professional wordpress themes

Multiple Countries Just Issued Travel Warnings for the U.S. [Dillin]

On 07/06/2025, in Australia, Canada, culture, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, Europe, face-to-face, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, legislatures / government / legal, society, UK, United States, by Daniel Christian

Multiple Countries Just Issued Travel Warnings for the U.S. — from mensjournal.com by Rachel Dillin
In a rare reversal, several of America’s closest allies are now warning their citizens about traveling to the U.S., and it could impact your next trip.

For years, the U.S. has issued cautionary travel advisories to citizens heading overseas. But in a surprising twist, the roles have flipped. Several countries, including longtime allies like Australia, Canada, and the U.K., are now warning their citizens about traveling to the United States, according to Yahoo.

Australia updated its advisory in June, flagging gun violence, civil protests, and unpredictable immigration enforcement. While its guidance remains at Level 1 (“exercise normal safety precautions”), Australian officials urged travelers to stay alert in crowded places like malls, transit hubs, and public venues. They also warned about the Visa Waiver Program, noting that U.S. authorities can deny entry without explanation.

From DSC:
I’ve not heard of a travel warning against the U.S. in my lifetime. Thanks Trump. Making America Great Again. Sure thing….

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Enough is enough! If a U.S. Senator can be thrown to the floor and handcuffed, YOU and I are not safe!

On 06/12/2025, in culture, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, ethics, future, game-changing environment, legislatures / government / legal, morals/values, policy, political science, society, United States, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
As you can see and hear below, Senator Alex Padilla had been trying to get answers for several weeks now from Homeland Security, but wasn’t hearing much back. So he heard that the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, was holding a press conference down the hallway and he attended it to see if he could get some answers to his questions. And while I don’t have all the details on how this situation unfolded, there is NO WAY that a U.S. Senator should be pushed out of a conference room and then pushed to the ground and handcuffed for trying to get answers for his constituents! No way!

As others in the videos below assert, a line has been crossed in our country!

Let’s move to impeach Donald Trump and also rid his administration of these incompetent individuals who are destroying our democracy! If they don’t like the Constitution and how our country has been governed for over 200 years, then perhaps they should consider leaving this country. 

The actions they are taking are NOT making America great again. They are making America the stench of the world.

And it’s not just Donald Trump and members of his administration that should be held accountable. Let’s also start holding Donald’s instruments of power — such as his ICE Agents and others who behave like them — accountable. To any ICE agents out there, take those damn masks off. You shouldn’t be hiding behind masks.

By the way, the silence from the Republicans is deafening.
.

Calif. Senator Forcibly Removed and Handcuffed After Interrupting Noem — from nytimes.com by Shawn Hubler, Jennifer Medina, and Jill Cowan (this is a gifted article)
Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, was shoved out of a room and handcuffed after he tried to question Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, during a news conference.

In the tense hyperpartisanship of the moment, the episode quickly swelled into a cause célèbre for both parties. Democratic senators, House members and governors rushed to denounce the treatment of a sitting senator, framing it as the latest escalation in authoritarian actions by the Trump administration. It followed the indictment on Tuesday of Representative LaMonica McIver of New Jersey and the arrest of Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, after the officials, both Democrats, tried to visit a new immigration detention facility in the city.

Republicans just as eagerly tried to frame Mr. Padilla’s behavior as in line with what they have called the lawlessness of the political left as President Trump tries to combat illegal immigration.

 

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

What could possibly go wrong with AI-based technological systems becoming “independent players?” [Christian]

On 06/04/2025, in Asia, biology, dangers of the status quo, emerging technologies, engineering, entrepreneurship, ethics, experimentation, health, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, morals/values, society, technology (general), the downsides of how people use tech, by Daniel Christian

Scientific breakthrough: artificial blood for all blood groups — from getsuperintel.com by Kim “Chubby” Isenberg
Japan’s universal artificial blood could revolutionize emergency medicine and global healthcare resilience.

They all show that we are on the threshold of a new era – one in which technological systems are no longer just tools, but independent players in medical, cognitive and infrastructural change.
…
This paradigm shift means that AI will no longer be limited to static training data, but will learn through open exploration, similar to biological organisms. This is nothing less than the beginning of an era of autonomous cognition.

From DSC:
While there are some promising developments involving AI these days, we need to look at what the potential downsides might be of AI becoming independent players, don’t you think? Otherwise, what could possibly go wrong?

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Reflections on “May Brought Deep Cuts at Multiple Colleges” [Moody]

On 06/04/2025, in 21st century, adjunct faculty, business side of he, career development, change, changing business models, communities of practice, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, United States, universities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

May Brought Deep Cuts at Multiple Colleges — from insidehighered.com by  Josh Moody
Colleges laid off well over 800 employees last month due to a mix of enrollment challenges and state funding issues. Ivy Tech saw the deepest cuts with more than 200 jobs axed.

