Serendipity35

AI agents are something of concern for OpenAI, Google, and any other players. "AI agents" are software programs designed to perform specific tasks or solve problems by using artificial intelligence techniques. These agents can work autonomously or with minimal human intervention, and they're capable of learning from data, making decisions, and adapting to new situations.

Gartner suggests that agentic AI is the most important strategic technology for 2025 and beyond. The tech analyst predicts that, by 2028, at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be taken autonomously through agentic AI, up from 0% in 2024. Does that excite or frighten you?

They can automate processes, analyze data, and interact with users or other systems to achieve specific goals. You probably already interact with them in applications (Siri or Alexa), customer service chatbots, and recommendation systems (Netflix or Amazon). They may be less obvious to you when using an autonomous vehicle or a financial trading system.

There are many categories into which we might place these agents because there are different types of AI agents, each with unique capabilities and purposes:

Here are some possible categorizations:

Reactive agents respond to specific stimuli and do not have a memory of past events. They work well in environments with clear, predictable rules.

Model-based agents have a memory and can learn from past experiences. They use this knowledge to predict future events and make decisions.

Goal-based agents are designed to achieve specific goals. They use planning and reasoning techniques to determine the best actions to take to reach their objectives.

Utility-based agents consider multiple factors and choose actions that maximize their overall utility or benefit. They can balance competing goals and make trade-offs.

Learning agents can improve their performance over time by learning from their experiences. They use techniques like machine learning to adapt to new situations and improve their decision-making abilities.You could also categorize agents in other ways, for example, in an educational contex.

For personalized learning, agents can adapt educational content to meet individual students' needs, learning styles, and pace. By analyzing data on students' performance and preferences, AI can recommend personalized learning paths and resources. In a related way, intelligent tutoring systems can provide one-on-one tutoring by offering explanations, feedback, and hints the way that a human tutor might. They might even be able to create more inclusive learning environments by providing tools like speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and translation services, ensuring that all students have access to educational content. By analyzing students' performance data, they could identify at-risk students and provide early interventions to help them succeed.

AI agents can automate administrative tasks for faculty, such as grading, attendance tracking, and scheduling, freeing up educators' time to focus more on teaching and interacting with students.

Agents can "assist" in creating educational materials. I would hope faculty would be closely monitoring AI creation of tests, quizzes, lesson plans, and interactive simulations.

Though I see predictions of fully AI-powered virtual classrooms that can facilitate remote learning, I believe this is the most distant application - and probably the one that most makes faculty apprehensive.

After two decades teaching "children," I moved to "higher" education where the line between children and adults is fuzzy. For the last decade, I have been involved in adult education and lifelong learning. The "adult” adjective is significant. 

Adults face a lot more barriers during the learning process. There is the transition back to education, the cost of it, the time needed to devote to it, and all the normal distractions of full or part-time jobs, kids and—hopefully—a social life.

My lifelong learning students are often age 55+ but my theory is that lifelong learning begins as soon as you leave formal learning. You can be a lifelong learner at 19, 39, or 79 or any age, but in any case, you are definitely an "adult learner."

Pedagogy is the methods and practice of teaching children. Andragogy: the methods and practice of teaching adults. But as I said, that line
when a student no longer a child, but an adult is not hard and clear. We often view high school graduation as the entry into adulthood, but anyone who has taught college students and also taught younger students will tell you that there are often more similarities than differences.

Andragogy, a concept dating to the 1960s and Malcolm Knowles, is important because it recognizes that adult learners are different and that these differences are extremely important. Here are some things that andragogy and adult learning theory stress.

ADULTS:   
    Are more independent than children when it comes to learning.
    Are capable of critical thinking (unlike some children) but are still interested in the “correct answer."
    Learn more slowly but just as effectively because they have more life experience and deeply ingrained stereotypes and ideas.
    Must be given respect as adults and for their life experience or lack of experience.
    Need classrooms that embrace active learning, including hands-on activities.
    Learn material that is relevant for their needs.
    Are driven less by grades (performance goal orientation) and more by understanding (mastery goal orientation).

