From DSC:
Interesting fodder for thought, for sure. Thanks Stefan.
On 10/17/2023,
in adjunct faculty, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), business side of he, colleges, community colleges, faculty, higher education, United States, universities,
by Daniel Christian
2024 EDUCAUSE Top 10: Institutional Resilience — from educause.edu
.
On 10/16/2023,
in adjunct faculty, blended learning, business side of he, changing business models, colleges, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, faculty, funding / grants, higher education, hybrid learning, instructional design, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, online learning, online media, pedagogy, teaching & learning, United States, universities, using teams,
by Daniel Christian
Regional Colleges Saw Biggest Application Gains After Tuition Resets — from insidehighered.com by Kathryn Palmer
A new report compared post-reset application growth at nationally known and regional institutions.
Dozens of colleges and universities have dropped their sticker prices for tuition over the past decade, even as research has shown that tuition resets have a nominal influence on long-term enrollment increases. But a report released this week shows that regional colleges were more likely than nationally known institutions to see increases in applications after a reset.
“Students are more focused now on return on investment than they used to be,” said Devon McGee, a principal at Kennedy & Company, the higher education consulting firm that produced the report. Compared to bigger-name colleges, “A lot of these regional institutions are great liberal arts–type institutions, but they are less associated—fairly or unfairly—with preparing students for a job.”
Why hybrid learning needs hybrid faculties — from timeshighereducation.com by An Jacobs & Norma Rossi
Online courses should be integrated into everyday faculty functions to improve remote and in-person classes as well as the overall student experience
DC: Sounds like a team-based appt to me; something I’ve long advocated for. https://t.co/qkQhl98bQI
— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) October 13, 2023
On 10/11/2023,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, change, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, communications, community colleges, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, emerging technologies, faculty, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, languages and translation, learning ecosystem, Microsoft, productivity / tips and tricks, programming, society, the downsides of how people use tech, tools, trends, United States, universities, workplace, writing,
by Daniel Christian
DC: Reminds me of an upcoming “feature” I just read about. Trust is already a fragile thing. Are we sure we want this?!
A person’s image & voice can already be mimicked. Now add their communications to the growing list as well?
“Just because we can…”https://t.co/D4t8QHmbeO
— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) October 11, 2023
Next month Microsoft Corp. will start making its artificial intelligence features for Office widely available to corporate customers. Soon after, that will include the ability for it to read your emails, learn your writing style and compose messages on your behalf.
From DSC:
As readers of this blog know, I’m generally pro-technology. I see most technologies as tools — which can be used for good or for ill. So I will post items both pro and con concerning AI.
But outsourcing email communications to AI isn’t on my wish list or to-do list.
On 10/09/2023,
in adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, curriculum, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, Google, higher education, instructional design, intelligent systems, IT in HE, leadership, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, pace of change, personalized/customized learning, platforms, policy, strategy, teachers, teaching & learning, trends, United States, universities, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
180 Degree Turn: NYC District Goes From Banning ChatGPT to Exploring AI’s Potential — from edweek.org by Alyson Klein (behind paywall)
New York City Public Schools will launch an Artificial Intelligence Policy Lab to guide the nation’s largest school district’s approach to this rapidly evolving technology.
The Leader’s Blindspot: How to Prepare for the Real Future — from preview.mailerlite.io by the AIEducator
The Commonly Held Belief: AI Will Automate Only Boring, Repetitive Tasks First
The Days of Task-Based Views on AI Are Numbered
The winds of change are sweeping across the educational landscape (emphasis DSC):
- Multifaceted AI: AI technologies are not one-trick ponies; they are evolving into complex systems that can handle a variety of tasks.
- Rising Expectations: As technology becomes integral to our lives, the expectations for personalised, efficient education are soaring.
- Skill Transformation: Future job markets will demand a different skill set, one that is symbiotic with AI capabilities.
