ABSTRACT

Learning and education are experiencing a period of profound transformation. Phenomena such as globalization, increasing trends to outsource high-level cognitive tasks, and the need to participate effectively in addressing complex world problems are changing how we think, learn, work, and collaborate. New knowledge and skills for students entering work environments require collaborations with experts from multiple fields, the pursuit of several career paths, and interaction with people from diverse backgrounds. These changes create new educational demands: learners need to be educated for a diverse, technical, problem-oriented world that does not yet exist. Meta-design represents a theoretical framework, supported by innovative information and communication technologies, in which learners of all ages can pursue topics of interest and take responsibility for their own education by empowering them to thrive and participate as co-designers in collaborative environments with ever-changing disciplinary boundaries.