I’m Professor Alejandro (Ale) Armellini, Dean of Education and Digital Innovation at the University of Portsmouth. My academic journey spans language teaching, learning design, institutional capacity building, online learning and learning innovation, at scale, in its multiple forms.

Prior to joining Portsmouth, I held leadership roles in learning and teaching at the University of Northampton and before that, I worked at the universities of Leicester, Manchester and Kent, as well as overseas. In my current role, I lead pedagogic change at an institutional level and work with multiple stakeholders to enhance the student experience and the meaningful integration of digital technologies in learning, teaching and assessment.

Here’s a concept that’s often used with good intentions but is ultimately flawed: “future-proofing” students. It’s an attractive notion that revolves around equipping learners with the right tools and mindset to face an unpredictable world. I argue that the term itself is misleading and distracts us from the core role of universities. The seductive promise of future-proofing suggests that we can anticipate and prepare graduates for every challenge they might face. 

The impact of generative AI, automation and shifting labour market demands, among other factors, makes it unrealistic to prepare students for every possible future scenario. Rather than over-promising and under-delivering, we need to do something simpler, harder, yet more effective: teach well, consistently well – every student, every session, every time.

Cutting through the noise of institutional marketing slogans and hyperbole, where learning at every university is “life-changing”, “cutting-edge”, “outstanding”, or (my personal favourite) “unique”, we’re left with a core responsibility: to create the environment and conditions for high-quality learning. This means encouraging students to engage critically, take risks and grow through success and failure. A university must foster meaningful, intentional teaching and learning. It must be a place for deliberate, thoughtful, challenging and inclusive learning and knowledge creation.

A strong foundation for facing an uncertain future is the capacity to think clearly, adapt responsibly, learn reflectively and act with purpose. These attributes emerge when students are truly engaged in their learning. Not just compliant or present, but actively involved, curious, autonomous and self-aware. Engagement means much more than showing up or handing in assessments. It involves initiative, a sense of purpose, action, reflection, responsiveness and resilience. These qualities require consistent effort from both staff and students. Crucially, they require staff to model engagement themselves.

If we as educators disengage from the craft of teaching or otherwise do it badly, we have little ground to stand on when lamenting student apathy. We must ask ourselves: what does my own engagement look like? Can I evidence it? Am I learning, adapting and reflecting too?

After completing my psychology degree and studying child development, I moved to the University of Lincoln to do my masters in developmental psychology. I worked in the international student department while completing my degree, and that’s where my journey in student services really began.

This reciprocal engagement becomes even more important when we consider student-staff partnerships. Much is said about co-creation, collaboration and shared ownership in higher education. These ideas are powerful, but they are not universally embraced by all students. Some do not want to be “partners” or “equals” (and they tell us, loud and clear!).

Many prefer to take a back seat, not because they are lazy, but because they are uncertain or do not see the value in such forms of “engagement”. Not all students will leap at the chance to co-design a curriculum or collaborate with academics in the creation of assessment strategies or rubrics. However, we must keep those doors open by inviting them, offering a rationale and providing meaningful ways to join in. 

Many students wonder how their degree will serve them in a world of automation, precarious employment and general uncertainty around career paths, personal values and societal roles. They know that future-proofing is a false promise, a myth. What isn’t a myth is the power of teaching well, consistently well. It’s this that helps students build the mindset and develop the attributes they’ll need for an uncertain future. True staff engagement in their teaching is essential. When it comes to partnerships, we must recognise that reciprocity isn’t guaranteed: they must be nurtured, built on purpose, value and mutual respect.

Universities won’t protect students from the unknown, but they must prepare them to face it with confidence, curiosity and resilience. That is our task.

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