AIML Connect Fridays: Rethinking Education and Assessments in Response to Technology Disruptions

Abstract: "There are many developments in information technology that could have had a major impact on the way we educate and assess, but basically have not had that impact. If you were to compare my medical study, for example, with the current medical programs, you’d be hard pressed to find any differences. But my study was 40 years ago (even before PCs) and the world has changed dramatically. Also, the students have become more technology afforded. But education and assessment still operate as if the student did NOT have 24/7 point of care access to a world of knowledge, instruction, communication, feedback and now generative AI. There is a tendency in higher education (and in other educational settings) to think that business as usual will be the norm and that only evolutionary changes will be needed. But this is not the case. Various non-higher educational organisations are already venturing into the lucrative education market and industries are exploring how technology can feasibly (and cost-effectively) allow them to educate ‘their own’, for example with AI-powered personal tutors. It is, therefore, too simplistic to think that a fundamental rethink of education and assessment won’t be needed, and that the industry will remain protected by government regulations. That is a risky strategy.  Although using modern technology to facilitate and even augment existing education and assessment processes is appealing, it should be seen as a simple first step to create more space for thinking about radical changes. I will suggest some directions these changes may need to take."