With the academic year coming to an end, multiple universities announced deep cuts in May, shedding dozens of jobs amid financial pressures often linked to enrollment shortfalls.
…
But the cuts below, for the most part, are not directly tied to the rapid-fire actions of the Trump administration but rather stem from other financial pressures weighing on the sector. Many of the institutions listed are contending with declining enrollment and, for public universities, shrinking state support, which has necessitated fiscal changes.

From DSC:
I survived several job reductions at one of my former workplaces. But I didn’t survive the one that laid off 12 staff members after the Spring 2017 Semester. So, more and more, faculty and staff have been starting to dread the end of the academic year — as they may not survive another round of cuts. 

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

(Another gifted article) Michiganders in these 25 cities have the most student loan debt, ranking says [Smith]

On 05/20/2025, in business side of he, colleges, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, higher education, learning ecosystem, parents/guardians, society, student-related, trends, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Michiganders in these 25 cities have the most student loan debt, ranking says — from mlive.com by Jackie Smith; this is a gifted article

Millions of former students and college graduates across the U.S. are weighed down with student loan debt, but with exactly how much may depend on where you live.

An analysis from WalletHub was released earlier this month, listing high averages student loan debts of residents in more than 2,500 American cities, including 83 in Michigan.

Student loans are the second highest form of household debt after mortgages, according to WalletHub, totaling more than $1.6 tillion, or averaging $38,000 per borrower. 

The above article links to:

Cities with the Most & Least Student Debt (2025) — from wallethub.com by Adam McCann

High balances combined with a payoff timeline that lasts into middle age force many graduates to significantly delay or forgo other financial goals such as saving for retirement or buying a home. Paying back student loans has also become even more difficult due to high inflation putting a strain on Americans’ finances.

While we have a big student-loan crisis as a country, student-loan debts are more unsustainable in some places than others. To determine where borrowers are burdened the most, WalletHub compared the median student-loan balance against the median earnings of adults ages 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree in more than 2,500 U.S. cities.

If you are considering borrowing money for college or you’re in danger of defaulting, we advise using a student loan calculator to determine an affordable payment amount and realistic payoff timeline.

Again, this graphic from 2009 comes to mind:
.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Ouch! — “Nearly half of Gen Z and millennials say college was a waste of money—AI has already made degrees obsolete” [Fore]

On 05/05/2025, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business side of he, colleges, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, expectations, faculty/staff, funding / grants, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, learning ecosystem, parents/guardians, society, student-related, United States, universities, vendors, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Nearly half of Gen Z and millennials say college was a waste of money—AI has already made degrees obsolete — from fortune.com by Preston Fore

College is often advertised as the best four years of one’s life, but many Americans now have regrets.

More than a third of all graduates now say their degree was a “waste of money,” according to a new survey by Indeed. This frustration is especially pronounced among Gen Z, with 51% expressing remorse—compared to 41% of millennials and just 20% of baby boomers.

Overall, a growing share of college-educated workers are questioning the return on investment (ROI) of their degree, Kyle M.K., a career trend expert at Indeed, told Fortune. It’s something that’s not all too surprising considering that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree has doubled in the last two decades to over $38,000, and total student loan debt has ballooned to nearly $2 trillion.

“Another 38% feel student loans have limited their career growth more than their diploma has accelerated it,” M.K. said.

“AI won’t invalidate a solid education, but it will reward those who keep upgrading their toolkit.”

Average Cost of College & Tuition — from educationdata.org
Last Updated: March 8, 2025

Report Highlights. The average cost of college* in the United States is $38,270 per student per year, including books, supplies, and daily living expenses.

  • The average cost of college has more than doubled in the 21st century; the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of tuition is 4.04%.
  • The average in-state student attending a public 4-year institution and living on-campus spends $27,146 for one academic year.
  • The average cost of in-state tuition alone is $9,750; out-of-state tuition averages $28,386.
  • The average private, nonprofit university student spends $58,628 per academic year living on campus, $38,421 of it on tuition and fees.
  • Considering student loan interest and loss of income, investing in a bachelor’s degree can ultimately cost in excess of $500,000.

.

From DSC:
Reminds me of a graphic that Yohan Na and I created back in 2009:
.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Fight the Trump Administration’s Defiance of the Constitution and Courts [5calls.org]

On 04/23/2025, in dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, legislatures / government / legal, policy, political science, society, United States, by Daniel Christian

Fight the Trump Administration’s Defiance of the Constitution and Courts — from 5calls.org

On April 14th, the Trump administration openly defied a unanimous order from the Supreme Court by refusing to bring back a person they knowingly sent to a torture prison in El Salvador by mistake.
…

Since Day 1, the Trump administration has been consistently eroding the constitutional separation of powers and system of checks and balances. They have…

From DSC:
Be more like Harvard.

