Newsletter April 2023: SDU Center for Teaching and Learning attends Bett UK – one of the world's leading EdTech shows

BETT UK 2023

The overall theme for the 3 Bett events in 2023 - Bett UK, Bett Brazil, and Bett Asia - is Reconnect, Reimagine, Renew, which is addressed under 6 global themes: Leadership, Futures, Inclusion, Wellbeing, Skills and Innovation. In addition to a large and varied selection of stands, interactive presentations from manufacturers and educational institutions, this year it was possible for the first time to participate in Connect@Bett, where meetings were arranged between providers and participants, on request.

The Horizon Report (the 'Teaching and Learning' version) is an annual report published each year by the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, in which a panel of leading experts in higher education describe the technologies and trends they expect to have the greatest influence on future teaching and learning. The latest report highlights the following technologies and practices:

• AI for Learning Analytics
• AI for Learning Tools
• Hybrid Learning Spaces
• Mainstreaming Hybrid/Remote Learning Modes
• Professional Development for Hybrid/Remote Teaching
• Microcredentialing

At SDUUP, we have read the report and identified the points within each area that we consider to be most relevant in connection with teaching, learning and technology at SDU - read our summary within the individual subjects. As can be seen from the above, it is hybrid forms of teaching and AI that characterize the current development trends. This was largely also the case at Bett UK.

I takt med As AI is more and more integrated into existing learning technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR), it becomes possible to create more authentic and immersive learning environments. Bett UK including many stands with various VR, AR and MR solutions, where e.g. the British company Metaverse Learning gave an interview and a short presentation of their VR solution in a video. On their website, they give concrete examples of their products. The video also gives a good insight into the atmosphere at Bett UK. 

At the Danish stand at the exhibition, the company Moxis presented an AI learning tool - AI Writer - which they have developed together with SmartLearning. Moxis, which hosts and develops solutions for the learning platform Moodle, is part of L&R Uddannelse (webpage in Danish), which is one of Denmark's largest and leading learning houses. AI Writer is an extension to Moodle that enables students to work critically and constructively with AI-generated text based on the philosophy - learn about AI by using AI. AI Writer gives the teacher the opportunity, via the Moodle platform, to design an assignment with a series of steps that the students must go through after generating an AI text. One task could be, for example, that the students first find sources for an AI-generated text and then evaluate the quality of the AI text. The Moodle solution supports the teacher’s options to subsequently see what changes the student has made in the AI-generated text and give feedback on that basis.

At the Danish stand we were also introduced  to the Studentpulse program. Studentpulse can be used to take the "pulse" of the students, by using adaptive AI-based micro-surveys. The point of these micro-surveys should be that the students - partly because of the simple structure and easy answer option via an integration on itslearning, links, or QR codes, and partly because of the built-in interaction – will not only want to answer but will also use the built-in capabilities as an AI-based digital assistant for additional assistance. Besides the fact that Studentpulse has a built-in AI-based analysis tool (we didn't quite find out what it could do) and built-in analysis presentations, it could be relevant to investigate whether this tool can be integrated with other AI-based analysis tools. Partly in order to contact the individual students directly on the basis of e.g. dropout patterns, and partly to obtain data from the students and thus perhaps add an extra layer to our existing Learning Analytics. The people behind Studentpulse were extremely interested in a potential pilot project.

Connect@Bett

We had arranged a series of meetings from home with various software suppliers within the previously mentioned categories, so while one of us was looking for the fair's robot dog, the other participated in these supplier speed datings – you can still achieve a lot in 15 minutes with each supplier. The purpose was partly to get an introduction to their products, but also to make some quick agreements about possible pilot projects, which we succeeded in getting with all the suppliers mentioned below.

To support the hybrid learning formats, in this case primarily online synchronous learning activities, one of our existing suppliers, namely Kaltura, participated with their Virtual Classroom solution. The solution has a full integration for online meetings, with Breakout rooms, sharp video recordings in HD quality – of course with the choice of display for slideshow, presenter or another camera, whiteboards, quizzes, chat, and the possibility of sharing notes. All this supported by advanced analysis tools with attention and activity indicators.

Howspace was another supplier with an equally exciting solution within asynchronous online learning activities. At Howspace, they focus on supporting online collaborative learning activities by offering, through their platform, tools for scaffolding content and activities as an introduction to brainstorming exercises and discussions. All content produced by the students is subsequently presented as quick, clear summaries through their AI-based analysis tool.

Sourcer is an example of a smaller AI-based tool. This simple browser plugin can analyze a web page's content in a very short time and deliver a range of highly relevant information, including a CRAAP test, related articles, the article's general relevance within the given context, citation references, and not least fact checking. At present, their primary focus is news articles, but they have intentions to expand into areas.

Itslearning på Bett UK

Itslearning was also represented at Bett UK, where Sara Kvist, educational consultant and e-learning coordinator at TEK, was invited to give a presentation on TEK's study start course, which is set up as a self-paced course in itslearning. The course, which is based on SAMF’s and HUM's 'How to uni' course, aims to ease the transition from youth education to university by giving students the knowledge and skills to use relevant systems as well as supporting their development of study skills.

Itslearning also lifted the veil on what will be further developed on the platform, where they, among other things, featured:

• The option for teachers to set rules for step by step in a plan, and from one plan to the next (adaptive release). It will, among other things, to a greater extent support the set-up of self-paced courses in itslearning.
• Help lecturers ensure that the course content is accessible to the students - read more in SDUUP's newsletter about Including all students where, among other things, we refer to various checklists for creating more inclusive and accessible course designs.
• The test function, where work is being done to enable teachers to create question banks and randomize questions and answers. It will also be possible for lecturers to change a test that has started – an option that has been in great demand by lecturers at SDU.
• Artificial intelligence, which as a long-term goal will be considered in relation to helping the individual teacher with the development and setting up of course content in itslearning.

Microsoft

At the very heavy end of the AI scale is Microsoft, who had invited us to a small lucrative presentation meeting - with free coffee - about their upcoming introduction of the GPT-4 based copilot integrated into all Microsoft 365 products. This copilot can provide both the more general answers that we know from OpenAI's ChatGPT, but also to a much greater extent answers based on analyzes of an organisation's own content - and then it can assist with content generation such as complete slideshows in PowerPoint, even with a couple of embedded videos and quizzes.