| | APRIL 20258IN MY OPINION By Alex Sarlin, Senior Advisor, Product, Cambiar EducationHOW TECH AND EDUCATION ARE EVOLVING TOGETHERAlex 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 GapThe 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 Worse still, many students, particularly internationally, graduate with outdated knowledge that fails to align with industry demands, making it difficult for them to secure relevant jobs.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 EducationWhat 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.Project-Driven Learning: The Future of STEM EducationSTEM 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,
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