Harvard sues the Trump administration in escalating confrontation — from washingtonpost.com by Susan Svrluga and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel
Lawsuit argues that government actions, including freezing $2.2 billion in federal funding, violated the First Amendment and didn’t follow legal procedures.

Harvard University sued the Trump administration in federal court Monday, the latest move in the escalating feud between the nation’s wealthiest school and the White House.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts against multiple federal agencies, seeks to block the Trump administration from withholding federal funding “as leverage to gain control of academic decision making at Harvard.”

Alan M. Garber, the president of Harvard, said in a message to the university community Monday that the Trump administration’s actions are unlawful and beyond the government’s authority.

From DSC:
Trump has WAAAAY overstepped his jurisdiction and has crossed boundaries left and right. He has single-handedly wreaked havoc across the world — especially with the trade wars and by undermining the Federal Reserve. But he has also trampled on the rights of people living in America. Perhaps we need to write or revisit the job description of a President of the USA. But that’s not really going to help. He wouldn’t listen to it or read it anyway.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Another ‘shock’ is coming for American jobs [Long]

On 04/21/2025, in adult learning, Alternatives, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, emerging technologies, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, ideas, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, lifelong learning, reinvent, skills, society, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, trends, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Another ‘shock’ is coming for American jobs — from washingtonpost.com by Heather Long. DSC: This is a gifted article
Millions of workers will need to shift careers. Our country is unprepared.

The United States is on the cusp of a massive economic shift due to AI, and it’s likely to cause greater change than anything President Donald Trump does in his second term. Much good can come from AI, but the country is unprepared to grapple with the need for millions — or perhaps tens of millions — of workers to shift jobs and entire careers.

“There’s a massive risk that entry-level, white-collar work could get automated. What does that do to career ladders?” asked Molly Kinder, a fellow at the Brookings Institution. Her research has found the jobs of marketing analysts are five times as likely to be replaced as those of marketing managers, and sales representative jobs are three times as likely to be replaced as those of sales managers.

Young people working in these jobs will need to be retrained, but it will be hard for them to invest in new career paths. Consider that many college graduates already carry a lot of debt (an average of about $30,000 for those who took student loans).What’s more, the U.S. unemployment insurance system covers only about 57 percent of unemployed workers and replaces only a modest amount of someone’s pay.

From DSC:
This is another reason why I think this vision here is at least a part of our future. We need shorter, less expensive credentials.

  • People don’t have the time to get degrees that take 2+ years to complete (after they have already gone through college once).
  • They don’t want to come out with more debt on their backs.
  • With inflation going back up, they won’t have as much money anyway.
  • Also, they may already have enough debt on their backs.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Donald Trump is an enormous threat to our constitutional democracy! [Christian]

On 04/16/2025, in culture, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, ethics, law schools, leadership, legislatures / government / legal, morals/values, strategy, United States, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
We had better not lose the rule of law in the United States! Donald Trump is an enormous threat to our constitutional democracy! He has NO respect for the rule of law, the judicial branch of our government, our constitution, telling the truth, or having virtues and strong character. He is a threat to the entire world. People are already feeling that in their wallets, purses, and 401(k)s. Supply chains throughout the globe have been negatively impacted. Many have lost their jobs, and more people will likely lose their jobs as a recession is becoming increasingly likely as each day passes.

At minimum, the USA has lost the respect and goodwill of many nations. And I understand why. 

From Bloomberg on 4/11/25:

The Trump administration, which admitted to wrongly sending a man to a notorious prison in El Salvador (violating a court order in the process) and declined to try and get him back, on Friday went a step further. Lawyers for Trump, despite an order by the US Supreme Court, refused to tell a federal judge where the man was or what it’s doing to get him back. A federal judge, following the Supreme Court’s direction, set a deadline today for Trump’s lawyers to explain how the government planned to follow the high court’s ruling. Trump’s lawyers rejected the court’s order, saying it didn’t have enough time, and questioned her authority.

The Supreme Court ruling against Trump was one of his first defeats tied to the administration’s attempt to broadly expand executive powers. It followed a series of recent procedural rulings that saw the Republican-appointee controlled court rule in his favor. But this latest refusal by Justice Department lawyers to fully comply with court orders, unlike previous cases tied to Trump policies, directly implicates a ruling from the highest court in the land, intensifying an ongoing and unprecedented constitutional crisis between the two branches of government.

Link to this item on LinkedIn

Addendum on 4/17 from DSC:
And speaking of the rule of law…what in the world does a President of the U.S. have to do with which cases law firms can and can’t take up? That’s not his job. Yet he threatens people, law firms, universities, and others to do his will or face the consequences (normally, that has to do with withdrawing funding or getting fired). One billion dollars worth of legal services donated to causes that Trump supports?!?!?! WHAT? 

