Inspire Blog Category: Resources, Tools & Trends

The CAQDAS Quandary Part 2: How a low-cost solution could help with your qualitative analysis

By Greta Underhill In my last post, I outlined my search for a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) program that would fit our Research Unit’s needs. We needed a program that would enable our team to collaborate across operating systems, easily adding in new team members as needed, while providing a user-friendly experience without a high learning curve. We also needed something that would adhere to our institution’s IRB requirements for data security and preferred a program that didn’t require a subscription. However, the programs I examined were either subscription-based, too cumbersome, or did not meet our institution’s IRB requirements for data security. It seemed that there just wasn’t a program out there to suit our team’s needs. However, … The CAQDAS Quandary Part 2: How a low-cost solution could help with your qualitative analysis
by · December 26, 2023

Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part II: A Review of Verified

For the first part of this post, please see Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part I: “You Will Need to Check It All.” Just how, exactly, we’re supposed to follow Ethan Mollick’s caution to “check it all” happens to be the subject of a lively, forthcoming collaboration from two education researchers who have been following the intersection of new media and misinformation for decades. In Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online (University of Chicago Press, November 2023), Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg provide a kind of user’s manual to the modern internet. The authors’ central concern is that students—and, by extension, their teachers—have been going about the … Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part II: A Review of Verified
by · September 12, 2023

Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part I: “You Will Need to Check It All”

Have you found yourself worried or overwhelmed in thinking about the implications of artificial intelligence for your discipline? Whether, for example, your department’s approaches to teaching basic skills such as library research and source evaluation still hold up? You’re not alone. As we enter another school year, many educators continue to think deeply about questions of truth and misinformation, creativity, and how large language model (LLM) tools such as chatbots are reshaping higher education. Along with our students, faculty (oh, and instructional designers) must consider new paradigms for our collective media literacy. Here’s a quick backstory for this two-part post. In late spring, shortly after the “stable release” of ChatGPT to iOS, I started chatting with bot model GPT-3.5, which … Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part I: “You Will Need to Check It All”
by · September 5, 2023

You won’t believe where AI could replace you next! (But you’re probably going to like it).

Introduction We’ve all heard by now of ChatGPT, the large language model-based chat bot that can seemingly answer most any question you present it. What if there were a way to provide this functionality to students on their learning management system, and it could answer questions they had about course content? Sure, this would not completely replace the instructor, nor would it be intended to. Instead, for quick course content questions, a chatbot with access to all course materials could provide students with speedy feedback and clarifications in far less time than the standard turnaround required through the usual channels. Of course, more involved questions about assignments and course content questions outside of the scope of course materials would be … You won’t believe where AI could replace you next! (But you’re probably going to like it).
by · July 31, 2023

Creating Effective Learning Environments: Lessons from UX Design

As educators and instructional designers, one of our tasks is to create online learning environments that students can comfortably use to complete their course activities effectively. These platforms need to be designed in such a way as to minimize extraneous cognitive load and maximize generative processing: that is, making sure that the learners’ efforts are spent on understanding and applying the instructional material and not on figuring out how to use the website or app. Research and practice in User Experience (UX) design – more specifically, usability – can give us insights that we can apply to improve our course page design and organization. Getting Started: General Recommendations Steve Krug, in his classic book Don’t Make Me Think: A Common … Creating Effective Learning Environments: Lessons from UX Design
by · June 12, 2023