Teaching: How to help students better understand generative AI — from chronicle.com by Beth McMurtrie
Beth describes ways professors have used ChatGPT to bolster critical thinking in writing-intensive courses
Kevin McCullen, an associate professor of computer science at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, teaches a freshman seminar about AI and robotics. As part of the course, students read Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots, by John Markoff. McCullen had the students work in groups to outline and summarize the first three chapters. Then he showed them what ChatGPT had produced in an outline.
“Their version and ChatGPT’s version seemed to be from two different books,” McCullen wrote. “ChatGPT’s version was essentially a ‘laundry list’ of events. Their version was narratives of what they found interesting. The students had focused on what the story was telling them, while ChatGPT focused on who did what in what year.” The chatbot also introduced false information, such as wrong chapter names.
The students, he wrote, found the writing “soulless.”
7 Questions with Dr. Cristi Ford, VP of Academic Affairs at D2L — from campustechnology.com by Rhea Kelly
In the Wild West of generative AI, educators and institutions are working out how best to use the technology for learning. How can institutions define AI guidelines that allow for experimentation while providing students with consistent guidance on appropriate use of AI tools?
To find out, we spoke with Dr. Cristi Ford, vice president of academic affairs at D2L. With more than two decades of educational experience in nonprofit, higher education, and K-12 institutions, Ford works with D2L’s institutional partners to elevate best practices in teaching, learning, and student support. Here, she shares her advice on setting and communicating AI policies that are consistent and future-ready.
AI Platform Built by Teachers, for Teachers, Class Companion Raises $4 Million to Tap Into the Power of Practice — from prweb.com
“If we want to use AI to improve education, we need more teachers at the table,” said Avery Pan, Class Companion co-founder and CEO. “Class Companion is designed by teachers, for teachers, to harness the most sophisticated AI and improve their classroom experience. Developing technologies specifically for teachers is imperative to supporting our next generation of students and education system.”
7 Questions on Generative AI in Learning Design — from campustechnology.com by Rhea Kelly
Open LMS Adoption and Education Specialist Michael Vaughn on the challenges and possibilities of using artificial intelligence to move teaching and learning forward.
The potential for artificial intelligence tools to speed up course design could be an attractive prospect for overworked faculty and spread-thin instructional designers. Generative AI can shine, for example, in tasks such as reworking assessment question sets, writing course outlines and learning objectives, and generating subtitles for audio and video clips. The key, says Michael Vaughn, adoption and education specialist at learning platform Open LMS, is treating AI like an intern who can be guided and molded along the way, and whose work is then vetted by a human expert.
We spoke with Vaughn about how best to utilize generative AI in learning design, ethical issues to consider, and how to formulate an institution-wide policy that can guide AI use today and in the future.
10 Ways Technology Leaders Can Step Up and Into the Generative AI Discussion in Higher Ed — from er.educause.edu by Lance Eaton and Stan Waddell
- Offer Short Primers on Generative AI
- Explain How to Get Started
- Suggest Best Practices for Engaging with Generative AI
- Give Recommendations for Different Groups
- Recommend Tools
- Explain the Closed vs. Open-Source Divide
- Avoid Pitfalls
- Conduct Workshops and Events
- Spot the Fake
- Provide Proper Guidance on the Limitations of AI Detectors
ChatGPT meets Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling.
How to turn ChatGPT into the ultimate storyteller (I shouldn’t be giving this prompt away for free): pic.twitter.com/hFt3QTHd9o
— The AI Solopreneur (@aisolopreneur) October 4, 2023
On 10/09/2023,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, colleges, communications, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate universities / corporate training, design, digital photography, digital video, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, faculty, graphics, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, IT in HE, K-12 related, liberal arts, maker movement, multimedia, online media, photography, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, skills, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, tools, training / L&D, United States, universities, vendors, visualizing information, web design and production,
by Daniel Christian
Canva’s new AI tools automate boring, labor-intensive design tasks — from theverge.com by Jess Weatherbed
Magic Studio features like Magic Switch automatically convert your designs into blogs, social media posts, emails, and more to save time on manually editing documents.
