DC: Is the future of one of our powerful learning ecosystems more like adding your own desired groups/cohorts, topics, items, etc. to your server? Like a learning-focused type of Discord service? (https://t.co/Vq4dZamBf2)#future #learningecosystems #personalizedlearning pic.twitter.com/wVMWYBN3R1
— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) August 17, 2023
On 08/14/2023,
in business side of he, change, changing business models, colleges, Daniel S. Christian, higher education, student-related, surviving, trends, United States,
by Daniel Christian
College sports is following the money but may not like where it leads — from theathletic.com by Chris Vannini
Excerpts:
College sports long ago hitched its entire wagon to the money train.
…
But college sports is about to learn, if it hasn’t already, that when you’ve sacrificed everything at the altar of money, you no longer control where things go, and you might not like where it ends. The big brands will be fine, but a lot of fans will be left behind, and this isn’t the end of it.
The people who make these decisions won’t deal with the long-term consequences. The Big Ten commissioner who added USC and UCLA last year — the beginning of the end of the Pac-12 — bailed on college sports less than a year later. Most of the commissioners who created the CFP a decade ago have left. More commissioners, athletic directors and other administrators are just passing through to their next job, blowing up the sport to make money and put something on the resume. It’s not their fault. It’s what they were asked to do.
…
As we shrink at the top, the big brands will survive. I fear for everyone else. Nothing in the history of sports has shown that shrinking your product helps it, yet it’s happening to the No. 2 sport in the country. What happens to the fans you leave out? Are they supposed to change school allegiances? Are their kids?
It was fun when college football fans could argue about who was better on the field. Now we spend each offseason arguing about who has the better television deal. I can’t blame fans for that. Because the industry’s leaders have been yelling for years that the only thing that mattered was money. The supposed apocalyptic future they feared for years has arrived by their own hand, and it won’t stop here.
From DSC:
I played tennis at Northwestern University. We had a very solid team. (We finished #2 in the Big 10 my freshman year, losing to Michigan by 1 point. My partner and I won our flight that year in doubles.) So I know what it’s like to travel 8-10 hours in the back of a station wagon or a van to play another Big 10 Team. And then to try and get ready for that midterm on the Monday after being gone all weekend. I know what it’s like to get back from practices almost every day to find others leaving the dining room and I’m just getting there. I know what it’s like to see people getting back from the library when I’m just going there. I know what it’s like to dedicate some serious time and energy to a sport while trying to get a solid degree in — knowing that I wouldn’t be pursuing tennis after college.
So when these enormous decisions are made for football and their lucrative TV contracts, I feel for all of the other athletes who are trying to be STUDENT-ATHLETES and not just pre-NFL players. There are some seriously long weeks/weekends ahead for them, as they have to make their way ***clear across the country*** to play their conference opponents.
Along these lines, see this Tweet:
Several softball players who compete for schools that are leaving the Pac-12 have spoken out against the latest round of conference realignment.
They cited mental health and further distances for their families to travel for road games. pic.twitter.com/jeURfGGqjC
— Andy Wittry (@AndyWittry) August 5, 2023
Also relevant, see the following addendum made on 8/15/23:
Athletes and Grad Students and Higher Ed’s Next Headache — from jeffselingo-14576223.hs-sites.com by Jeff Selingo
On 07/29/2023,
in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, more voice more choice more control, pedagogy, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers,
by Daniel Christian
22 Classroom-Focused Resources on AI from Teachers Everywhere — from coolcatteacher.com by Vicki Davis; via GSV
***
I get weary of AI hype auto-generated by *gasp* ChatGPT without any real applicability to the classroom. I’m collecting blogs of teachers who are in the classroom actually use AI and have practical, real examples to share. Got links for those teachers? Enough of the junk.
— Vicki Davis (@coolcatteacher) July 25, 2023
Back to School Survey: 44% of Teens “Likely” to Use AI To Do Their Schoolwork for Them This School Year — from prnewswire.com by Junior Achievement
Research by Junior Achievement Shows 60% of Teens Consider the Use of AI to Do Their Schoolwork for Them as “Cheating”
Excerpt:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — A new survey of teens conducted for Junior Achievement by the research firm Big Village shows that nearly half of teens (44%) are “likely” to use AI to do their schoolwork instead of doing it themselves this coming school year. However, most teens (60%) consider using AI in this way as “cheating.” The survey of 1,006 13- to 17-year-olds was conducted by Big Village from July 6 through 11, 2023.
From DSC:
In a competitive society as we have in the U.S. and when many of our K-12 learning ecosystems are designed to create game players, we shouldn’t be surprised to see a significant amount of our students using AI to “win”/game the system.
As it becomes appropriate for each student, offering more choice and control should help to allow more students to pursue what they want to learn about. They won’t be as interested in gaming the system if they truly want to learn about something.
On 07/13/2023,
in adjunct faculty, attention, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, Daniel S. Christian, faculty/staff, instructional design, learning, Learning Experience Design, learning theories, memory,
by Daniel Christian
Sources of Cognitive Load — from learningscientists.org
Excerpt:
Cognitive Load Theory is an influential theory from educational psychology that describes how various factors affect our ability to use our working memory resources. We’ve done a digest about cognitive load theory here and talked about it here and here, but haven’t provided an overview of the theory so I want to give an overview here.
