Monday, July 01, 2024

Higher education for good - impressions of the book

 Here is an open access book - Higher Education for Good - with a few relevant chapters. The book takes an optimistic look at higher education and its potential to contribute to the common good of society and humanity.

The current economic and political climates. have been challenging for tertiary education as a whole, across many countries. The book has a series of essays, discussing the challenges and future for higher education. Sections include - finding fortitude and hope; making sense of the unknown and emergent; considering alternative futures; making change through teaching, assessment and learning design; and (re)making higher education systems and structures. 

Several chapters are of interest to those beyond higher education. Including: 

- Artificial intelligence for good? Challenges and possibilities of AI in HE from a data justice perspective.

by E.  Pechekina, The focus of the chapter is on how AI can be used to support students and learning but also undertakes an discussion on the ethical use of AI, especially in the 'prediction' of outcomes based on learner demographics, performance and other data. The issue of equity is also presented.

- Humanising learning design with digital pragmatism - by K. Malloy and C. Thomson. This chapter provides a learner designer view, with the practitioners located in a 'third space' of being neither management or academics. It argues for the need to champion the needs of learners, as one way to navigate the power structures in higher education.

A book that will have chapters that will be of interest to all tertiary educators, interested in how their work impacts on social justice and how each is able to play a part in making the world a better place.

 


No comments: