TITLE:
Beyond Problem-Solving: The Future of Learning in an AI-Driven World
AUTHORS:
Lawrence R. Burns
KEYWORDS:
Generative AI, Higher Education, Deep Learning, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Fluid Intelligence, Epistemic Curiosity
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.16 No.4,
April
22,
2025
ABSTRACT: As generative AI becomes increasingly integrated into higher education, its influence is reshaping what it means to learn, teach, and think. This paper questions whether education should continue prioritizing problem-solving in an era where machines excel at it. Drawing from constructivist theory, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model of intelligence, the paper proposes a shift from utilitarian models of learning to a framework that emphasizes conceptual agility, dialectical reasoning, and meaning-making. We explore how AI may alter cognitive development, risk passive knowledge acquisition, and deepen achievement gaps—while also offering opportunities for enhanced scaffolded learning. Ultimately, this paper argues for a human-centered, inquiry-based model of education that redefines learning beyond the mastery of problems toward the cultivation of imagination, ethical reasoning, and epistemic curiosity.