Trump announces deals with more law firms for a combined $600 million — from washingtonpost.com by Mark Berman
Firms seeking to avoid sanctions from President Donald Trump have agreed to provide nearly ***$1 billion*** in legal services to causes he supports.

President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he had reached agreements with five more law firms pledging to provide a combined $600 million in legal services for causes he supports, the latest deals firms have struck with him in apparent bids to avoid punishment.

Since February, Trump has issued several executive orders sanctioning prominent law firms with ties to his political adversaries or that had opposed his policies, seeking to strip them of government contracts and block them from federal buildings. Three firms targeted by Trump have sued to fight back, while several others made deals with Trump that some framed as necessary to keep their businesses afloat. A fourth firm filed a lawsuit Friday evening challenging Trump’s actions.

Addendum from Above the Law on 4/17/25:

Biglaw Is Under Attack. Here’s What The Firms Are Doing About It.
Introducing the Biglaw Spine Index.

The President of the United States is using the might and power of the office to attack Biglaw firms and the rule of law. It’s pretty chilling stuff that is clearly designed to break major law firms and have them bend a knee to Trump or extract a tremendous financial penalty. This is an assault not just on the firms in the crosshairs, but on the very rule of law that is the backbone of our nation, without which there’s little to check abuses of power.

But in the face of financial harm, too many firms are willing to proactively seek out Trump’s seal of approval and provide pro bono payola, that is, free legal services on behalf of conservative clients or causes in order to avoid Trumpian retribution. So we here at Above the Law have decided to track what exact Biglaw firms are doing in response to the bombardment on Biglaw and the legal system. Some have struck a deal with Trump, some are fighting in court, some have signed an amicus brief in the Perkins Coie case, but the overwhelming majority have stayed silent.

Addendum from Bloomberg on 4/16/25:

The Trump administration’s resistance to and in some cases rejection of the federal judiciary’s constitutional powers has earned it its first finding of contempt, a grave escalation in the deepening crisis at the heart of American government. A federal judge who had been repeatedly attacked by Trump and his aides found there is “probable cause” to hold administration officials in criminal contempt of court for sending scores of men and boys to an El Salvador prison despite his order to halt the deportations. The administration has claimed without providing evidence that the deportees are gang members. A Bloomberg investigation revealed the vast majority had never been charged in the US with anything other than immigration or traffic violations. A Maryland US senator meanwhile was turned away from meeting with a man imprisoned in El Salvador who the Trump administration illegally deported and now refuses to bring back—despite a US Supreme Court order that it facilitate his return.

 

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Reflections on “2025 EDUCAUSE Students and Technology Report” [Christian]

On 04/14/2025, in accessibility / UDL, adjunct faculty, Alternatives, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), blended learning, career development, CMS/LMS, colleges, communications, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, instructional design, intelligent systems, IT in HE, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning preferences, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, student-related, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, technology (general), United States, universities, workplace, by Daniel Christian


.

2025 EDUCAUSE Students and Technology Report: Shaping the Future of Higher Education Through Technology, Flexibility, and Well-Being — from library.educause.edu

The student experience in higher education is continually evolving, influenced by technological advancements, shifting student needs and expectations, evolving workforce demands, and broadening sociocultural forces. In this year’s report, we examine six critical aspects of student experiences in higher education, providing insights into how institutions can adapt to meet student needs and enhance their learning experience and preparation for the workforce:

  • Satisfaction with Technology-Related Services and Supports
  • Modality Preferences
  • Hybrid Learning Experiences
  • Generative AI in the Classroom
  • Workforce Preparation
  • Accessibility and Mental Health

DSC: Shame on higher ed for not preparing students for the workplace (see below). You’re doing your students wrong…again. Not only do you continue to heap a load of debt on their backs, but you’re also continuing to not get them ready for the workplace. So don’t be surprised if eventually you’re replaced by a variety of alternatives that students will flock towards.
.

 

DSC: And students don’t have a clue as to what awaits them in the workplace — they see AI-powered tools and technologies at an incredibly low score of only 3%. Yeh, right. You’ll find out. Here’s but one example from one discipline/field of work –> Thomson Reuters Survey: Over 95% of Legal Professionals Expect Gen AI to Become Central to Workflow Within Five Years

.

