From Know-It-All to Learn-It-All: Rebuilding Cognitive Capital in the Age of AI

As researchers and academics tracking the bleeding edge of AI anticipate a coming transition, what some are calling a pedagogical singularity, higher education faces a choice: cling to the "know-it-all" posture of institutions defending their expertise, or embrace the "learn-it-all" posture and an abundance mindset. Drawing on The Learn-It-All Educator, this session introduces practical frameworks (Cognitive Triage, the FLUFF/SPARK model, the Cognitive Gym) for using AI to build rather than weaken student and faculty thinking capacity. It also proposes ways to invest in and protect cognitive capital, and to design learning for post-singularity institutions through cognitive sustainability. Participants will leave with concrete strategies for identifying, protecting, and diversifying cognitive capital in their own courses and departments.

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