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Canva launches Magic Studio, partners with Runway ML for video — from bensbites.beehiiv.com by Ben Tossell
Here are the highlights of launched features under the new Magic Studio:
- Magic Design – Turn ideas into designs instantly with AI-generated templates.
- Magic Switch – Transform content into different formats and languages with one click.
- Magic Grab – Make images editable like Canva templates for easy editing.
- Magic Expand – Use AI to expand images beyond the original frame.
- Magic Morph – Transform text and shapes with creative effects and prompts.
- Magic Edit – Make complex image edits using simple text prompts.
- Magic Media – Generate professional photos, videos and artworks from text prompts.
- Magic Animate – Add animated transitions and motion to designs instantly.
- Magic Write – Generate draft text and summaries powered by AI.
Addendums on 10/11/23:
We released a new model ?
!!! Firefly Image 2 !!!!
As a scientist I am in disbelief that such model is possible with a small dataset as we had.
We compensated artists for training it.
We worked very hard on it. Please, enjoy! #AdobeMax https://t.co/j2TUiiyjN7 pic.twitter.com/gqABThSBWZ
— Kris Kashtanova (@icreatelife) October 10, 2023
Adobe Releases New AI Models Aimed at Improved Graphic Design — from bloomberg.com
New version of Firefly is bigger than initial tool, Adobe says Illustrator, Express programs each get own generative tools
A few hours ago, Adobe released Firefly 2, their new AI image generator.
But how good is it?
I compared it to Midjourney & DALL-E 3 across 10 very different image categories so you don’t have to.
Here are the results:
— Chase Lean (@chaseleantj) October 11, 2023
On 09/13/2023,
in adjunct faculty, colleges, community colleges, faculty, higher education, ideas, law schools, learning ecosystem, teaching & learning, United States, universities,
by Daniel Christian
Teaching: These office hours offer more than academic support — from chronicle.com by Beckie Supiano
Why do so many students have the impression that they should attend office hours only if they’ve got a question? Here’s my hunch: Well-meaning, supportive professors mention their office hours at various points throughout the course: If you have questions about fill-in-the-blank, come to my office hours. The professors mean, “I am here to help! Come talk to me.” Students hear: “If you have a question.”
It’s a frustrating misunderstanding, because it contributes to the big problem my article focuses on: Many students miss out on the support professors stand to provide.
…
‘Adjunct Faculty 101’
“Sessions offered this year included ‘An Orientation to the Canvas LMS,’ ‘The First Day of Class,’ ‘Creating Student-Centered Course Materials,’ ‘Classroom-Management Tips,’ ‘Academic-Integrity Tips and Processes,’ ‘An Introduction to Our Tutoring Services and Writing Center,’ ‘Writing Across the Disciplines With AI,’ and more.”
From DSC:
I like the idea of using “office hours” for building relationships, helping students with their future career decisions, building broader understanding, ongoing mentoring, and for developing potential networking opportunities.
On 09/12/2023,
in adjunct faculty, business, career development, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, experimentation, faculty, higher education, professional development, training / L&D, United States, universities,
by Daniel Christian
An excerpt from ‘The Magnificent Seven’ posting from Brandon Busteed on LinkedIn:
6. Create externship programs for faculty. Many college and university faculty have never worked outside of academia. Given a chance to be exposed to modern workplaces and work challenges, faculty will find innovative and creative ways to weave more work-integrated learning into their curriculum.
From DSC:
This is a great idea — thanks Brandon!
I might add another couple of thoughts here as well:
- And/or treat your Adjunct Faculty Members much better as well!
- And/or work with more L&D Departments at local companies (i.e., to develop closer, more beneficial/WIN-WIN collaborations).
On 09/12/2023,
in active learning, adjunct faculty, business, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, Europe, faculty, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, liberal arts, pedagogy, project-based learning, teaching & learning, universities,
by Daniel Christian
Are your students prepared for active learning? You can help them! — from The Educationalist at educationalist.substack.com by Alexandra Mihai
- Formulating own learning goals and following through with independent study. While in traditional teaching the learning goals are given to students, in PBL (or at least in some of its purest variants), they need to come up with their own, for each problem they are solving. This requires understanding the problem well but also a certain frame of mind where one can assess what is necessary to solve it and make a plan of how to go about it (independently and as a group). All these seemingly easy steps are often new to students and something they intrinsically expect from us as educators.