Figure 15. Competency Areas Expected to Be Important for Career

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Reflections on “Are You Ready for the AI University? Everything is about to change.” [Latham]

On 04/10/2025, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, accreditation, adjunct faculty, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assessment, Blockchain, bots, career development, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, CMS/LMS, collaboration, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, cost of getting a degree, credentialing, culture, curriculum, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, Design Thinking, digital learning, disruption, education technology, emerging technologies, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, expectations, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, Google, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), IBM, ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, leadership, learner profiles, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, learning spaces, liberal arts, lifelong learning, MBA, Michigan, new business models, online learning, online media, online tutoring, organizational change, pace of change, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, reinvent, skills, society, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, trends, United States, universities, usability, user experience (UX), virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, workplace, by Daniel Christian

.
Are You Ready for the AI University? Everything is about to change. — from chronicle.com by Scott Latham

Over the course of the next 10 years, AI-powered institutions will rise in the rankings. US News & World Report will factor a college’s AI capabilities into its calculations. Accrediting agencies will assess the degree of AI integration into pedagogy, research, and student life. Corporations will want to partner with universities that have demonstrated AI prowess. In short, we will see the emergence of the AI haves and have-nots.
…
What’s happening in higher education today has a name: creative destruction. The economist Joseph Schumpeter coined the term in 1942 to describe how innovation can transform industries. That typically happens when an industry has both a dysfunctional cost structure and a declining value proposition. Both are true of higher education.
…
Out of the gate, professors will work with technologists to get AI up to speed on specific disciplines and pedagogy. For example, AI could be “fed” course material on Greek history or finance and then, guided by human professors as they sort through the material, help AI understand the structure of the discipline, and then develop lectures, videos, supporting documentation, and assessments.
…
In the near future, if a student misses class, they will be able watch a recording that an AI bot captured. Or the AI bot will find a similar lecture from another professor at another accredited university. If you need tutoring, an AI bot will be ready to help any time, day or night. Similarly, if you are going on a trip and wish to take an exam on the plane, a student will be able to log on and complete the AI-designed and administered exam. Students will no longer be bound by a rigid class schedule. Instead, they will set the schedule that works for them.

Early and mid-career professors who hope to survive will need to adapt and learn how to work with AI. They will need to immerse themselves in research on AI and pedagogy and understand its effect on the classroom. 

From DSC:
I had a very difficult time deciding which excerpts to include. There were so many more excerpts for us to think about with this solid article. While I don’t agree with several things in it, EVERY professor, president, dean, and administrator working within higher education today needs to read this article and seriously consider what Scott Latham is saying.

Change is already here, but according to Scott, we haven’t seen anything yet. I agree with him and, as a futurist, one has to consider the potential scenarios that Scott lays out for AI’s creative destruction of what higher education may look like. Scott asserts that some significant and upcoming impacts will be experienced by faculty members, doctoral students, and graduate/teaching assistants (and Teaching & Learning Centers and IT Departments, I would add). But he doesn’t stop there. He brings in presidents, deans, and other members of the leadership teams out there.

There are a few places where Scott and I differ.

  • The foremost one is the importance of the human element — i.e., the human faculty member and students’ learning preferences. I think many (most?) students and lifelong learners will want to learn from a human being. IBM abandoned their 5-year, $100M ed push last year and one of the key conclusions was that people want to learn from — and with — other people:

To be sure, AI can do sophisticated things such as generating quizzes from a class reading and editing student writing. But the idea that a machine or a chatbot can actually teach as a human can, he said, represents “a profound misunderstanding of what AI is actually capable of.” 

Nitta, who still holds deep respect for the Watson lab, admits, “We missed something important. At the heart of education, at the heart of any learning, is engagement. And that’s kind of the Holy Grail.”

— Satya Nitta, a longtime computer researcher at
IBM’s Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY
.

By the way, it isn’t easy for me to write this. As I wanted AI and other related technologies to be able to do just what IBM was hoping that it would be able to do.

  • Also, I would use the term learning preferences where Scott uses the term learning styles.

Scott also mentions:

“In addition, faculty members will need to become technologists as much as scholars. They will need to train AI in how to help them build lectures, assessments, and fine-tune their classroom materials. Further training will be needed when AI first delivers a course.”

It has been my experience from working with faculty members for over 20 years that not all faculty members want to become technologists. They may not have the time, interest, and/or aptitude to become one (and vice versa for technologists who likely won’t become faculty members).

That all said, Scott relays many things that I have reflected upon and relayed for years now via this Learning Ecosystems blog and also via The Learning from the Living [AI-Based Class] Room vision — the use of AI to offer personalized and job-relevant learning, the rising costs of higher education, the development of new learning-related offerings and credentials at far less expensive prices, the need to provide new business models and emerging technologies that are devoted more to lifelong learning, plus several other things.

So this article is definitely worth your time to read, especially if you are working in higher education or are considering a career therein!

Addendum later on 4/10/25:

U-M’s Ross School of Business, Google Public Sector launch virtual teaching assistant pilot program — from news.umich.edu by Jeff Karoub; via Paul Fain

Google Public Sector and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business have launched an advanced Virtual Teaching Assistant pilot program aimed at improving personalized learning and enlightening educators on artificial intelligence in the classroom.

The AI technology, aided by Google’s Gemini chatbot, provides students with all-hours access to support and self-directed learning. The Virtual TA represents the next generation of educational chatbots, serving as a sophisticated AI learning assistant that instructors can use to modify their specific lessons and teaching styles.

