Auburn University

Phil Chansler has over four decades of experience across military service, operations management, higher education and engineering. His background in military service and academia has shaped his perspective on continuous learning, workforce development and professional education.

A Strong Foundation in Continuous Learning

I am a retired Air Force officer with more than 40 years of experience across active-duty and civil service roles. The last 20 years of that journey were in academics, including serving as a professor at the Air University in Montgomery, Alabama. My background is in engineering and acquisition, with a focus on bringing new military systems into operation and testing them. During those years, I realized that people have to know exactly what they are doing because it can become a matter of life or death.

That experience shaped my perspective on continuous learning. I strongly believe in the idea of lifelong learning and encourage others to continue improving in what they do.

A lot of my work in teaching operations management focuses on improving processes and becoming more efficient. Whether in military or commercial environments, people often tend to get things done at all costs without fully thinking through the process or where the resources should be applied. Continuous learning helps people become more effective, efficient and resourceconscious.

Technology and Effective Workforce Training

Technology is playing a major role in professional development and workforce training. One of the projects I am involved in focuses on workforce training for the electric vehicle industry and battery technology. People entering that workforce often come from internal combustion vehicle backgrounds, but the skills required to work with electric vehicles and battery technology are very different.

Training is necessary to help workers transition to these new roles. AI-assisted training makes learning look more like the actual work people will be expected to do.

Traditional video-based training does not always keep people engaged for long periods. Immersive methods like digital twins and virtual reality allow learners to interact with equipment and processes in realistic settings and create a practical learning experience.

At the same time, humans must remain a part of the learning process. Technology can make training more realistic, but interaction with experienced professionals is important. The ability to ask questions, discuss decisions and understand the nuances behind the work matters a lot.

Evolving Learning Models

Expectations in how people learn and develop expertise are changing. Traditional lecture-based instruction is evolving as learners enter classrooms with pre-conceived ideas and specific interests they want to explore further. There is also increasing interest in stackable credentials, digital badges and other forms of micro-credentials.

In some industries, a portfolio of stackable credentials may be more useful than a traditional degree path. They can help people build expertise that they can bring to the work they want to pursue. My current work is heavily connected to manufacturing, where there is a range of certifications people can be interested in and what their jobs may call for.

Advice for Emerging Education Leaders

Training and curricula should be designed to be as realistic as possible, so that learners can walk straight into the work they are expected to do.

Emerging educational professionals must also recognize the importance of adapting learning to individual interests while still guiding learners toward the broader objectives they are trying to teach. Technology will continue to evolve, but interaction, engagement and practical application remain essential to meaningful learning experiences.

People have to keep getting better at what they do in order to meet mission requirements and perform work in a safe, effective and efficient manner.