…
Cognitive load theory provides useful and dynamic model for how many different factors affect working memory and learning. Hopefully this post provides a useful overview of some of the main components of cognitive load!
From DSC:
Along these lines, a while back I put together a video regarding cognitive load. It addresses at least two main questions:
- What is cognitive load?
- Why should I care about it?
How do I put it into practice?
- Simplify the explanations of what you’re presenting as much as possible and break down complex tasks into smaller parts
- Don’t place a large amount of text on a slide and then talk about it at the same time — doing so requires much more processing than most people can deal with.
- Consider creating two versions of your PowerPoint files:
- A text-light version that can be used for presenting that content to students
- A text-heavy version — which can be posted to your LMS for the learners to go through at their own pace — and without trying to process so much information (voice and text, for example) at one time.
- Design-wise:
- Don’t use decorative graphics — everything on a slide should be there for a reason
- Don’t use too many fonts or colors — this can be distracting
- Don’t use background music when you are trying to explain something
On 07/07/2023,
in attention, collaboration, communications, culture, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, Emotion, face-to-face, hearts -- matters of the heart, ideas, psychology, relationships, religion, society, sociology, United States, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
The Bible talks about listening quite frequently. The authors ask people to listen to what is being communicated.
Proverbs 16:20
Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,
and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
Unfortunately, it often involves people NOT listening to the LORD and/or to others and, instead, going their/our own way. In my own life, things don’t go so well when I do that. I think the same is true on a more general/corporate level as well.
For example, Israel in ancient days thought and behaved this way too. Read 1 Kings and 2 Kings to see what I mean. They didn’t listen to the LORD. They didn’t listen to instruction. They thought they knew it all. They didn’t give credit to Whom credit was due. They made up their own gods and worshipped the things that they created.
The LORD wanted to bless them — and us. But they didn’t — and we still don’t — want to listen and submit to His will at times (even though His will is meant to BLESS US).
I used to see the LORD looking down from heaven, with a stern or disappointed look on His face. He was tapping His foot, and had His arms folded. I imagined Him saying, “Daniel, get your stuff together!!!” I didn’t see Him as being on my team.
Through the years He has shown me that He IS on my team and that He is active in my heart, mind, and life. He is full of grace, truth, patience, forgiveness, vulnerable love, and wisdom. He’s awesome. I love Him and His ways — but that’s taken me decades to be able to say that.
He wants what is best for us. He gave us gifts and wants us to use those gifts to serve others.
On 07/06/2023,
in Access to Justice (A2J), Daniel S. Christian, global / globalization, India, law schools, legal reform, legislatures / government / legal, policy, political science, society, sociology,
by Daniel Christian
On 06/26/2023,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Blockchain, Daniel S. Christian, education, future, game-changing environment, higher education, ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, K-12 related, law schools, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, learning spaces, lifelong learning, memory, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, reinvent, skills, society, staying relevant, tools, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
We Might Finally Get AI That “Remembers” Us — from theneurondaily.com by Noah Edelman & Pete Huang
Excerpt:
Why it matters: The best AI assistants will be the ones that require the least prompting. They’ll get to know who you are, what you need, and your modus operandi. Profiles are a good starting point, but we believe the game-changer will be larger context windows (that’s nerd-speak for the amount of context ChatGPT can handle).
.
From DSC:
And how about taking this a step further and remembering — or being able to access — our constantly updated Cloud-Based Learning Profiles?
On 06/26/2023,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Access to Justice (A2J), Alternatives, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, ideas, instructional design, IT in HE, law schools, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, lifelong learning, online tutoring, personalized/customized learning, society, the downsides of how people use tech, tools, trends, United States, vendors, Virtual courts and law firms, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
AI-driven Legal Apprenticeships — from thebrainyacts.beehiiv.com by Josh Kubicki
Excerpts:
My hypothesis and research suggest that as bar associations and the ABA begin to recognize the on-going systemic issues of high-cost legal education, growing legal deserts (where no lawyer serves a given population), on-going and pervasive access to justice issues, and a public that is already weary of the legal system – alternative options that are already in play might become more supported.
What might that look like?
The combination of AI-assisted education with traditional legal apprenticeships has the potential to create a rich, flexible, and engaging learning environment. Here are three scenarios that might illustrate what such a combination could look like:
-
- Scenario One – Personalized Curriculum Development
- Scenario Two – On-Demand Tutoring and Mentoring
- Scenario Three – AI-assisted Peer Networks and Collaborative Learning:
Why Companies Are Vastly Underprepared For The Risks Posed By AI — from forbes.com by
Accuracy, bias, security, culture, and trust are some of the risks involved
Excerpt:
We know that there are challenges – a threat to human jobs, the potential implications for cyber security and data theft, or perhaps even an existential threat to humanity as a whole. But we certainly don’t yet have a full understanding of all of the implications. In fact, a World Economic Forum report recently stated that organizations “may currently underappreciate AI-related risks,” with just four percent of leaders considering the risk level to be “significant.”