The Virtual TA facilitates self-paced learning for students, provides on-demand explanations of complex course concepts, guides them through problem-solving, and acts as a practice partner. It’s designed to foster critical thinking by never giving away answers, ensuring students actively work toward solutions.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Let’s impeach Donald Trump while we still have a constitutional democracy. This is unbelievable! [Christian]

On 03/26/2025, in Access to Justice (A2J), Canada, change, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, legislatures / government / legal, policy, political science, United States, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
This is unbelievable to me! I’m posting this item from Will Richardson because I agree with him 100%. I’m embarrassed to be an American right now. Again, this is unbelievable. Our nation is in an extremely dangerous situation. Donald Trump and his Republican Administration have made a mockery of justice and Donald has now put his thumb to his face and doesn’t even listen to the orders from the Justice Department anymore*.

To the Republican Leadership in our nation, may you be held accountable for your actions — and may they be remembered in the future.

And for our neighbors in Canada — as well as in other nations: Please forgive us. We are one messed-up country these days. This is NOT how many of us want our nation to be and to act. 

The following posting is here on linkedin.com and here is the article that Will links out to at The Guardian. 

 

It was surreal listening to my friends recount everything they had done to get me out: working with lawyers, reaching out to the media, making endless calls to detention centers, desperately trying to get through to Ice or anyone who could help. They said the entire system felt rigged, designed to make it nearly impossible for anyone to get out.

The reality became clear: Ice detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.

Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain, which is why they lobby for stricter immigration policies. It’s a lucrative business: CoreCivic made over $560m from Ice contracts in a single year. In 2024, GEO Group made more than $763m from Ice contracts.

— Jasmine Mooney

Also see (below excerpted from this list of articles/items):

Canadian Who Was in an ‘American Pie’ Video Says ICE Held Her for 12 Days — from nytimes.com by Neil Vigdor
Jasmine Mooney, 35, said she was put “in chains” after immigration enforcement officers flagged her visa application paperwork. The former actress was finally allowed to return to Vancouver.

Jasmine Mooney’s Immigration Lawyer Sounds US Alarm— from newsweek.com by Billal Rahman

U.S. immigration lawyer Jim Hacking says Mooney’s case is part of a rising number of incidents in the past 10 days where individuals with different immigration statuses— including one with a permanent resident card—have been detained or deported in unprecedented ways.

Hacking says he has been advising non-citizens to avoid leaving the United States, as he believes there is a growing risk they may not be allowed to return.

This warning also applies to Canadians with current or past work visas or other forms of immigration status, he adds.

* Here are but a few articles re: Trump attacking or outright disregarding the Justice Department:

Defiance and Threats in Deportation Case Renew Fear of Constitutional Crisis — from nytimes.com by Adam Liptak (DSC: This is a GIFTED article)
Legal scholars say that the nation has reached a tipping point and that the right question is not whether there is a crisis, but rather how much damage it will cause.

Over the weekend, the Trump administration ignored a federal judge’s order not to deport a group of Venezuelan men, violating an instruction that could not have been plainer or more direct.
…
The line between arguments in support of a claimed right to disobey court orders and outright defiance has become gossamer thin, they said, again raising the question of whether the latest clash between President Trump and the judiciary amounts to a constitutional crisis.

Legal scholars say that is no longer the right inquiry. Mr. Trump is already undercutting the separation of powers at the heart of the constitutional system, they say, and the right question now is how it will transform the nation.

Judge Grants the Government Another Day to Share Details on Deportation Flights — from nytimes.com by Alan Feuer (DSC: This is a GIFTED article)
Judge James Boasberg has asked the government to tell him what time two planes took off from U.S. soil and from where, what time they left U.S. airspace and what time they landed in El Salvador.

Earlier this week, department lawyers sought to cancel a hearing where they were supposed to talk about the flights in open court and then, in a highly unusual move, tried to have Judge Boasberg removed from the case altogether.

When they filed their emergency request asking for a stay on Wednesday morning, the court papers used bombastic language attacking Judge Boasberg, who has already faced calls for impeachment by President Trump and some of his congressional allies. 

It’s Trump vs. the Courts, and It Won’t End Well for Trump —  (DSC: This is a GIFTED article) — it is an opinion piece out at The New York Times by J. Michael Luttig (Judge Luttig was appointed by President George H.W. Bush and served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1991 to 2006.)

