As We May Think

April 2023

As the conversation about ChatGPT continues, there is very little doubt that 2023 is a year of Artificial Intelligence. From Midjourney, DALL-E2 to GPT-4, AI advances at an unprecedented pace, and is already transforming the world of higher education in various ways. For example, machine learning algorithms are utilized to personalize the learning experience. AI-powered predictive analytics are used to identify students who are at risk of dropping out or failing courses. At NPC, a number of faculty and staff already started exploring the use of ChatGPT in supporting teaching and learning, and tools to detect GPT-generated content.

While reviewing course forms in ACRES last month, I accidentally ran into a course I developed with another faculty more than a decade ago. CIS 150 Digital Culture, which I call “a humanistic inquiry into cyberspace,” covers topics such as history of digital culture, open source and proprietary models, the hacker ethic, legal, ethical and political components of culture, artificial intelligence, gaming, and visions and nightmares of a digital future. The last topic, if memory serves, drew heavily on insights from Vannevar Bush's As We May Think, Marshall McLuhan's The Medium is the Massage, and Colin Lankshear and Michelle Knobel's New Literacies. Although these books were written a long time ago, they successfully "predicted" some of the innovations and transformations that are reshaping our world today.

As We May Think examines how technology can be used to augment human thinking and knowledge. In the context of higher education, this means using technology to enhance the learning experience and to support research and scholarship, especially through creating systems that can be easily navigated and understood. This is particularly important in the context of distance learning, for which platforms need to be designed with the user in mind, providing clear navigation and easy-to-understand instructions. Another important aspect is collaboration and sharing. Bush recognizes the importance of creating systems that allow for the sharing of knowledge and ideas. Today, AI and other emerging technologies have the potential to facilitate the sharing of educational credentials and other forms of knowledge, making it easier for students to access the resources they need to succeed.

The Medium is the Massage explains how the media shapes our perception of reality. In the context of higher education, this means understanding how emerging technologies are shaping the way we perceive and engage with knowledge. McLuhan notes that the medium through which information is transmitted is just as important as the information itself. This also applies in the context of technology-enhanced learning, where the medium through which information is transmitted can impact the effectiveness of the learning experience. McLuhan also argues that new media often creates new forms of literacy, and that we need to develop new literacies to engage with emerging technologies. To succeed in the modern workforce, for instance, our students need to develop digital literacies.

Lankshear and Knobel further examine New Literacies by looking into how digital technologies are transforming the way we communicate, learn, and create knowledge. They note that digital technologies are blurring the lines between consumption and production. In higher education, this means that students are no longer passive consumers of knowledge, but active producers and creators of knowledge. Emerging technologies are enabling students to create and share knowledge in new and innovative ways. Digital technologies are changing the nature of collaboration. Lankshear and Knobel argues that digital technologies are enabling new forms of collaborative knowledge creation, and that we need to develop new skills and literacies to engage with these new forms of collaboration. For example, students may need to develop skills in online collaboration and communication to work effectively with others in virtual environments. Recently, "skills for a productive life" in the proposed AGEC redesign, may include a range of "new literacies."

From personalized learning experiences to ubiquitous learning, AI and other emerging technologies are reshaping the landscape of higher education in significant ways. However, they also present a range of challenges, such as the need to ensure equal access and ethical and responsible use. By carefully embracing these technologies and developing policies and guidelines to support their use, we can help to create a more inclusive and accessible education system, and a new digital epistemology, for all. A vision for the future enhances hope and optimism, as we may think.

Wei Ma, PhD
Dean of Instructional Innovation
Read other Messages from the Dean

References

Bush, V. (1945). As we may think. Atlantic Monthly, 176, 101-108.

McLuhan, M., Fiore, Q., & Agel, J. (2001). The medium is the massage. Gingko Press.

Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (2006). New literacies: Everyday practices and classroom learning. New York: Open University Press.