Responding to Our World Challenges

In face of the overwhelming arrival of a mass of young people on the job market and in an era characterized by the acceleration of technological progress, climate change, the advent of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), and the rise of populism, this book attempts to build the case for designing and developing worldwide open eLearning infrastructures to raise awareness about development sustainability, preparing the mass of young people to the 4IR, and building a kind of understanding of the world. The traditional education system, ingrained in an accumulation of learning system that values existing knowledge and aims at shaping the mind to fit an antiquated approach for communicating and behaving, cannot prepare young people for the challenges the world is facing, the 4IR, and societal transformation. 

The world must consider education, knowledge and awareness as a game changer for future challenges. The current crisis triggered by COVID-19 represents an unprecedented occasion for the world to build open eLearning infrastructures to counter the challenges the world is facing. It is a great opportunity not to be missed: to use disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, and data science to respond quickly to the dangers of dormant and latent viruses that may wake up with climate change. If we get education right for everyone then we will escape the traps of climate change, technological unemployment, exponential growth of the world population, and populism. With two, three, or four billion well educated minds, we can protect ourselves and our planet. That is why we have to rise to meet future challenges with Open eLearning Infrastructures at zero cost - for all, worldwide.