Future of Learning & the LMS
Ray Schroeder
UPCEA Sr. Fellow ~ UIS AVC for Online
First: A word about presentation format. For the past dozen years, we have been "power-point-less" at the UIS Center for Online Learning, Research and Service. Rather than using a static, aging format, we prefer to create Web pages for our presentations to assure that they are easily accessible, updatable, and always available. Please follow along on your own device (or visit at a later date) to delve more deeply into the links and videos that interest you.
The Learning Management System is evolving with the advances in technology and pedagogy. No longer is it merely the platform for static (non-interactive) content, discussion boards, quizzes and grading center. It will become learner-centered and much "smarter" through AI in ways we had not imagined even five years ago. -ray
https://www.betterbuys.com/lms/lms-predictions-2019/
AI makes learning personal. It makes learning relevant, with insights based on data, on user behavior and on preferences – not simply what others “liked.” AI changes enterprise learning’s status-quo with an incredible ability to deliver automated and truly personalized learning (at scale) to completely change the way people learn…for the better. -- Claudio Erba, CEO, Docebo
https://elearningindustry.com/next-generation-learning-environment-future-lms
- Allow you to offer a tailored or more personalized approach to each employee.
- Allow the L&D team to curate ready-made resources as well as adding custom-made content and to present it all in a sensible schema or pathway.
- Be user-friendly and searchable so that learners can readily find resources when they need them.
- Be a collaborative space where people can learn from each other.
- Be available offline to give alternative ways for people to access learning content if they don’t have a constant, reliable internet connection.
- Work seamlessly on any kind of device and look pretty good to boot.
- Become a destination where people ‘want to go every day’. -- Steve Lowenthal, eLearning Industry
http://onlineinnovationsjournal.com/streams/immersive-online-education/7fedf2143e0458db.html
In the past decade, learning management systems (LMSs) have become the standard on college campuses. However, some professors are growing increasingly frustrated with the LMS and its limitations, especially within online classrooms. The 2017 New Media Consortium Horizon Report for higher education identifies next-generation LMSs as a key trend in the next two to three years. This article explores issues with current LMSs along with several possible visions for the next-generation LMS. -- Kristin Kipp, Boise State University
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/will-lms-future-look-like/
Have you ever become frustrated with your learning management system (LMS)? If so, you are not alone. They are not as easy to use as other educational technology products; however, they are essential for the classroom. Yet, educators are hopeful that developers are already planning the LMS of the future to be more effective. As technology evolves and education becomes future ready, the LMS of the future will become more than a helpful administrative tool. The LMS of the future will be a hands-on all-access tool for education. -- Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate
https://blog.matrixlms.com/the-lms-of-the-future-two-predictions/
LMSs will be even more learner-centered
The learner empowerment wave that I mentioned has already gained momentum. There’s a lot of buzz about how LMSs should better respond to learners’ needs, and I’m sure this is far from ending. Learning platforms must all be tailored to the needs of learners and provide individualized instruction.
LMSs will use even smarter technologies (AI)
Technology advancements today happen at such a rapid pace that a lot of organizations have a hard time keeping up. From the moment a management team decides to adopt a new software to improve productivity to the actual implementation, the developers of the said software release a new version of it, for an even more improved productivity. -- Livia B. Matrix Blog
Online Learning - and learning in general will be enhanced by artificial intelligence in the coming years (it already has). The decade of the 2020's belongs to AI and the last half of the decade to Quantum Computing. Here are some examples of how the changes will take place, and what we in store for us.
Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Applications, Promise and Perils, and Ethical Questions - EDUCAUSE Review
What are the benefits and challenges of using artificial intelligence to promote student success, improve retention, streamline enrollment, and better manage resources in higher education? AI is affecting all aspects of higher education: administration, teaching, assessment, student performance and more.
Introduction to AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) vs. Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning - Skymind
You can think of deep learning, machine learning and artificial intelligence as a set of Russian dolls nested within each other, beginning with the smallest and working out. Deep learning is a subset of machine learning, and machine learning is a subset of AI, which is an umbrella term for any computer program that does something smart. In other words, all machine learning is AI, but not all AI is machine learning, and so forth.
https://skymind.ai/wiki/ai-vs-machine-learning-vs-deep-learning
A sampling of areas where artificial intelligence is emerging that will affect higher ed
AI musicians have emerged - Aiva https://youtu.be/HAfLCTRuh7U and https://youtu.be/gA03iyI3yEA, with voiced singing https://youtu.be/4MKAf6YX_7M , and more - they have a following! Impact is coming for music education.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/auxuman-ai-album/
Saraj Raval explains how it is done:
AI that summarizes research for faculty and students.
AI essay graders have been around for some years; they keep getting better and better.
AI passes 12th grade science test; not just regurgitating facts, this test requires cognitive reasoning:
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/9/13/20863269/ai-aristo-science-test-allen-institute
EssayBot will write your student essays - perhaps not an "A" - but credible.
