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Profile: Associate Dean of Education Quality Cloda Jenkins on why Higher Education must embrace generative AI

Evie Burrows-Taylor — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:37:12 +0000

Profile: Associate Dean of Education Quality Cloda Jenkins on why Higher Education must embrace generative AI

Evie Burrows-Taylor Thu, 05/12/2024 - 11:37

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Engaging with AI in education

“The biggest risk is deciding generative AI will undermine education or devalue what we do,” Dr Jenkins says, advocating instead for engaging with the technology to understand where it can be beneficial – and the ways in which its use should be limited.

Recently, Dr Jenkins worked with the Business School's IDEA Lab on stress testing module assessments across the Business School using a range of AI tools onto gain insights into limiting AI interference. The experiment looked at what happened if students asked AI to complete module assessment tasks, with testers evaluating each task for accuracy, clarity, relevance, compliance, referencing and ease of use. Dr Jenkins reviewed the results along with the IDEA Lab’s learning designers, calculating average scores and assigning risk levels.

With her primary focus on ensuring the delivery of high-quality education programmes across the School, Dr Jenkins is keen to support both students and faculty in the use of AI tools. But, she notes, the biggest challenge, particularly for students, is in understanding where to draw the red lines.

“Mechanisms have to be put in place so that students understand what is and isn’t allowed. For example, if we want to use generative AI for idea generation, we can facilitate that by making time for using AI tools in the classroom where there can be oversight,” she explains.

Preparing students for the job market

There are also wider implications for incorporating generative AI into curriculums. For example, when it comes to future employability, an area Dr Jenkins has researched for a number of years. While knowledge of AI tools could help students to develop necessary skills to navigate the job market, they will still have to be able to “critically assess, explain their ideas, and think on their feet”, which she believes is vitally important in preparing them not just for job interviews, but for life in general.

Dr Jenkins is familiar with what recruiters look for and how skill requirements evolve over time. Previously, she worked as a consultant and was headhunted to the independent UK energy regulator Ofgem to run its review of energy network regulation. As well as making use of her PhD on the regulation of price controls in the energy sector, during her time there she was exposed to strategic thinking around tackling big challenges.

The biggest risk is deciding generative AI will undermine education or devalue what we do

“This was an exciting time for me, as it was an opportunity to apply my PhD research and really shape policymaking,” she says, regarding the price control framework she designed and implemented, which is still in use today. “It was a very rewarding time in terms of producing something that actually had an effect."

As an expert in economics education, including on the connections between degrees and skill-development, one of Dr Jenkins' key interests is research-based education, with students learning by doing. Her interest in this area stems from the criticisms levelled against economics for its reliance on theory that, at key moments such as the financial crisis and the COVID pandemic, hasn't always been effective.

“I’m very keen on education not just being about learning theory, but giving students the tools they need to apply these theories to the real world,” she says, adding that research-based education encourages students to explore questions and work out how to find the answers and methodologies that apply. “It’s about enabling students to explore questions and feel comfortable with the idea that there isn’t always a right answer," she says.

Active learning

In fact, it was this active learning approach that attracted her to teaching at 911��պ��. “At the Business School, active learning and application is always front and centre and for me that’s really key as it better prepares students for going into jobs in either the private or public sector.”

In addition to Dr Jenkins's roles as Associate Dean and co-running the Centre for Teaching & Learning Economics, she teaches five modules across BSc, MSc and MBA programmes – undoubtedly a lot to balance. But Dr Jenkins is unequivocal about the positions she holds at the School: “Being close to the ground is important to me. Fundamentally, I really enjoy teaching, but it also helps when I’m talking to colleagues in my capacity as Associate Dean – it gives me the chance to see both sides”.

Mechanisms have to be put in place so that students understand what is and isn’t allowed

Whether teaching, considering how to deliver a new education programme, or implementing a new regulatory framework, Dr Jenkins is motivated by the desire to facilitate change and improve on how things are done.

“I’m focused on thinking about better ways of doing things. Everything I do is about finding the best path, whether in a regulation space or working with a team on a process at the Business School,” she says. “We live in a constrained world with constrained time, so thinking smarter about how we can do things is the way forward”.

