I know that there has been some concern over the institutional decision to remove the AI Detection tool from TurnItIn (TII) and Canvas, so I want to address that first. In full disclosure, TII deployed that tool into their product free of charge for an introductory period, then elected to charge a significant amount to continue to include the tool with TII after they had hooked many of you.
Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered,
I have fought my way here
To the castle beyond the Goblin City
To take back the child that you have stolen,
For my will is as strong as yours,
And my kingdom is as great.
You have no power over me.
– Sarah
Labyrinth (1986)
Instructional Design & Delivery strives to incorporate gamification into course building practices when collaborating with faculty and academic departments in building all courses, content, and online programs. In order to truly achieve this, we felt that all current and new IDD staff needed to be provided with opportunities for real game-play experience that they may then translate into their course building projects. This idea became the ID&D podcast series! This is a vlog featuring the IDD team, playing Dungeons & Dragons as a group (as characters that they created themselves!), and then translating their experience during each session into real-life course building ideas and pedagogical practice for the online classroom. Enjoy!
You live in the Age of AI. Accept it. Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn't just a buzzword – it's a tool at your fingertips, ready to propel your creativity into new dimensions. As college students, you're at the forefront of this exciting frontier, where AI can serve as a muse, a mentor, and a collaborator.
Any faculty member who wants to produce a video needs to really think about how they are coming across to their audience and what harm they may be doing to the image of academics with a poor production.
Welcome to 2024. If 2023 ushered in the dawn of the era of AI, then I suspect 2024 will see a deeper embrace of AI as a tool that we start to develop an understanding of how best to use to make our lives easier, make our work more efficient, and to expand our capabilities as educators.
The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought about groundbreaking changes in various sectors, including education. However, with these advancements comes a new challenge for faculty in higher education: AI-assisted cheating.
Welcome to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) everyone! Imagine Tony Stark, the iconic Iron Man from the Marvel Universe, in his high-tech lab, crafting his advanced suit with a blend of engineering prowess, creative genius, artificial intelligence, and unparalleled adaptability. This is an apt metaphor for the current landscape of higher education.
The cool October air whipped through the Gonzaga University campus as fall painted trees with shades of amber and gold. The Weird Science department was buzzing with excitement, not from the rapid approach of Halloween, but from a groundbreaking experiment with Generative AI. A team of graduate students had birthed a new model called "GonzagAI," which promised to automate and revolutionize the academic infrastructure.
If the notion of creating a video game is daunting, it probably should be. Making a good game requires not only a great idea, but also a host of planning, graphic design, computer programming, sound engineering, and animation skills, not to mention a fundamental understanding of what makes for good, engaging game play.
As we continue to explore and harness the power of technology in the realm of higher education, it becomes increasingly apparent that artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense potential in transforming the way we design and develop our courses. This shift towards AI-driven course design and development has the potential to create a more personalized and effective learning experience for students.
ID&D is a professional development initiative for our staff to teach the benefits of gamification for online learning and to help everyone understand the process of gamifying instructional materials. Over the years we’ve developed several simulations and role-playing scenarios for courses we have created. We’ve worked with faculty to create everything from a simulation of a zombie apocalypse to crisis management for a boot manufacturer.
One of my favorite moments in the 1968 film, The Planet of the Apes, is when the orangutan Dr. Zaius, Minister of Science and Chief Defender of the Faith, declares that "there is no contradiction between faith and science," when questioned about a conflict of interest between his two roles in ape society. To many, games and education seem nearly as diametrically opposed as Zaius' two areas of responsibility.
As someone interested in learning and video games, one of the most inspirational things I have seen, read, or heard about the subject, is the TED talk by game designer Jane McGonigal, "Gaming can make a better world."
Ask any experienced educator and they will tell you that an important part of teaching is acting. You need to entertain and engage your students in order to be effective in the classroom because good classes are partially good theatre.
The story of Rudolph is full of misfit characters – individuals that do not seem to belong with their peer groups for one reason or another - Yukon Cornelius the loner prospector, the strange toys on the island of misfit toys, and the Bumble who has no place in civilized society.
All higher education instructors have been there – you are happily cruising along in class, lecturing, discussing, engaging, whatever your milieu, and suddenly the theme from the Exorcist is emanating from someone’s pocket, purse, backpack, or from right on top of their desk. You have become the victim of disruptive technology in the classroom.
In a post pandemic world, there is a deeper meaning to horror in the face of global unrest and constrained civil rights. In response to this pressure, we have turned to the horror genre to safely express our anxiety and as a safe avenue for creating societal critiques and exploring the challenges we are currently facing.
Copyright is a concept that hovers around the periphery of educators’ consciousness like some impending catastrophe, always mere moments away from destroying your world.
While liberal arts colleges are currently under attack for their failure to teach specific, job-oriented skills, as this article from Inside Higher ED discusses, there is one often overlooked reason to consider pursuing a liberal education: It produces innovative thinkers.
One of the things that I like the most about the field of instructional design is the opportunity to think about that hard to quantify meta-level where you are teaching someone how to teach someone else.
We cannot separate ourselves from technology that mediates our daily lives; that manages our social lives; that dominates politics; that entertains us; and that helps to educate us.
