Gary’s Blog

  • Thoughts on Data from Two Decades Ago
    As an educator, I cannot go to a meeting where “the data show” is used in one version or another. I appreciate the role of data when we draw conclusions. This character of my nature is deeply embedded in my professional life; it started with my undergraduate studies in science and continued during my life Read More
  • Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory: A Comprehensive Overview
    I uploaded several of the materials I use when preparing to talk about Diffusion of Innovations to AI and requested a summary. I do see his as a potential use of AI for educators: I had many resources that I had collected over several iterations of teaching the theory. My collection included multiple slide shows Read More
  • The Answer to Students Using AI Is Here, Just as It Always Was
    I recently observed (but did not participate in) a conversation of higher education faculty and (to no one’s surprise) AI came up when they were asked about challenges they face. Although the research seems somewhat ambiguous, and the recommendations are even mor ambiguous, I think we can confidently assume that most of our students are using AI to complete their work.  Because I did not participate in the conversations, Read More
  • What Students Learn
    Curriculum leaders have focused intently in recent years on outcomes. Education, they claim, must be directed by outcomes that are specific and measurable. While there is evidence such outcomes can contribute to learning in some settings, most educators counter there are other aspects of becoming educated that are equally or even more valuable, but that Read More
  • Supporting Teaching in an Age of AI 
    A synopsis of a paper I developed at a conference earlier this spring: Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) arrived in schools in a serious way in the final months of 2022 when ChatGPT became widely available (Emmert-Streib, 2024). Since then, GAI has followed a pattern familiar to those who study technology. Commonly called the Gartner hype cycle (Dedehayir & Read More
  • Who Benefits from Education
    Students are typically encouraged to perform well in school to “get a good job.” This suggests that each individual is the primary benefactor of his or her education. This is a rather recent, and limited, view of the benefits of becoming educated. If we assume that those who are educated are more efficient and more Read More