This blog post was written collaboratively by Tracy Tang and Ano Gwesu
For Activity 5, we were asked to look for two articles or stories in the media – or press releases from apps or software companies – that exhibit techno-deterministic thinking. The context of our analysis is the media debate, framed by the readings from Clark and Kozma, respectively.
One of our articles is about an educational technology start-up company called Riid. They are a South Korean-based AI tutoring service that started by offering online test preparation services for standardized tests such as TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication).
This quote from the founder of Riid, YJ Jang, sums up the company’s intention and ambition in the category it occupies.
“Education is a complex field deeply related to cognition, motivation, peer interaction, etc. We draw insights from learning science, cognitive biology, data science, and other related areas of research for an iterative experimentation process that is challenging and time consuming — that’s why there are only a few players in the market” (Smith, 2022).
The test preparation market is valued at $300 billion USD globally (Smith, 2022). This article claims that AI is the “new tool” to address traditional issues associated with face to face learning such as high costs, labour, crowded classes and difficulty to scale. The writer claims that technology can use computer code to mimic networks of neurons in the brain to uncover patterns in how students perform, and can help teachers adjust strategies in relation to that performance. Artificial intelligence tutors – like the company profiled in this article – claim to give students individualized attention. Riid claims it can predict standardized exam scores in a fraction of the time it takes a person to complete a mock test in its entirety. The article quotes a parent who has used the tool and likes the convenience of an online program she can use at home, over hiring a tutor. A teacher who is quoted commends Riid for its ability to assess student knowledge in real time without depending on past test scores.
What Clark would say about this article on Riid:
He would point out that there is a difference between design technologies and delivery technologies (Clark, 1994). He would say that an app such as Riid does not influence nor motivate learning. Clark would assert that if a student has learned the given curriculum using Riid, that the learning is caused by the method of instruction/tutoring that has been embedded in the presentation/user interaction, not the form of media itself (Clark, 1994).
What Kozma would say about this article on Riid:
Kozma would want to examine what the defining capabilities or attributes of an app like Riid are ( Kozma, 1994). He would also say that successful learning via Riid is not a simple process of responding to instructions that have been delivered to students, but rather a process that is active, constructive, cognitive, and social ( Kozma, 1994).
The second article is about Coursera a well-known company in Education and Technology that announced new AI content and innovations to help HR and learning leaders drive organizational agility amid relentless disruption. Coursera is a learning tool for artificial intelligence that has thousands of AI courses and specialties produced, planned, and taught by experts in the field.
One of the quotes by Gina Smith, written by Ikonomou, states that :
“In today’s rapidly changing landscape and evolving job market, organizational agility and resilience rely on a strong reskilling and upskilling initiative. The Coursera platform offers personalized, hands-on, and adaptive learning content, empowering employees to practice and master new skills in generative AI, cybersecurity, and other emerging fields. This equips them not only for their current roles but also for future opportunities.” (2023)
The article claims that Coursera will provide new content offerings and AI-powered platform advancements to assist learning and leaders in learning in developing an agile workforce. This new system would enable personalized, job-aligned learning, utilizing an onboarding flow that tracks learner goals, simplifies role and skill discovery, and minimizes initial content burden.
The writer refers to Coursera Coach, a generative AI offering learners a virtual coach that provides real-time personalized feedback, video lecture summaries, and resources, ensuring inclusivity and engagement for globally diverse learners backed by expert content. They state that machine learning will be deployed to enhance the accessibility of the platform, with over 2,000 courses set to be translated into various languages by the end of the year. These AI-powered course-building features can automatically generate course content, reducing time and cost for authors, claiming that this would allow organizations to integrate privately-authored content with expert instructors, creating custom credentials faster and at scale.
What Clark would say about the article on Coursera:
He would emphasize that we must always choose the less expensive way to achieve a learning goal in design science (Clark, 1994). AI is an expensive technology that requires a lot of monetary resources (Clark, 1994). He would state that other media can achieve the same learning gains because no one media attribute has a unique cognitive effect. Clark might also state that Coursera is a delivery technology that influences the cost and access to instruction and information and does not affect student achievement like design technologies do, further emphasizing that the AI tool that Coursera uses would not motivate the learners on the app (Clark, 1994).
What Kozma would say about the article on Coursera:
Kozma would state that media can have different effects on learning depending on the context, the learner, and the type of media being used( Kozma, 1994). Incorporating AI into learning removes some of the cognitive and social processes involved in learning ( Kozma, 1994). He would also state that instructional designers should consider the affordances and constraints of different media when designing learning environments and should focus on creating environments that support active, constructive, and interactive learning( Kozma, 1994).
With an ever-changing technological environment, Kozma and Clark’s articles highlight the importance of taking a reflective and critical lens amid rising techno-deterministic thinking.
References
Clark, R. E. (1994). Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 21-29.
Ikonomou, M. (2023). Coursera announces new AI content and innovations to help HR and learning leaders drive organizational agility amid relentless disruption. Coursera Blog. https://blog.coursera.org/trusted-content-and-ai-innovations-to-drive-organizational-agility-for-learning-leaders/
Kozma, R. B. (1994). Will media influence learning: Reframing the debate. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 7-19
Smith, C. S. (2022). Is A.I. the future of test prep? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/27/business/ai-education-app-riiid.html