President Trump has wasted no time in his second term in declaring war on the nation’s federal judiciary, the country’s legal profession and the rule of law. He has provoked a constitutional crisis with his stunning frontal assault on the third branch of government and the American system of justice. The casualty could well be the constitutional democracy Americans fought for in the Revolutionary War against the British monarchy 250 years ago.
…
The bill of particulars against Mr. Trump is long and foreboding. For years Mr. Trump has viciously attacked judges and threatened their safety. Recently he called for the impeachment of a federal judge who has ruled against his administration. He has issued patently unconstitutional orders targeting law firms and lawyers who represent clients he views as enemies. He has vowed to weaponize the Department of Justice against his political opponents. He has blithely ignored judicial orders that he is bound by the Constitution to follow and enforce.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Perhaps God allowed Donald Trump to be President in order to *HUMBLE* the United States. [Christian]

On 02/21/2025, in change, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, Emotion, ethics, game-changing environment, legislatures / government / legal, morals/values, policy, political science, United States, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
I realize that I lose a lot of readers because I put some scripture from the Bible on this blog and I mention the names of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and our Heavenly Father here as well. I address matters of faith from time to time. So I have hesitated greatly to put anything out here re: politics. I will lose further readership most likely.

But I can no longer be silent on the matter of Donald Trump and the Republican Administration* as a whole. Like many others, I’m very disappointed that our nation elected him — and I think it’s time we Americans took a long, hard look in the mirror on that one.

  • Donald Trump scorns the Constitution and he seeks to destroy our democracy — something many people have given their lives to develop and support. 
  • He orchestrated the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol building. His supporters called for the life of the (then-current) Vice President if he didn’t do what they wanted him to do.
  • Speaking of the insurrection…Donald Trump is a convicted felon and would have likely lost several more court cases had he not been able to make a MOCKERY of our judicial system. His money, power, and position were able to postpone many of those court cases. As a relevant aside here, who knows how many people were given access to confidential records of the U.S. (for a price no doubt). He should be in jail right now. You and I would have been thrown in jail a looooong time ago. But Donald Trump laughs at justice — he distorts justice. 
  • He acts like a toddler — at most, a junior high school student.
  • He bullies people and nations.
  • He threatens retribution if someone doesn’t agree with him.
  • He belittles people and nations.
  • He creates massive division, not unity. He reminds me of Adolph Hitler.
  • He is an embarrassment to the United States. He has destroyed so much diplomatic work and goodwill on the global stage. Our allies — or perhaps I should say former allies now — were shocked to recently hear about Donald Trump’s stances on many things.
  • And the tariffs aren’t helpful either. They create barriers and will likely increase prices here in the U.S.
  • I can’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth. For a President of the United States to exhibit this characteristic over and over again, it sets a horrible example for the younger generations to see. It further establishes a culture in America that is NOT the type of culture I want to live in or have my descendants live in. I do not support the type of culture that Donald Trump creates. 

I, for one, apologize to the rest of the world that our nation elected him as President. This was a massive mistake.

So I’m beginning to think that the LORD allowed Donald Trump to become President NOT to make America Great Again (MAGA) — as that whole campaign seems to be a lie too — but rather to HUMBLE America. 

By the way, I don’t think Donald Trump is a Christian — at all. Besides his hatred of the truth as well as the other items listed above…if he were truly a Christian, he would not have balked at the Bishop’s urging him to be compassionate to others (at his Inauguration). He would have listened to her wisdom. Plus, he would have put his hand on the Bible when he took his oaths.

Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 1:19 is highly relevant to the United States right now. And so is 2 Chronicles 7:14:

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
.

* In the past, I have voted for members of the Republican and Democratic Parties — Presidents, VPs,
Governors, Senators, Representatives, and more. But when Karl Rove & Company started
playing too many games for my taste, I moved towards voting mostly for Democrats. 

To the Futurist Jack Uldrich:
Thank you for your posting entitled “A Special Edition: Jack Uldrich’s Friday Future 15: Truth, Compassion and Love.” It got me to finally write this posting that I’ve been meaning to write for several weeks now.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

Reflections on “The Rise of the Heretical Leader” [Fitzpatrick]

On 01/17/2025, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business side of he, change, changing business models, collaboration, colleges, communications, community colleges, curriculum, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, education, education reform, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, ideas, K-12 related, leadership, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, liberal arts, lifelong learning, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, new business models, online learning, personalized/customized learning, reinvent, skills, society, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, teaching online, United States, universities, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

The Rise of the Heretical Leader — from ditchthattextbook.com; a guest post by Dan Fitzpatrick

Now is the time for visionary leadership in education. The era of artificial intelligence is reshaping the demands on education systems. Rigid policies, outdated curricula, and reliance on obsolete metrics are failing students. A recent survey from Resume Genius found that graduates lack skills in communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Consequently, there is a growing trend in companies hiring candidates based on skills instead of traditional education or work experience. This underscores the urgent need for educational leaders to prioritize adaptability and innovation in their systems. Educational leaders must embrace a transformative approach to keep pace.
…
[Heretical leaders] bring courage, empathy, and strategic thinking to reimagine education’s potential. Here are their defining characteristics:

  • Visionary Thinking: They identify bold, innovative paths to progress.
  • Courage to Act: These leaders take calculated risks to overcome resistance and inertia.
  • Relentless Curiosity: They challenge assumptions and seek better alternatives.
  • Empathy for Stakeholders: Understanding the personal impact of change allows them to lead with compassion.
  • Strategic Disruption: Their deliberate actions ensure systemic improvements.
    These qualities enable Heretical leaders to reframe challenges as opportunities and drive meaningful change.

