Episode Details

What happens when the semester ends and you finally have a moment to look back at what just happened? In this episode, Sean and Andrew sit down for an honest, reflective conversation about what it actually looks like to teach at a university in 2025 — not the polished version you hear at conferences, but the messy, exhausting, exhilarating reality of it. Sean just wrapped three compressed courses in seven weeks — all new — and uses the moment to reflect on how AI tools, especially vibe coding, quietly transformed parts of his teaching practice this semester. From building interactive HTML primers in 20 minutes to vibe coding a fully functional Jeopardy review game for graduate students, these weren't flashy demonstrations of technology — they were bridges built in real time to meet students where they actually were. But the conversation goes deeper than tools. Sean and Andrew explore why teaching remains fundamentally relational — why trust between instructor and student is the real infrastructure that makes AI use in the classroom work (or not). They wrestle with the difference between access to information and genuine learning, why modeling what it means to be a knowledge professional matters more than ever, and why the push to scale education through AI agents misses something essential about how humans actually learn. Woven through it all is a quiet appreciation for educators at every level — from the chemistry professor with chalk-dusted elbow patches to the K-12 teachers holding entire communities together. This isn't a roadmap for AI in education. It's a semester's worth of hard-won insight, offered with warmth, humor, and the kind of honesty that only comes when the grades are finally in.

-----

Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.edu

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFutura

Follow us on Instagram: @ModemFutura

Host Bios:

Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU Bio
Sean is an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is the Executive Director for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.

Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU Bio
Andrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.

-----