{"686265":{"#nid":"686265","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Dean Bill Gaudelli Calls for a New Focus on Learning Quality and Lifelong Engagement","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Dean Bill Gaudelli addressed national leaders from higher education, business, and government at the Business\u2013Higher Education Forum Fall 2025 Convening, offering a candid assessment of how universities can better meet the evolving needs of learners and employers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re at a watershed moment,\u201d Gaudelli said. \u201cThe value proposition of higher education is under interrogation nationally and boldly in a way that it has not been in my lifetime.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaudelli explained that the College of Lifetime Learning, Georgia Tech\u2019s newest academic unit, reflects an institutional commitment to place learning at the center of the university\u2019s mission.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe College of Lifetime Learning is an effort on the part of a top-tier research and technical institute\u2014Georgia Tech\u2014to reposition the value of higher education vis-\u00e0-vis the marketplace and in relationship to communities in need. It\u2019s a big bet,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDrawing from his early career as a classroom teacher, Gaudelli questioned higher education\u2019s long-standing assumption that learning automatically happens when an expert speaks and others listen\u2014an assumption he called \u201ca fundamentally flawed premise.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s not actually about the teaching\u2014it\u2019s always and everywhere about the learning,\u201d he said. \u201cHow do we center on the learner experience so that when learning occurs, it\u2019s durable, meaningful, purposeful, and has an outcome that is demonstrable in the world?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe highlighted the importance of metacognition\u2014the ability to think about how one learns and to apply knowledge in new contexts\u2014as a core skill that makes learning resilient and transferable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaudelli also called for universities to rethink design principles for courses and programs. Effective learning, he noted, depends on clarity of purpose, timely feedback, modeling, and opportunities for application\u2014whether in traditional classrooms, online settings, or through partnerships with employers and communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have to get better at learning,\u201d Gaudelli said. \u201cWe\u2019re already meeting learners where they are, and we look forward to partnerships with all of you in delivering on that value proposition\u2014because Georgia Tech alone cannot meet this challenge. We all have to.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy hosting the BHEF Fall 2025 Convening, the College of Lifetime Learning reinforced its mission to connect research, technology, and collaboration in service of high-quality learning that empowers people to grow and adapt throughout their lives.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESpeaking at the Business\u2013Higher Education Forum (BHEF) Fall 2025 Convening, hosted at Georgia Tech\u2019s Global Learning Center, College of Lifetime Learning Dean Bill Gaudelli explored how institutions can strengthen the real value of higher education. Building on remarks by President \u00c1ngel Cabrera the previous day, Gaudelli emphasized that universities must design experiences that foster true learning\u2014rooted in reflection, adaptability, and partnership\u2014so that knowledge remains durable and useful across a lifetime.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Dean Bill Gaudelli urged higher-education leaders to reimagine how learning happens and how universities can serve learners at every stage of life during the Business\u2013Higher Education Forum Fall 2025 Convening."}],"uid":"36756","created_gmt":"2025-11-06 18:58:23","changed_gmt":"2025-11-14 22:44:30","author":"jalderman3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-11-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-11-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"660375","name":"Lifetime Learning"}],"categories":[{"id":"139","name":"Business"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"194609","name":"Industry"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"},{"id":"194612","name":"Workforce Development"}],"keywords":[{"id":"193940","name":"college of lifetime learning"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}