From DSC:
Readers of this blog will recognize that I believe visionary leadership is extremely important — in all areas of our society, but especially within our learning ecosystems. Vision trumps data, at least in my mind. There are times when data can be used to support a vision, but having a powerful vision is more lasting and impactful than relying on data to drive the organization.

So while I’d vote for a different term other than “heretical leaders,” I get what Dan is saying and I agree with him. Such leaders are going against the grain. They are swimming upstream. They are espousing perspectives that others often don’t buy into (at least initially or for some time). 

Such were the leaders who introduced online learning into the K-16 educational systems back in the late ’90s and into the next two+ decades. The growth of online-based learning continues and has helped educate millions of people. Those leaders and the people who worked for such endeavors were going against the grain.

We haven’t seen the end point of online-based learning. I think it will become even more powerful and impactful when AI is used to determine which jobs are opening up, and which skills are needed for those jobs, and then provide a listing of sources of where one can obtain that knowledge and develop those skills. People will be key in this vision. But so will AI and personalized learning. It will be a collaborative effort.

By the way, I am NOT advocating for using AI to outsource our thinking. Also, having basic facts and background knowledge in a domain is critically important, especially to use AI effectively. But we should be teaching students about AI (as we learn more about it ourselves). We should be working collaboratively with our students to understand how best to use AI. It’s their futures at stake.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 

“Higher Ed’s Governance Problem — Boards are bloated and ineffectual.” [Rosenberg] + other items re: HE in general

On 01/14/2025, in business side of he, change, colleges, community colleges, curriculum, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, leadership, learning ecosystem, liberal arts, lifelong learning, marketing/social marketing, new business models, United States, universities, youth, by Daniel Christian

The number of 18-year-olds is about to drop sharply, packing a wallop for colleges — and the economy — from hechingerreport.org by Jon Marcus
America is about to go over the ‘demographic cliff’

That’s because the current class of high school seniors is the last before a long decline begins in the number of 18-year-olds — the traditional age of students when they enter college.

This so-called demographic cliff has been predicted ever since Americans started having fewer babies at the advent of the Great Recession around the end of 2007 — a falling birth rate that has not recovered since, except for a slight blip after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Demographers say it will finally arrive in the fall of this year. That’s when recruiting offices will begin to confront the long-anticipated drop-off in the number of applicants from among the next class of high school seniors.

“A few hundred thousand per year might not sound like a lot,” Strohl said. “But multiply that by a decade and it has a big impact.”

From DSC:
I remember seeing graphics about this demographic cliff over a decade ago…so institutions of traditional higher education have seen this coming for many years now (and the article references this as well). But it’s still important and the ramifications of this could be significant for many colleges and universities out there (for students, faculty, staff, and administrations).

  • Will there be new business models?
  • More lifelong learning models?
  • Additions to the curricula?

I sure hope so.

Higher Ed’s Governance Problem — from chronicle.com by Brian Rosenberg; via Ryan Craig
Boards are bloated and ineffectual.

According to the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, the average size of a private nonprofit college or university board is 28 (larger than a major-league baseball roster), though boards of elite colleges tend to skew even larger: closer to 40, according to a study done by McKinsey.
…
By way of comparison, the average size of the board of directors of a publicly traded company in the United States is nine. If that seems too “corporate,” consider that the average size of the board of a nonprofit health-care institution is 13…

Still, anyone who studies organizational effectiveness would tell you that college and university boards are much too large, as would almost any college or university president when speaking off the record. Getting 12 people to spend significant time studying serious challenges and then reaching consensus about how to tackle those challenges is a heavy lift. Doing this with 25 or 35 or 45 people is close to impossible.

From Google ads to NFL sponsorships: Colleges throw billions at marketing themselves to attract students — from hechingerreport.org by Jon Marcus
Marketing and branding are getting big budgets and advertising is setting new records

In fact, the sum is small compared to what other colleges and universities are investing in advertising, marketing and promotion, which has been steadily rising and is on track this year to be nearly double what it was last year.

Among the reasons are a steep ongoing decline in enrollment, made worse by the pandemic, and increasing competition from online providers and others.

“Private schools in particular are acutely conscious of the demographics in this country. They’re competing for students, and marketing is how you have to do that.”

John Garvey, president, Catholic University

From DSC:
And for you students out there, check this sound advice out!

If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!

 
Previous Entries
© 2025 | Daniel Christian