Brian Stewart
University of Alberta
Brian Stewart is the deputy CIO at the University of Alberta. He is also a member of the ARUCC Groningen & Student Mobility Steering Committee as the representative of CUCCIO. His role is to provide strategic leadership, vision, and direction for information services and technology and to direct project, change, and benefit management for continuous operational improvement. Brian’s background has been in strategic operational and technology management in the printing industry and higher education, and he has written and spoken widely on these topics. Brian has a number of industry credentials in addition to an M.A. in economics from University College Cork and an M.B.A. from Athabasca University.
AI has been increasing in its use in our everyday lives spanning across a broad swath of uses ranging from personal assistants, purchase reference and prediction, smart homes and cars, fraud detection, online customer... [ view full abstract ]
AI has been increasing in its use in our everyday lives spanning across a broad swath of uses ranging from personal assistants, purchase reference and prediction, smart homes and cars, fraud detection, online customer support, even assisting personal relationships. This increasing use is fueled by the use of machine learning, computer modelling and algorithmic creation enabled by ever bigger data sets combined with ever more capable technological capabilities driven by Moore's Law and MetCalfe's Law.
The upward and accelerating trajectory of AI, encapsulated in the concept of the singularity, has drawn both excitement and concern from scientists, economists and business leaders. The largest fear is that AI will outsmart its creators allowing the machines to turn the tables and become the masters, using our psychology to program our behaviour. While the long-term outcome remains unclear, the near-term impacts are more discernible, in particular the intention here is to review how AI is and will influence Education. AI has begun to be used in educational institutions, chat bots are being used to provide student services as well as providing learning supports. Automated paper grading has started to be used, while academic advising and assessment are being trialed.
The presentation will outline the potential for AI to positively impact student success. This will be approached from a student life-cycle perspective, taking an integrated view of the student experience and identifying where AI can be most beneficial. Current usages of AI in education, will be considered in addition to those being experimented with and those still being considered. The presentation will view the adoption of AI in Education from a comprehensive perspective, considering technological, social, political, economic, cultural and ethical factors.
The intention of the presentation is to provide attendees with an initial understanding of the benefits and constraints of AI in the educational realm, which will facilitate their own learning journeys in this most intelligent of all Infomation technologies.
