Open Education in Practice

With every advance in AI, educators and learners around the world are unsure where things are heading. The open source community is no exception. AI tools now write code that students once spent semesters learning to write. Entry-level roles are shifting. Nobody has a clear answer for what a computer science degree should prepare students for.

This talk starts with the evidence. Anthropic's 2026 labour market report points to slower hiring at the entry level in AI-exposed fields. I’ll use the example of a barbell split that shows which roles are growing and which are shrinking, and establish how the same pattern is visible in developer careers.

AI does not understand the real world. That makes it more important to give educators and learners the agency to shape their own journeys. Students should leave college as more than people who can write code or know only their major.

The talk proposes small, practical changes built on four pillars: open software, open education, open research, and open culture. Student groups lead the work, FOSS United provides guidance, and faculty oversee where needed. The timing is right as NEP 2020 encourages multidisciplinary learning, and many institutions are already revising curricula in response to AI.

The talk will also mark the public announcement of the FOSS United education working group. It closes with an open invitation for institutions, faculty and students to join.

1. What current labour market evidence says about entry-level tech careers, and what it does not.

2. Why real-world, non-trivial problems are where students can stay relevant.

3. How NEP 2020 and AI-driven curriculum reviews create an opening for change in Indian institutions.

4. A four-pillar model for bringing openness into curricula: open software, open education, open research, and open culture.

5. How a Digital Commons elective can work in practice, with student groups leading and faculty overseeing.

6. How institutions and student groups can join FOSS United's education working group.