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/4/15/18311367/essaybot-ai-homework-passing
Toward AI that learns to write - well.
http://news.mit.edu/2019/toward-artificial-intelligence-that-learns-to-write-code-0614
You are reading AI-written reports every day (many are written from AI-gathered research as well) - in Bloomberg (1/3 of all reports), Washington Post, Forbes, Guardian, Associated Press and many more.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/business/media/artificial-intelligence-journalism-robots.html
https://techhq.com/2019/09/writing-and-research-tools-the-future-of-the-newsroom/
Poetry and other creative writing by AI.
https://www.vox.com/2019/5/15/18623134/openai-language-ai-gpt2-poetry-try-it
Trying out the Open AI Writing software.
NSF Creates AI-Powered Innovation Program - Sara Friedman, Campus Technology
The new funding opportunity will distribute approximately $120 million in 2020 to fund planning grants and up to six research institutes focused on advanced research powered by artificial intelligence. The National Science Foundation has announced a new joint federal program to fund research focused on artificial intelligence at colleges, universities and nonprofit or nonacademic organizations focused on educational or research activities. The National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program expects to award approximately $120 million in 2020 to fund planning grants and up to six research institutes.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/10/10/nsf-creates-ai-powered-innovation-program.aspx
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Reminder: AI will most likely have much greater impact in a much different way than what we might be assuming today
https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/10/17/the-ai-enabled-future/#51a711973339
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10 Powerful Women Leaders Discuss Keeping AI Safe for Humanity
The era of the AI student assistant is arriving in which the tools and abilities desribed above will be openly available to all of our students to conduct research papers and case study analyses:
"AI (or Alexa, or Google or ...) I have a research paper due at 3 pm this afternoon for my Epidemiology class. Below is the assignment: send me an electronic version and print out two hard copies by 2:30.
No discussion of AI is complete without considering the impact of quantum computing
Quantum Computing will enable advance AI in ways we have yet to full understand, however, we know it will allow incredibly massive datasets to be analyzed in the blink of an eye. It will bring breakthroughs in fields such as meteorology, medicine, and education where we can assemble massive-scale data that can be combed for causality, prediction, and previously unrecognized connections.
Quantum Computing Is Poised to Change Everything
Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed
It is truly rare that an advancement comes along that changes every aspect of society; quantum computing is poised to do just that in the 2020s. Do you recall Moore’s law? That’s the axiom developed by Gordon Moore some two dozen years ago that the processing power of computers would double every 18 months to two years. Now, quantum computing has ushered in Hartmut Neven’s law. His law predicting growth in quantum computing power is one that is doubly exponential. That is two to an exponent of two to a second increasing exponent. Charted on a graph, that growth rate appears to become nearly vertical.
Quantum Computing is on the Verge of Supercharging AI
The advent of quantum computing will fuel a "quantum" leap in artificial intelligence. The Google 54 qubit computer just claimed computing supremacy over the previous fastest computer in the world, the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge. "Purportedly, Google’s Sycamore quantum processor, using 54-qubits, performed calculations in 200 seconds that would have taken today’s supercomputers over 10,000 years to complete. The power and potential of such an achievement are awe-inspiring, even if there are no obvious practical applications today." Note: IBM disputes the claim . IBM has their own 53 qubit computer.
Additional Readings
https://gizmodo.com/google-confirms-achieving-quantum-supremacy-1839288099
https://www.verdict.co.uk/quantum-computing-2019/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/john-preskill-explains-quantum-supremacy-20191002/
https://enterprisetalk.com/quick-bytes/googles-breakthrough-quantum-computing/
Advances at Johns Hopkins include identifying new superconductor material for qubits
https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/quantum-computing-john-hopkins
Einstein called it "Spooky": Quantum Entanglement
It affords connected actions at speeds exceeding the speed of light by means we do not yet fully understand. It opens the door to a whole new level of privacy and connectivity. Quantum entanglement is thought to be one of the trickiest concepts in science, but the core issues are simple. And once understood, entanglement opens up a richer understanding of concepts such as the “many worlds” of quantum theory.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/entanglement-made-simple-20160428/
https://cosmosmagazine.com/physics/what-is-quantum-entanglement
Saraj Raval pulls it all together:
Did you "get" the shoe/hotdog and "my mom is from Kenya" references in the first 40 seconds! If so, congratulations, you pass the Quantum Test!!!
How can you keep up with the daily developments and trends?
Ray's Daily Curated Reading Lists and Social Media. Blogs with daily updates on the field of online / continuing learning in higher education
- UPCEA Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update http://continuingedupdate.blogspot.com/
- Online Learning Update http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/onlinelearning/blogger.html/
- Recession Reality in Higher Education http://recessionreality.blogspot.com/
- Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/blogger.html/
- UIS OER Blog https://uisoerblog.blogspot.com/
- Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayschroeder
- https://twitter.com/rayschroeder
Contact Ray
rschr1@uis.edu ~ rayschroeder@gmail.com - ray@upcea.edu
Associate Vice Chancellor for Online, Professor Emeritus
University of Illinois Springfield
Senior Fellow, University Professional and Continuing Education Assn.
217-206-7531