My lifelong learning students are often age 55+ but as I said earlier, my theory is that lifelong learning begins as soon as you leave formal learning. Of course, some lifelong learning still occurs in a classroom, a school or a course that you pay for or can do for free.

In my formal education courses, I studied basic human growth and development theories. You can study Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, Malcolm Knowles' work, and Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. 

There are some basics I mention to people who are going to be teaching in any formal or informal setting.

Children need more guidance. Children are just not physiologically capable of performing certain skills or critical thinking. They benefit from active learning and student-centered learning situations. But so do many adults. Adults can handle learning something theoretical and then seeing its application. Children prefer the application and then the theory behind it.

Back in the end of the 20th century, I became very interested in learning styles. The theory is that learners of all ages (maybe more so as adults where they have options) think they have a learning style. An overly simplified breakdown is that you might be a visual, kinesthetic, or auditory learner. More recently, some research now suggests learning styles are a myth. Maybe, but I still like the theory. 

Adults learn differently from children, but "pedagogy” is still often used for learning of all age levels. I think that is a mistake.

As part of my job starting in 2000 at NJIT, I organized and conducted training for professors and some of that included "pedagogy." It was all new to them. I usually had to define the word and I certainly had to define andragogy. They found it interesting and admitted that they had never had any education courses. they "tried to what their good professors had done and not do what the bad ones had done." Professors who voluntarily attended training tended to want to learn new things. Some professors never attended and might say that it all sounded like the training required to teach K-12.

Schools are instituting bans on cell phones in classrooms. These bans aim to create a more focused, interactive, and supportive learning environment for students. But they are certainly controversial. Some large school districts like Los Angeles Unified School District and New York City Public Schools are looking to or have already implemented district-wide cellphone bans. Though this is more common in K-12 classroom, in higher education there are examples of individual faculty, certain courses or departments that have initiated bans.

The reasons generally given for these bans include:

Reducing Distractions: Cell phones can be a significant source of distraction for students, leading to decreased focus and engagement in class

Improving Academic Performance: Studies suggest that limiting cell phone use in classrooms can lead to better academic outcomes, as students are more likely to pay attention and participate in lessons

Enhancing Social Interaction: Banning cell phones encourages face-to-face communication and interaction among students, which is crucial for developing social skills.

Preventing Cyberbullying: Cell phones can be used to facilitate cyberbullying of students, faculty and administration, and removing them from the classroom can help create a safer environment

Promoting Mental Health: Excessive screen time and social media use have been linked to mental health issues in young people. Reducing cell phone use in schools can help mitigate these effects

When cell phones first became more prevalent with students (starting with college students and working down to high school and now younger students) there were individual teachers who instituted bans on using them in class. There were also teachers who promoted the wise use of them in their courses. The cons side of this also has good reason against banning cell phones from classrooms

As Educational Tools: Cell phones can be powerful educational tools, providing access to learning apps, online resources, and educational videos that can enhance the learning experience.

For Emergency Communication: Cell phones allow students to quickly contact parents or emergency services in case of an emergency, providing an added layer of safety.

Developing Digital Literacy: In today's digital age, students need to learn how to use technology responsibly. Allowing controlled use of cell phones in the classroom can help develop these skills.

Access to Information: Cell phones enable students to instantly look up information, conduct research, and verify facts during lessons, promoting active learning.

Inclusivity: For students with special needs, cell phones can provide necessary accommodations, such as text-to-speech applications and other assistive technologies.

Organizational Tools: Many students use their phones to keep track of assignments, deadlines, and schedules through calendar apps and reminders.

Parental Contact: Parents can directly communicate with their children, which is reassuring for both parties, especially in cases of schedule changes or family emergencies.

A web search will turn up lots of articles on the pros and cons of cell phone use and bans on their use in classrooms.
https://congressionaldigest.com/pros-and-cons-of-banning-cellphones-in-schools/
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/03/experts-see-pros-and-cons-to-allowing-cellphones-in-class/

 

I saw a mention of "blended learning" in an article that reminded me of that approach that I once taught and endorsed to faculty. I have not heard the term used much in the past few years, but I am no longer involved full-time in pedagogy.