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As the higher education sector grapples with the role generative AI will play in the learning experience, the Business School's Associate Dean of Education Quality stresses the positives of this new technology.

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How AI and XR can transform education and create a new dimension of learning

Monica Arés — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 09:56:51 +0000

How AI and XR can transform education and create a new dimension of learning

Monica Arés Mon, 15/01/2024 - 09:56

15 January 2024

Artificial intelligence and extended reality can create new ways of learning that are more engaging, personalised and human-centric. By using these technologies, we can solve some of the biggest challenges in education

We are on the brink of a new era for both technology and education. At the forefront of this revolution is a convergence of AI and XR, causing a merger of the digital and physical world and offering us an entirely new set of tools. Through this combination, the 911��պ�� IDEA Lab is pioneering future-focused solutions set to revolutionize global education and shape a future where technology and human potential unlock entirely new forms and dimensions of learning.

The evolution of learning: a historical perspective

In the space of one human lifetime, computers have gone from basic, simple machines to having the ability to analyse complex systems and predict outcomes.

Most of these technologies, however, have been largely passive, obediently doing what we instructed them to. Historically, the ways we teach and learn have mirrored this relationship, with rote memorisation and standardised testing being the norm. No one believed that was the best way to learn – it didn’t do much to foster skills such as creativity, critical thinking or collaboration – but we didn’t have the tools to make learning engaging at scale.

By using the power of these technologies, we can transform education from a passive, one-size-fits-all system to an active, customised and engaging one

Most of us can recall our favorite “aha moments” and the person, place or experience that inspired us and made us curious enough that we still remember them today.

The problem is that most of us only have a handful of these moments, making them the exception and not the norm. By not prioritising these true learning moments, we have inherited an education system that is critically flawed: it's a system that makes jobs susceptible to automation and leads to uninspired and disengaged educators and learners.

AI and XR as the ultimate tools for human potential

If we stay this course, prioritising a one-directional flow of content and information, we will be shaping our students to be like robots – but now the robots are here, we can turn education’s focus onto being human.

This means focusing on what humans are actually good at, like awareness, higher-order thinking and decision making. Technology can then be used to complement these skills, by handling tasks that are tedious, time consuming, or beyond our capabilities.

What sets us apart from machines is our ability to feel curiosity, to imagine, and even our capacity to get frustrated when we can’t get it right in hopes of finding a better solution. This is what gives us the freedom to explore and innovate.

As humans, however, we are limited, and need to rely on the symbiotic relationship with technology and machines to help us to solve problems we have been unsuccessful at solving on our own.

No one believed that was the best way to learn [...] but we didn’t have the tools to make learning engaging at scale

We are starting to see this triangular partnership being used to build safer vehicles, cure diseases and tackle the climate crisis. In the same way that this hybrid combination will help us solve humanitarian and health issues, it can also help us solve some of the biggest challenges we face with education today.

The 911��պ�� IDEA Lab is at the cutting edge of this work. By using the power of these technologies, we can transform education from a passive, one-size-fits-all system to an active, customised and engaging one. We can also unlock new dimensions of learning, where we can explore virtual worlds, manipulate digital objects, and interact with intelligent agents.

In my next article, I will dive deeper into the practical applications of AI and XR in learning and showcase some of the innovative projects and experiments we are working on at the 911��պ�� IDEA Lab, and introduce you to the learning continuum.

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Will AI replace the educator?

White-collar jobs are set to be transformed by AI – and business schools must adapt teaching practices quickly, so they can prepare students for the new world of work.

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Will AI replace the educator?

David Lefevre — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 09:35:47 +0000

Will AI replace the educator?

David Lefevre Mon, 13/11/2023 - 09:35

14 November 2023

White-collar jobs are set to be transformed by AI – and business schools must adapt teaching practices quickly, so they can prepare students for the new world of work.

A consensus is emerging that artificial intelligence (AI) will be the key technological disruptor of our millennium, delivering new economic activity of up to $12 trillion and accounting for as much as 10 per cent of total global growth in GDP. Critically, some of this growth will arise from AI displacing or replacing human beings in the workforce.

Unlike prior technological revolutions that primarily impacted manufacturing and relatively low-skilled jobs, AI has the capacity to impact white-collar jobs. Business schools train people for such roles, so it is crucial we consider how AI will require us to reshape the traditional curriculum and learning experience to ensure students are well placed to thrive in this emerging AI-enabled world.

