Abstract—The world of higher education is being transformed by three forces addressing three fundamental aspects of education: access to high quality education; models for how the mind works, and what its capabilities and limitations are; and the use of technology for the implementation of pedagogical strategies that will lead to optimal learning experiences. This article reviews: some of the major changes is online access to higher education around the world; the fundamental ideas that cognitive sciences and computation are advancing for a new educational system; and a set of specific examples where this access and these methodologies are being implemented in the real world.

Index Terms—Computational thinking, online education, cognitive sciences, lifelong learning teaching.