From Measuring Memory to Measuring Thinking: How Simulation-Based Learning Could Reshape Higher Education

As artificial intelligence continues reshaping the workforce, higher education faces growing pressure to demonstrate its value beyond content mastery. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, employers expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change or become outdated by 2030, while 69% identify analytical thinking as the most essential workforce skill. As a result, employers are increasingly prioritizing critical thinking, communication, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities—capabilities that AI cannot easily replicate.

If employers care less about what students can memorize and more about how they think, how can colleges effectively measure and develop those durable human skills at scale?

On this episode of Signals in Higher Ed, host Darin Francis sits down with Chad Wilson, Founder and CEO of immersionED, to explore how AI-powered simulations are creating new opportunities for experiential learning. Wilson shares his journey from studying history and classics to founding an education technology company focused on immersive, adaptive learning experiences. Together, they discuss how simulation-based learning can bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and workforce readiness while offering institutions new ways to assess student growth.

Key takeaways from the conversation…

• Simulation-based learning is helping students develop real-world skills faster than traditional instructional methods, particularly among students who have historically struggled in conventional academic environments.
• Generative AI has unlocked a new era of scalable experiential learning, enabling adaptive simulations that respond dynamically to student decisions rather than relying on predetermined pathways.
• The future of assessment may be a dynamic skills transcript, allowing institutions to track and measure critical thinking, communication, empathy, and problem-solving across courses, disciplines, and career pathways.

Chad Wilson is the Founder & CEO of immersionED, a Techstars-backed edtech startup building AI-powered adaptive simulations that measure learners’ reasoning, decision-making, and competencies in real time. He brings a rare mix of education, product, venture, and finance experience, having worked as a high school history teacher, EdTech investing intern at Owl Ventures, and investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley. His career highlights include growing immersionED to roughly 4,000 school signups, raising funding from angels and accelerators, partnering with organizations such as Arizona State University, The Gilder Lehrman Institute, and NVIDIA, and improving student engagement and test scores through game-based learning.

Article written by MarketScale.