The curriculum must change

While AI will undoubtedly impact white-collar jobs, it’s important that we avoid framing this impact as a choice between humans and AI. Research finds that combined human-AI intelligence can outperform human-only and AI-only workers in games such as chess and tasks such as market forecasting, for example. This emerging view of hybrid intelligence represents a more optimistic and collaborative vision of our future with AI.

So what do schools need to do now to help students engage with this emerging world of hybrid intelligence? For a start, we need to move the focus of our curricula towards the skills and abilities AI is less able to replicate. At present this means leaning into critical and creative thinking, as well as soft skills, coaching students in empathy and team building.

On top of this, we should be teaching students the practical skills they need to engage with AI. This includes training in prompt engineering and familiarising professionals in working in partnership with digital assistants. These relatively minor initial steps will set students on a path to meaningful engagement with AI and enable them to start forming a view on how their future careers will fit within the hybrid intelligence model.

How do we deliver education?

AI will also have a direct impact on how schools develop and deliver education. UNESCO has categorised the myriad ways in which large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT can support staff and students in performing the tasks that comprise contemporary education models. These include the LLM acting as a study buddy to help students gauge their understanding of a topic, or acting as a Socratic opponent to help develop their arguments.

The UNESCO report also highlights how LLMs can extend to tasks performed by the teacher. To conceptualise this, imagine that all teachers are provided with a personal AI teaching assistant. This might enable them to teach tens of thousands of students rather than hundreds, or to focus a greater proportion of their time on research and other activities.

We need to move the focus of our curricula towards the skills and abilities AI is less able to replicate

More controversially, tasks relating to the management of teaching staff can also now be performed by AI. Such algorithmic management is commonly used by Amazon, Uber, and across the broader tech sector. These systems are likely to gain traction across professional sectors including healthcare, law, management consulting and education. Taking this further, the administration of education may become largely automated, such that only a small number of human staff are needed – a "human-in-the-loop" digital education system.

Instinctively, we might believe that technology cannot possibly replace human staff, perhaps assuming that students will object to any reduction in human-to-human contact. However, we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of over-valuing human involvement. As Richard Susskind puts it: “Patients don’t really want neurosurgeons; what they want is health.” The same is true for students, who ultimately want and deserve the best possible education using all available tools.

Universities of the future

So, does all this mean that AI will replace the educator? Are we moving towards the lights-out university, akin to the fully automated factories being developed in Japan and China? It is possible and even likely in certain scenarios, but a much more likely near-term scenario for most business schools is that hybrid human-AI work will become the norm. Human staff will be supported by AI across the core tasks involved in curriculum delivery, student guidance, pastoral support and assessment.

At 911��պ��, we are actively working towards this future across our educational provision. To illustrate, our innovative cross-campus module "AI Ventures" brings together faculty and students from business and engineering to create new AI startups while leveraging AI tools across the student experience to accelerate that process.

The administration of education may become largely automated

We have also integrated a new AI system, Tutello, into our learning platform to enable AI and human tutoring and support. In this model, students are guided through their studies by AI, but are able to switch to human support when they wish. It will be instructive to observe when and why they choose to do this. We have also launched our Precision Education initiative, an analytics programme that links 17 different student data sources to create a foundational data layer for a broad range of AI initiatives.

Together, these initiatives reveal a clearer picture as to how AI will change the role of the educator and the broader education system. For traditional education, these tools are likely to accelerate the pivot away from conventional "sage on a stage" pedagogy and towards a more personalised, social and tutored model of education. More radically, AI will enable the development of new, largely automated educational systems capable of delivering high-quality education with little input from human teachers. In both cases, one thing is certain – AI is here to stay and schools will need to adapt.

This article draws on "Will AI Replace the Educator?", a Harvard Business Publishing event featuring 911��պ�� Business School Professors of Practice David Lefevre and David Shrier.

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Expert Q&A: Is AI going to save us or kill us?

World Economic Forum Fellow and Visiting Lecturer at 911��պ�� Business School Dr Catherine Mulligan explores what AI means for society.

