Mission Ready: Educator Competencies for new learning Universes

British astronaut Tim Peake* recently wrote:
“We stand on the brink of what will be the most adventurous and exciting decade yet in the history of space flight.”

Peake was reflecting on risky and competitive first space flights to purposeful missions aimed at sustaining life beyond Earth. Space exploration is no longer the preserve of elite pioneers; it’s becoming a multinational, multi-sector endeavour. What once seemed like science fiction is now logistics, planning, design and choices of investment.

Now, try substituting “space flights” with “technology–enhanced education.” 😉

Educators and learners alike stand at the threshold of profound transformation. Over the past decades, technologies from WWW, mobility, online learning and large MOOCs, immersive to AI technologies, reshaped education in different ways; some through widespread adoption, others by signalling new possibilities.

Over the years, our experiences as educators were exhilarating, challenging, and exhausting. While some colleagues questioned the value, sustainability, and cost of innovations, others embraced the spirit of experimentation, recognising the potential to remodel learning for the better.

Challenges are becoming broader and more consequential. The focus has shifted from exploring digital frontiers to designing sustainable, human-centred learning systems; approaches that enable people to thrive, whether in orbit or online. For educators across all sectors, levels, and disciplines, the core questions are evolving. It’s no longer “Can we survive yet another launch?” but “Can we co-create learning environments that are resilient, adaptable, and meaningful in uncertain futures?” Ultimately, it’s about preparing learners for lives not yet understood nor created.

Teaching once centred on delivering content, maintaining classroom control, and guiding learners along qualification routes. Now, like space missions expanding beyond national agendas, learning transcends formal settings and disciplines. Learners operate in rich, tech-augmented ecosystems and expect relevance, agency, affordability, and authenticity. This evolution calls for a recalibration of educator roles—not as add-ons, but as central capacities in a world where humans and machines co-develop.

As astronaut skills evolved from short bursts of exploration to the first orbit, moon landing, space walking, orbital stations to long-term missions, educators too are powerfully developing new identities. These emerging capabilities reflect not only what educators do—but how they inhabit their role in a digitally infused, human-led learning universe. Here are some examples:

1. Digital Collaborator – The Mission Specialist
Like astronauts working across disciplines and technologies, this educator ensures co-creation drives the intentions and aspirations.

2. Ethics Guardian – The Cosmic Conscience
This role ensures transparency, equity, and dignity in tech-enhanced learning spaces.

3. Technology Translator – The Systems Engineer
Bridges the gap by making technology meaningful, powerful– and worth it– for learners and peers.

4. Innovation Orchestrator – The Habitat Designer
Builds sustainable, creative learning habitats, not just tools.

5. Data Storyteller – The Space Analyst
Finds insight in data, shaping decisions and learning pathways.

6. Virtual Culture Builder – The Communications Commander
Builds belonging, trust, and shared purpose across platforms.

7. Continuous Skills Curator – The Adaptive Astronaut
Constantly scans for new capabilities and models to enable agile, transformative learning.

8. Sustainability Strategist – The Planetary Steward
Connects education with broader environmental and social futures, preparing all to create and contribute.

Which direction are you flying?

From Pioneers to Shared Flight Paths

Like that giant leap by Neil Armstrong on the Moon in 1969, the early digital educator was often a lone operator—adapting rapidly, improvising, sometimes isolated. Now, the work is increasingly collective. Networks, shared protocols, and cross-sector collaboration are the new normal. Like modern space agencies coordinating missions across continents, educators co-design environments where learning thrives at scale.

To be clear – I’m sure that this conversion does not diminish the human element—it magnifies it. Emotional intelligence, intercultural awareness, and ethics are not peripheral; they are core to navigating uncertainty and enabling successful relevant learning.

Gravity in the System

Education, like space exploration, operates under very tight resources—undervalued in policy, yet central to human futures. Whether upskilling frontline workers using AI tools, or reaching displaced learners via mobile networks, educators play a pivotal role in keeping opportunities alive and accessible.

As AI increasingly automates delivery, the human dimension grows in importance. Motivating, mentoring, challenging, and designing for possibility and potential—these are not extras. They are the essence of education.

Becoming Future-Capable

Astronauts train in all sorts of ways before they leave the Earth. Educators, too, benefit from dedicated time and space to experiment with new tools, reflect on evolving identities, and connect with peers.

For me progress happens when we:

1. Integrate digital fluency with pedagogical and emotional intelligence.
2. Support educator-led communities for experimentation, feedback, and renewal.
3. Recognise and reward emerging educator roles in tangible ways—from policy to professional growth.

The Human Heart in the Learning Machine

In ‘Space: The Human Story,’ Tim Peake describes gazing back at Earth during his first spacewalk: a fragile blue orb without borders, suspended in darkness. Despite all the machinery that took him to that moment, it was that scene—the human view—that stayed with him. As we build the future of learning, that perspective matters.

We’re no longer asking educators to launch into the unknown alone. We’re inviting them to shape sustainable learning worlds. The circuitry may be digital—but the heart remains unmistakably human.

So – be bold, take risks, and learn from failure. Learn together. Let technology serve meaningful problem-solving. Perhaps today, choose one new competency for the future and work on it?

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Explore new skills, capabilities, and understandings for human educators—and how we can support others—in my OEB 2025 pre-conference workshop:’ Heart and Circuit: Educators for New Futures’.

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Peake, T. (2017, hardback, 2018, soft back).Ask an Astronaut: My Guide to Life in Space. London: Century. Quote from p 120.

Peak, T. Space: The Human Story. (2024). Paperback. Penguin Books.

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Written for OEB Global 2025 by Gilly Salmon.

Professor Salmon is a member of OEB25’s Global Council and is dedicated to transforming education –helping institutions, companies, educators, and learners embrace new possibilities with success, growth, confidence, and creativity.