Emerging technologies and the teaching profession: Ethical and pedagogical considerations based on near-future scenarios

Will today’s emerging technologies impact the teaching profession in the future? Which parts of the teaching tasks or learning processes could be substituted, enhanced and transformed through automatisation, algorithms and machines? To help educational stakeholders with strategic reflection and anticipatory thinking, eight future-oriented scenarios are outlined using foresight methods. The aim of the scenarios is to see the future as something to shape. These near-future scenarios aim to solve a number of problems that educators of today say prevent them from delivering quality education and training. They take place in classrooms, lecture halls, training centres and digital learning environments in which emerging technologies could be used to support educators in their profession. Key challenges emerging from the scenarios relate to ethical considerations (e.g. balance between human autonomy and machines, datafication of education, pedagogical models) and the evolving competence requirements of teaching professionals. At the end of the report, a number of insights for policy reflection are raised. They aim to prompt the need today to discuss the future role of emerging technologies in education and training, and their impact on the teaching profession.JRC.B.4-Human Capital and Employmen