FROM adapting to shifting policies and financial pressures to navigating the disruption of emerging technologies and battling the impact of climate change on access to education, challenges to learners and educators have been relentless during the last couple of years.
Yet, through it all, one constant remains: the resilience and creativity of educators who continue to innovate and inspire, even in the face of chaos.
Year after year, they keep demonstrating how to transform every wave of uncertainty into a catalyst for innovation and strengthening collaboration.
More interconnected academic environment
While 2024 became the year when some of the leading global higher education providers, such as Canada, Australia and the UK, stiffened their policies around international students — impacting universities’ finances and threatening student mobility and cultural exchange — the sector is strengthening with cross-collaboration and academic integration.
In the Philippines, there are increased efforts to drive the internationalization of higher education through collaborations with foreign institutions, offering joint curricula and degree programs with international partners.
To expand their reach and help create inclusive global learning environments, more institutions are modernizing their virtual learning environments, opting for cloud-based learning management systems (LMS) to enable the development of interactive virtual classrooms and hybrid learning environments that can attract students worldwide.
The inclusion this year of more Philippine universities in global rankings not only boosts the country’s academic reputation but also attracts international students, researchers and funding.
Institutions like the University of Santo Tomas have actively engaged in international platforms, such as the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) 2024 conference, to showcase their global collaborations and exchange programs, further enhancing their international profile.
In the same way, universities like Far Eastern University are using platforms like Canvas LMS to support their internationalization agenda, facilitating communication and engagement with faculty members in the Philippines and abroad.
Consistency in learning experience through edtech
As university partnerships increase in 2025, using the same LMS at each institution will become more important to ensure consistency, enhance accessibility and facilitate student mobility.
This allows institutions to work together more efficiently and provide consistent, high-quality educational delivery. It ensures that all students have access to the same resources regardless of location, helping reduce educational gaps.
This also means institutions have the necessary tools to meet students where they are with technology.
With every new partnership and alliance, the key will be to focus on the student user experience, ensuring engaging content and intentional hybrid course design.
Furthermore, options to improve mobility and flexibility will keep evolving as tools for offline access to courses will become a priority to support those with limited access to the internet.
The concept of lifelong learning is being increasingly embraced, emphasizing the need for individuals to upskill and reskill to adapt to rapid societal and technological changes.
Consistency through modern virtual learning environments will be crucial for institutions and employers to streamline learning and credentialing processes that can reduce the skill gap.
This shift in how we perceive education reinforces the need for universities to modernize to provide lifelong learning options.
This requires moving from self-hosted solutions to working with SaaS-based LMSs that can scale and securely leverage the microcredentials, badges and certificates that students need to succeed in a dynamic and fast-changing global workforce.
AI literacy to empower educators
The global race to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into education is accelerating, and for the Philippines, the stakes are clear: prioritizing AI literacy is no longer optional; it is essential.
Universities must urgently equip students, educators, and administrators with the knowledge and skills to harness AI to ensure the country’s educational institutions remain competitive and resilient in a rapidly changing world.
Incorporating AI into Philippine educational settings offers transformative opportunities, from personalizing learning experiences and automating administrative tasks to providing adaptive assessments and enhancing teaching efficiency and student engagement.
However, the path forward is not without challenges.
As more higher education institutions (HEIs) continue developing guidelines to regulate AI usage, prioritizing AI literacy for educators and students will become increasingly critical next year.
Training will be more important than ever to equip educators with the necessary tools to address some of the most pressing problems institutions face with the use of AI, such as the loss of student information and educators’ intellectual property, the spread of fake videos and images, the propagation of false news, biases in systems, and issues related to academic integrity and evaluation.
The more educators learn, the better they will be able to prepare students to consider the thoughtful use of AI, leading to more positive outcomes around the technology, both in and out of the classroom.
More AI topics are expected to be integrated into curriculums, with subjects or courses addressing AI’s ethical and social implications in various academic programs to ensure students understand the opportunities and risks associated with different sectors and industries.
In 2025, there will also be an increase in the number of AI-powered tools for education.
This will make it critical for Philippine institutions to work with educators and administrative staff to understand what is included in AI-powered products or tools, where to find that information, and how to use it to make informed decisions.
This will ensure that each tool meets the organization’s AI standards and serves its intended purpose.
Embracing data for personalized learning
While lack of training and professional development have been some of the challenges educators face in feeling confident about using data to improve student outcomes, new AI-powered tools are simplifying data queries to help educators and administrators make informed, actionable decisions by accessing data using natural language rather than specialized knowledge.
More institutions are expected to become better equipped in 2025 to leverage data analytics tools.
This will empower educators to take advantage of conversational AI-powered tools embedded in their LMS and allow them to ask questions about their student’s performance and collect data to help them identify trends, spot at-risk students, and create personalized learning pathways and materials to improve student success.
With AI literacy in place, educators will be better equipped to leverage the data analytics tools that will personalize learning and improve student outcomes.
Education in AI evolution
Currently, the most transformative times in education’s history are happening.
While it seems overwhelming, collaboration among institutions and educators will allow Philippine institutions to embrace the new opportunities.
The rising demand for digital skills in the job market will also incentivize universities to incorporate AI-driven tools to support lifelong learning and professional development.
New careers and jobs will be created, while some will become obsolete but teachers will persist.
Their role will keep evolving, and their presence will remain essential. AI cannot replicate the magic of human intuition, empathy, and passion that characterizes their profession.
The true future of education lies in blending the best of what AI offers with the uniquely human qualities that transform knowledge into action and action into opportunity.
Ryan Lufkin is the vice president of Global Academic Strategy at Instructure, where he works to enhance the academic experience for educators and learners worldwide. Check his LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlufkin/.