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"Universities must think smarter when devising edtech strategies for the future": Sarah Grant writes in Times Higher Education

Evie Burrows-Taylor — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 13:10:09 +0000

"Universities must think smarter when devising edtech strategies for the future": Sarah Grant writes in Times Higher Education Evie Burrows-Taylor Tue, 18/04/2023 - 13:10

16 March 2023

"Business schools explore teaching in the metaverse": The Financial Times quotes Dr David Lefevre

Evie Burrows-Taylor — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 11:14:13 +0000

"Business schools explore teaching in the metaverse": The Financial Times quotes Dr David Lefevre Evie Burrows-Taylor Wed, 07/12/2022 - 11:14

29 November 2022

Profile: Professor of Practice Dr David Lefevre on the future of higher education

Evie Burrows-Taylor — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 11:09:04 +0000

Profile: Professor of Practice Dr David Lefevre on the future of higher education Evie Burrows-Taylor Tue, 26/07/2022 - 11:09

911��պ�� Business School’s newly appointed professor of practice Dr David Lefevre shares his view on how the next wave of emerging disruptive technologies will impact education for the better

When the COVID pandemic hit in spring 2020, Dr David Lefevre was ready. Seconded to 911��պ�� in 2001 to do an MSc in the Department of Computing by the British Council, where he was working on an ambitious project to offer hybrid education, he ended up finding a long-term home at 911��պ��.

Following a PhD at the Business School, he formed the Edtech Lab, which led to the launch of the School’s first online courses in 2003. In 2015, he introduced 911��պ��'s first online degree programme, the Global Online MBA. Since then, he has divided his time between his role as Director of the Edtech Lab and creating a string of successful tech spinouts, such as online courseware publisher Epigeum and online education company Insendi.

The education sector offers enormous scope for the application of new ideas

“Combining academia and entrepreneurship has a flywheel effect,” he says. “The relationship between our edtech spinouts and 911��պ�� has a sum positive effect for all: these firms enable 911��պ�� to realise the value of its educational innovation and also create a vibrant exchange of ideas with the wider education sector.”

By the time the pandemic arrived in the UK, the Edtech Lab was offering more than 200 online modules a year and had the experience and skills necessary to move the School’s teaching entirely online.

“Like many institutions, we were given two days' notice that our campus would close, so the primary challenge became speed. However, we were able to quickly form a robust strategy and our students were able to continue their studies,” he says.

Datafication

Fast forward to today and Dr Lefevre is ready for the next challenge: bringing the new wave of technology into education in his new capacity as a Professor of Practice. He will be looking at the role emerging disruptive technologies will play in higher education, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI).

“Generally, digital education is powered by Web 2.0, a collection of old technologies that have taken decades to roll out across the sector. However, we are now witnessing the origins of a new technological wave, based on analytics, that is likely to be equally disruptive.

“One example of the disruption we are likely to see is AI starting to perform tasks that are currently performed by humans. In the context of higher education this could include certain tasks within administration roles, teaching roles and in the study process, as well as the general task management.”

We are already beginning to see human staff replaced by AI

In order to arrive at the point where these technologies can be effectively incorporated into the School’s operations, Dr Lefevre and his team must first complete the task of “data unification”. This is an infrastructure project that will transform the Business School into a data-driven organisation – no small feat.

One year ago – as part of this process – the Edtech team started collecting information about the School’s student body from 17 different sources, including application forms, security cards, curriculum information, grades, careers service and alumni profiles.

“In a year’s time, we will hopefully be able to conduct sophisticated analyses that allow us to identify which parts of the student experience most impact those things we care about. For example, student performance, student satisfaction and graduate outcomes.”

The goal of this work is to offer “precision education”, he explains, meaning programmes that are designed to offer the most impact and offer personalised journeys, targeting what students want and need.

The business of education

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he has concerns about the potential for these emerging technologies to be adopted inappropriately within the education sector.

“There is a fear among people in roles like mine that technology will create a two-tier educational system in which there exists a low cost, largely automated education system for some, and a high-touch, more human experience for those who can afford it.

“This is especially the case when it comes to applying AI to online education. We are already beginning to see human staff replaced by AI, particularly in low-cost settings.”