Blended learning is a pedagogical model integrating traditional face-to-face classroom instruction with online learning experiences. In some ways it was a transitional model going back to the shift from 20th century to 21st century learning. As traditional faculty were being asked to use more online tools or even convert their courses to being fully online, this approach was a softer way to launch.

The idea was to combine the best aspects of in-person and digital education to create a more flexible and personalized learning environment. A Personalized Learning Environment (PLE) was another term that emerged at the time. Probably everyone in and out of academia now has a personalized learning environment of a kind, though it may not be formalized. A PLE was supposed to allow students to benefit from direct interaction with teachers and peers while also taking advantage of the accessibility and resources available through digital platforms.

Key components of blended learning include:

    In-person instruction: Traditional classroom teaching where students engage with teachers and classmates in real-time. 
    Online learning: Use of digital tools and resources, such as videos, interactive activities, and online assessments, that students can access at their own pace.
    Integrated learning activities: Assignments and projects that blend both in-person and online elements to enhance understanding and engagement.
    Flexible pacing: Students can often progress through material at their own speed, allowing for personalized learning experiences.

Some of the advantages associated with blended learning were to provide a more dynamic and adaptive educational experience and addressing diverse learning styles and needs.

An effective blended learning module has a good range of learning activities: on-campus activities, such as lectures, workshops and seminars; off-campus activities, such as field trips, exhibitions, and visits to companies; online synchronous activities; and independent learning activities, such as completing tasks after reading case studies or watching videos.

The article I read was from the UK timeshighereducation.com and had suggested goals for blended learning. In brief, they are:
Find a suitable space when attending online classes
Use digital tools
Create a sense of belonging (a difficult goal because online interactions often feel impersonal and might not be well suited to every student - or faculty member)

One suggestion that interested me the most was to use different types of assessment. This was an area that I worked with faculty on frequently as an instructional designer. Blended learning modules should use a good range of assessment types. It was difficult for many teachers to accept that their main form of assessment was testing, especially objective, knowledge-based tests and quizzes. Written assessments, such as reports and essays, appeared in some courses (especially in the humanities) but were often absent in STEM courses. Faculty would tell me, "They are too subjective." "They take too long to grade" "My course requires them to retain lots of facts that I have to assess." The latter was especially true in foundation courses.

Using online tests and quizzes became more popular because once created they could be automatically scored. Easy for the teacher and immediate feedback for the student.

In-person or recorded presentations were more in the blended model but were time-consuming and more popular in upper-level or graduate courses. Interacting face-to-face with their peers as a team or audience during the presentation is also an important skill. I saw video presentations, e-portfolios, digital projects, posters, podcasts and simulation games all used in blended courses. 

One concept that often met with faculty indifference or opposition was the student-as-co-creator of assignments and assessments, though this can serve as a valuable source to gather student voices and improve their learning experience.

The term "hybrid course" became used more than "blended" but was often the same thing or just used interchangeably. While both models integrate online and offline learning, blended learning is a broader pedagogical approach that can be applied at various levels of education and in different ways. A hybrid course is a specific type of course design commonly used in colleges and universities.

A hybrid course refers to a course that "officially" combines face-to-face (F2F) classroom instruction with online components. The term is commonly used in higher education to describe courses where a significant portion of the learning activities are conducted online, with the remaining portion happening in a physical classroom setting. This becomes an issue concerning the registrar and scheduling areas. A course that met F2F on Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 - noon may now only be assigned a classroom on one of those days. The goal is still to balance the in-person interaction with the flexibility of online learning, usually reducing the amount of time spent in a physical classroom compared to a traditional course.

Of course, hybrid learning models should not be used simply to free up classroom space or reduce parking issues on campus, but unfortunately, I knew of cases where that was a motivation for using it.

The development of online and blended learning modules got a boost during and after the pandemic. To a degree, that was from necessity and convenience, but it introduced these approaches to more students and more faculty and some of it has remained in use.

Developing the right balance between these different teaching modes varies according to discipline, but a mix of synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (self-paced) online activities, along with in-person classroom sessions.is still the pedagogical approach.