The older I get, the less I believe great education is about content. While content, knowledge and depth of expertise matter, the true heart of teaching lies, well, in the heart.
This was highlighted at a recent cyberpsychology symposium that covered topics centred around human behaviour, technology, games and the future of learning. One particular question posed during the panel discussion lingered long after the session ended: What is one major trait a lecturer must have in this era of technology and artificial intelligence (AI)?
The answer from a seasoned academic on the panel surprised many in the audience: empathy. Judging by the applause, it was an answer many people needed or wanted to hear.
In conversations about modern education, we are constantly talking about AI and how it will transform learning, make learners learn better and teachers teach better.
We now have adaptive learning systems, AI tutors, AI markers, AI-generated lecturing avatars and AI agents that can analyse student learning and engagement through behavioural tracking and facial recognition, among other things.
But despite all these advancements and technology, there remains one thing that AI is still struggling to genuinely replicate – human understanding.
One of the most difficult lessons educators have to learn is this: frustration does not promote effective teaching. When learners struggle to understand a concept, a teacher’s first instinct would either be to repeat or simplify their instructions. They then become more impatient when progress is slow and the student holds up the class.
Yet, some of the most meaningful breakthroughs happen when learners feel psychologically safe enough to fail, repeat and try again without fear, embarrassment or pressure. Everyone learns at a different pace.
Teaching is about understanding why a student who used to perform well suddenly becomes quiet. It is recognising that a student sleeping in class may actually be working night shifts to support their family. It is knowing when to push a student harder and when to ask if they are okay. The student who appears disengaged may actually be struggling with anxiety. What students show on the surface is often not the full story.
As educators, especially after years of teaching, it becomes easy to focus on behaviour rather than the person behind the action. Some of the best lecturers I have ever met were not necessarily the smartest people in the room. They were the ones who made students feel seen, heard and valued. Students rarely remember every slide from a lecture, but they always remember how a lecturer made them feel.
Young people are growing up in a world of constant comparison, instant feedback and digital validation. Social media algorithms reward visibility. Video games reward persistence. Online platforms provide immediate responses to actions and decisions.
Students are no longer just seeking information. They are searching for relevance, identity and a sense that their voices matter.
Ironically, while technology has become more advanced, many young people feel increasingly disconnected emotionally. This is why empathy has become even more important in modern education.
Students today do not necessarily need lecturers who can provide information faster than AI. They need teachers who can explain, inspire confidence, and patiently guide them emotionally through their learning journey.
They need teachers who understand that learning is often tied to fear, confidence, self-worth, social identity, validation, belonging and sometimes even a learner’s quiet internal struggle to feel that they are capable, relevant and seen.
In many ways, the future role of educators may become less about content delivery and more about human connection. AI may eventually teach concepts with incredible efficiency. It may even outperform humans in certain forms of instruction.
But genuine human empathy, which comes from lived experiences, emotional understanding, patience and care, remains something deeply relational. And perhaps that is the biggest irony of our technological age.
The more advanced technology becomes, the more valuable human qualities become. Education was never just about transferring knowledge from one mind to another. At its best, education is about helping another human being believe they are capable of becoming more than they thought possible. No machine, no matter how intelligent, has truly mastered that yet.
With over 25 years of experience across the creative content and game development sectors, Assoc Prof Dr Tan Chin Ike is a pioneer in Malaysia’s game development education. The Computing School head at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) is credited with establishing one of the country’s first dedicated game development programmes.