From DSC:
The above excerpt re: formulating one’s own learning goals reminded me of project management and learning how to be a project manager.
It reminded me of a project that I was assigned back at Kraft (actually Kraft General Foods at the time). It was an online-based directory of everyone in the company at the time. When it was given to me, several questions arose in my mind:
- Where do I start?
- How do I even organize this project?
- What is the list of to-do’s?
- Who will I need to work with?
Luckily I had a mentor/guide who helped me get going and an excellent contact with the vendor who educated me and helped me get the ball rolling.
I’ll end with another quote and a brief comment:
Not being afraid of mistakes and learning from them.
The education system, at all stages, still penalises mistakes, often with long term consequences. So it’s no wonder students are afraid of making mistakes…
From DSC:
How true.
How true.
On 09/11/2023,
in adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, colleges, community colleges, education technology, faculty, higher education, instructional design, learning, Learning Experience Design, learning theories, liberal arts, memory, pedagogy, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, trends, UK, United States, universities, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
AI Can Teach Students a Powerful Lesson About the Truth — from edweek.org by Rachna Nath
How I’m harnessing ChatGPT in the classroom
What we teachers desperately need, though, is an ocean of examples and training. We need to see and share examples of generative AI—any type of artificial intelligence that can be used to create new text, images, video, audio, code, or data—being used across the curriculum. We need catalogs of new lesson plans and new curriculum.
And we need training on theoretical and practical levels: training to understand what artificial intelligence actually is and where it stands in the development timeline and training about how to integrate it into our classes.
So, my advice to teachers is to use any and all the generative AI you can get your hands on. Then experience—for yourself—verification of the information. Track it back to the source because in doing so, you’ll land on the adjustments you need to make in your classes next year.
From DSC:
Interesting.
Learners can now seamlessly transition between AI-powered assistance (AI Tutor) and Live Expert support to get access to instant support, whether through AI-guided learning or real-time interactions with a human expert.
From Brainly Enrolls New AI-Powered Tools for More
Personalized and Accessible Learning (businesswire.com)
ASSIGNMENT MAKEOVERS IN THE AI AGE WITH DEREK BRUFF — from teachinginhighered.com by Bonni Stachowiak
Derek Bruff shares about assignment makeovers in the AI age on episode 481 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast
Comment on this per Derek Bruff:
Why not ask ChatGPT to write what King or X would say about a current debate and then have the students critique the ChatGPT output? That would meet the same learning goals while also teaching AI literacy.
(Be sure to read Asim’s contribution for a useful take.)
Generative AI in Schools: A Closer Look and Future Predictions — from thejournal.com by Ted Mo Chen (emphasis DSC)
Here’s a closer look at the concurrent AI landscape in schools — and a prediction of what the future holds.
So far, high-profile ventures in the instruction realm, such as Kyron Learning, have fused teacher-produced, recorded content with LLM-powered conversational UX. The micro-learning tool Nolej references internet material when generating tasks and tests, but always holds the language model closely to the ground truth provided by teachers. Both are intriguing takes on re-imagining how to deliver core instruction and avoid hallucinations (generated content that is nonsensical).
Also see this posting on LinkedIn about that article, where Ted Mo Chen mentions the following companies:
Companies to watch:
- MagicSchool AI // Adeel Khan
- TeachFX // Jamie Poskin
- SchoolJoy // Ian Z.
- Flint // Sohan Choudhury
- EXAMIND AI
- Notion AI
- Amira Learning // Mark Angel
- Kyron Learning // Rajen Sheth
- NOLEJ // Bodo Hoenen
- Oko Labs // Matt Miller
- GSV Ventures // Claire Zau
New report: Trends in Learning 2023 — from open.ac.uk by Professor Agnes Kukulska-Hulme
So, what six trends have we chosen for this year’s report? They are: advances in AI, the metaverse and learning, challenge-based learning, entrepreneurial learning, seeing yourself in the curriculum and multimodal learning. In the report, we discuss each of the trends in turn, why we think they are important and the impact they are already having or will have on workplace learning. We have also interviewed six people, experts in their field, to find out their opinions and experiences of the trends, sharing their insights in the report.