A survey carried out by analysts Baker McKenzie concluded that many C-level leaders are over-confident in their assessments of organizational preparedness in relation to AI. In particular, it exposed concerns about the potential implications of biased data when used to make HR decisions.
AI & lawyer training: How law firms can embrace hybrid learning & development — thomsonreuters.com
A big part of law firms’ successful adaptation to the increased use of ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI, may depend upon how firmly they embrace online learning & development tools designed for hybrid work environments
Excerpt:
As law firms move forward in using of advanced artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI, their success may hinge upon how they approach lawyer training and development and what tools they enlist for the process.
One of the tools that some law firms use to deliver a new, multi-modal learning environment is an online, video-based learning platform, Hotshot, that delivers more than 250 on-demand courses on corporate, litigation, and business skills.
Ian Nelson, co-founder of Hotshot, says he has seen a dramatic change in how law firms are approaching learning & development (L&D) in the decade or so that Hotshot has been active. He believes the biggest change is that 10 years ago, firms hadn’t yet embraced the need to focus on training and development.
From DSC:
Heads up law schools. Are you seeing/hearing this!?
- Are we moving more towards a lifelong learning model within law schools?
- If not, shouldn’t we be doing that?
- Are LLM programs expanding quickly enough? Is more needed?
Legal tech and innovation: 3 ways AI supports the evolution of legal ops — from lexology.com
Excerpts:
- Simplified legal spend analysis
- Faster contract review
- Streamlined document management
On 06/08/2023,
in adjunct faculty, business side of he, colleges, community colleges, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, faculty/staff, higher education, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, policy, student-related, teaching & learning, United States, universities,
by Daniel Christian
Discount Rates At Colleges Continue To Increase As Colleges Explore Alternate Pricing Strategies — from forbes.com by Lucie Lapovsky
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
Since 2012, 65 private colleges and universities with enrollment of 500 students or more, that I know of, have reduced their tuition, and commensurately reduced their discount rate. Several more schools are planning price resets for fall 2024. Schools use this strategy to increase the number of students who will consider them, and this approach has been successful for more than 80 percent of the schools which have reduced their published price.
From DSC:
What I learned of economics in college would agree with this last bit. As the price goes down, demand goes up. And conversely, as the price goes up, demand goes down. As Lucie points out, many people don’t know about the heavily discounted prices within higher education. I’ve been fighting for price decreases for over 15 years…clearly, I haven’t had much success in that area.
Excerpts from Kristen Trader’s recent posting on LinkedIn:
(Emphasis DSC)
How liberal arts colleges can make career services a priority — from highereddive.com by John Boyer
Creating internships and focusing on short-term experiences has a big impact, the longtime undergraduate dean at the University of Chicago says.
Virginia to eliminate degree requirements for most state jobs — from hrdive.com/ by Kathryn Moody
State movement on the issue reflects ongoing private sector interest in reducing reliance on four-year degrees for hiring purposes.
GETTING STARTED WITH MICROCREDENTIALS: A PRIMER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERS — from cps.northeastern.edu by Ellen Stoddard | Allison Ruda | Emilee Trieckel | Sean R. Gallagher; with thanks to Goldie Blenstyk for this resource
3 Ways Campus Leaders Can Prepare Students for Technology Transformation in the Workforce — from campustechnology.comby Sandra Loughlin, Ph.D.
Consider these strategies for equipping students with the tech skills they will need to succeed post-graduation.
TI-ADDIE: A Trauma-Informed Model of Instructional Design — from er.educause.edu by Ali Carr-Chellman and Treavor Bogard
Adjusting the ADDIE model of instructional design specifically to accommodate trauma offers an opportunity to address the collective challenges that designers, instructors, and learners have faced during the current learning moment.
AI-assisted cheating isn’t a temptation if students have a reason to care about their own learning.
Yesterday I happened to listen to two different podcasts that ended up resonating with one another and with an idea that’s been rattling around inside my head with all of this moral uproar about generative AI:
** If we trust students – and earn their trust in return – then they will be far less motivated to cheat with AI or in any other way. **
First, the question of motivation. On the Intentional Teaching podcast, while interviewing James Lang and Michelle Miller on the impact of generative AI, Derek Bruff points out (drawing on Lang’s Cheating Lessons book) that if students have “real motivation to get some meaning out of [an] activity, then there’s far less motivation to just have ChatGPT write it for them.” Real motivation and real meaning FOR THE STUDENT translates into an investment in doing the work themselves.
…
Then I hopped over to one of my favorite podcasts – Teaching in Higher Ed – where Bonni Stachowiak was interviewing Cate Denial about a “pedagogy of kindness,” which is predicated on trusting students and not seeing them as adversaries in the work we’re doing.
So the second key element: being kind and trusting students, which builds a culture of mutual respect and care that again diminishes the likelihood that they will cheat.
…
Again, human-centered learning design seems to address so many of the concerns and challenges of the current moment in higher ed. Maybe it’s time to actually practice it more consistently. #aiineducation #higheredteaching #inclusiveteaching