Naturally his focus is on how these technologies can be used to create a positive learning experience, such as making education more affordable or increasing access or participation through the removal of geographical boundaries.

We are now witnessing the origins of a new technological wave

He sees himself as someone who has been very fortunate to have found a role that suits him so well at an institution like 911��պ��.

“The whole focus of my work is on digital innovation and the education sector offers enormous scope for the application of new ideas. However, given the increasing complexity of digital technology, it is necessary to to have the time to thoroughly consider its implications, and I am very grateful to 911��պ�� for creating this Professor of Practice role to allow me to do just that.

As you would expect, 911��պ�� College has been a fabulous base for me to explore and develop ideas. I don’t believe many institutions offer such a degree of opportunity.”

26 July 2022

Can online learning save jobs in an age of automation?

David Lefevre — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 09:28:34 +0000

Can online learning save jobs in an age of automation?

David Lefevre Fri, 15/01/2021 - 09:28

16 February 2017

Dr David Lefevre and Bhav Radia from 911��պ�� Business School’s Edtech Lab explain why organisations need to encourage a culture of lifelong learning.

In 2016 Faiz Siddiqui made headlines when he sued Oxford University for £1 million. The former student built a case around his failure to gain a first class degree, due to what he claimed was subpar teaching. This, he argued, had had dire consequences for both his personal and professional life.

A crucial detail of the case was that the 38-year-old Siddiqui graduated from Oxford’s Brasenose College with a 2:1 in Modern History in June 2000. Suing your alma mater for a faltering career that has spanned almost two decades seems an odd argument to make. Can his undergraduate experience really be to blame when so much time has passed?

This story is of particular interest in the context of today’s business environment, where there is an ever-growing threat to jobs due to automation. A study by Michael Osborne and Carl Frey, from the Oxford Martin School, estimated that nearly 50 per cent of all jobs in the US were at risk of automation in the not so distant future. Just a month ago, Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance made 34 employees redundant with IBM’s Watson Explorer AI, which will now be used to calculate insurance settlements. Furthermore, recent political events have shown how jobs can be taken away from countries in a heartbeat.

It is becoming clear, as Eric Weber of Iese Business School says, that “there is an endless need for maintaining one’s employability”. To accomplish this, there is a pressing need for individuals to upskill and develop throughout their career, and for organisations to support this and foster a culture of lifelong learning.

The Edtech Lab, based within 911��պ�� Business School, uses technology to facilitate this and has developed a range of online and blended courses that supports individuals and organisations to learn and develop throughout their careers in a flexible and effective way.

We recently completed a run of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) on EdX, called Essentials for MBA Success, which provided over 20,000 students across the world with a manageable but rigorous introduction to key principles in business. People at all stages of their careers can take these free courses – from those with limited work or business experience to those in senior positions within multinational organisations looking to develop their skillset.

We also collaborate with organisations to develop executive education for their employees. This often entails customising business education to fit challenging circumstances. For example, we are currently working with a global firm to develop a learning environment where staff operating across a range of continents and time zones can come together to develop skills in Strategy and Economics within a collaborative environment, and then rapidly apply these skills in their organisation without having to be in the same place at the same time.

In 2017, we relaunched our Executive MBA as a blended programme that is designed for senior executives who want to accelerate their career whilst continuing to excel in a demanding job. The programme breaks down online material into one-hour blocks, allowing learning to be squeezed into even the busiest of schedules. These online sessions are then followed up with a mixture of in-class lectures and activities and international residencies, which focuses on local application of key topics.

It is clear to us that lifelong learning is here to stay – and we at 911��պ�� Business School are excited to take on the challenge of opening up world-class business education to a growing and diversifying global audience through using innovative technologies, partnerships and pedagogies.

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Data privacy: what does the future hold?

Data privacy is a major concern for businesses, governments and consumers alike – and with the future of this thorny issue so uncertain, analysis is crucial

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Business School students adapt to ‘new normal’ as they return to campus

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 13:25:53 +0000

Business School students adapt to ‘new normal’ as they return to campus Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 23/09/2020 - 13:25

23 September 2020

Business School named number one UK-based school in FT MSc Finance ranking

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 11:02:24 +0000

Business School named number one UK-based school in FT MSc Finance ranking Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 15/06/2020 - 11:02

15 June 2020