Unity executive shares her thoughts on the future of education and technology with the rise in popularity of A.I. and real-time 3D content — from fortune.com by Preston Fore
As a result, real-time 3D jobs are among the most in demand within the tech industry. According to Unity’s vice president of Education and Social Impact, Jessica Lindl, demand is 50% higher than traditional IT jobs—adding that salaries for real-time 3D jobs are 60% greater.
“We want to provide really simple on ramps and pathways that will lead you into entry level jobs so that at any point in your career, you can decide to transfer into the industry,” Lindl says.
How universities worldwide are responding to generative AI — from linkedin.com by University World News
University World News continues its exploration of generative AI in our new special report on ‘AI and Higher Education’. In commentaries and features, academics and our journalists around the world investigate issues and developments around AI that are impacting on universities. Generative AI tools are challenging and changing higher education systems and institutions — how they are run as well as ways of teaching and learning and conducting research.
We’ve collated the lead articles below for you to read and the full report is available here.
What’s the future of generative AI? An early view in 15 charts — from mckinsey.com
Generative AI has hit the ground running—so fast that it can feel hard to keep up. Here’s a quick take pulled from our top articles and reports on the subject.
Teaching in the Age of AI — from cft.vanderbilt.edu by Michael Coley, Stacey M. Johnson, Paige Snay, Joe Bandy, John Bradley, and Ole Molvig
This guide will explore:
- What is generative AI, and where can it be found?
- How can I harness generative AI tools in my teaching to improve student learning?
- How can I craft assignments that deter unauthorized use of generative AI?
- How does academic integrity relate to generative AI tools?
- What resources are there for instructors who want to engage with generative AI tools?
15 Inspirational Voices in the Space Between AI and Education — from jeppestricker.substack.com by Jeppe Klitgaard Stricker
Get Inspired for AI and The Future of Education.
My advice for you today is this: fill your LinkedIn-feed and/or inbox with ideas, inspirational writing and commentary on AI.
This will get you up to speed quickly and is a great way to stay informed on the newest movements you need to be aware of.
My personal recommendation for you is to check out these bright people who are all very active on LinkedIn and/or have a newsletter worth paying attention to.
I have kept the list fairly short – only 15 people – in order to make it as easy as possible for you to begin exploring.
It is crucial to recognize that the intrinsic value of higher education isn’t purely in its ability to adapt to market fluctuations or technological innovations. Its core strength lies in promoting critical thinking, nurturing creativity, and instilling a sense of purpose and belonging. As AI progresses, these traits will likely become even more crucial. The question then becomes if higher education institutions as we know them today are the ony ones, or indeed the best ones, equipped to convey those core strengths to students.
Higher education clearly finds itself caught in a whirlwind of transformation, both in its essence and execution. The juxtaposition of legacy structures and the evolving technological landscape paints a complex picture.
For institutional leaders, the dual challenge lies in proactively seeking and initiating change (not merely adapting to it) without losing sight of their foundational principles. Simultaneously, they must equip students with skills and perspectives that AI cannot replicate.
— from Is Higher Education Nearing the Tipping Point?
by Jeppe Klitgaard Stricker
EdTech Companies Are Racing to Build a Github Copilot for Teachers. This Will Not Be Easy. — from danmeyer.substack.com by Dan Meyer; via Matthew Tower
Generative AI has produced an extremely useful tool for software developers. Can it do the same for teachers?
Also, Matthew Tower, pulled this quote from The big problem with grades. / via Washington Post
“They begged, bargained with, and berated their instructor in pursuit of better grades — not “because they like points,” but rather, “because the education system has told them that these points are the currency with which they can buy a successful future.””