Future of STEM Education

STEM education is on the brink of a major shift, especially in K-12. Traditionally, we’ve followed a skillbased approach—building up from basic arithmetic to advanced mathematics. But with advancements in technology, we may finally transition to a purpose-driven, project-based model of teaching. This approach has long been a dream for educators but was hindered by a lack of trained teachers and rigid standards.

Now, new technologies are enabling educators to teach in more engaging ways, aligning learning with real-world applications. This shift could even address longstanding inequities in STEM. Barriers like extensive coding requirements have limited diversity in tech fields for generations. But as these barriers fall, we’ll see more students from diverse backgrounds entering engineering and technology. Kids today grow up surrounded by apps and social media, and now, their creativity can shape the future of STEM without the steep learning curve of traditional coding.

From Coding to Creating a Better World

When I think about the future of STEM education, I envision a fundamental shift. For years, it’s been about the “how”—how to code, how to build a product, how to create technology. But I hope we’re moving toward a space where the focus shifts to the “why” and the “what.” What kind of world do we want to create? What problems do we want to solve? By stepping back and asking these bigger questions, STEM education can become about purpose rather than just skill accumulation.

Imagine flipping the process. Instead of piling mathematical and technological skills on top of each other to land a job, students could start with their goals. What do they want to accomplish in their community, in society, or in the world? Then, they learn the specific tools in math, technology, or engineering needed to make those goals a reality. This shift could make STEM feel more meaningful and less about becoming the next big tech entrepreneur.

I like to think of it as moving from the early days of car manufacturing—where competition and individual success ruled—to today’s approach to cars, which considers safety, sustainability, and collective progress. STEM can evolve the same way, becoming a collaborative, accessible tool for everyone.

Redefining Success in STEM Education

If I had to share one piece of advice, it would be to zoom out and take a broader view of how technology has evolved. Question the foundational assumptions of STEM education. Instead of clinging to the old “start from scratch” approach, imagine a world where skillsets can be easily built upon— similar to how the internet revolutionized access to information.

We’re heading into an era where advanced tools, training, and even no-code platforms will be widely accessible. This shift can fundamentally change how we teach STEM. Instead of dragging students through years of rote learning—think quadratic formulas and “hello world” programs—why not equip them to create meaningful projects sooner?

STEM has alienated many who feel “not good at math.” But with AI, voice, images, and other tech, we have the chance to make it inclusive and transformative—if we dare to break from the past.

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