Online: Trending Now

Unique biweekly insights and news review from Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA.

Building the New Model for Teaching and Learning

June 22, 2023

OpenAI, assisted by Khan Academy, is building a new model for teaching and learning, to be called OpenAI Academy. At the center of the model is generative AI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he is committed to leveraging generative AI to support education. He often speaks about his concern for higher education and student debt.…

Fast Track to AGI: So, What’s the Big Deal?

June 9, 2023

Artificial general intelligence is a term that elicits fear in some experts, who cite far-ranging human consequences and eager anticipation among those who see the potential for human progress. The rapid development and deployment of ChatGPT is one station along the timeline of reaching artificial general intelligence. On Feb. 1, Reuters reported that the app had…

Steps to Take While AI Chatbots Mature

May 25, 2023

Too many of us are making snap judgments about AI Chatbots based on reading one or two reviews, or by taking only five minutes to test out the current version. Truth be told, vendors are rushing chatbots out to the market, many of them in beta version, in order to meet their competition and secure…

The Path Ahead for Generative AI

May 11, 2023

The role of generative AI is rapidly evolving in education and in creating a vision of the society of the future. Early in 2019, GPT-2 was announced by OpenAI, the non-profit, private company that now includes $11 billion in investments from Microsoft Corporation. Compared to what was to follow, the development was relatively quiet. Claudia…

Generative AI Is Only as Good as the Prompt You Give It

April 27, 2023

It is ironic that much of the early conversation about ChatGPT had to do with the demise of writing skills when, in fact, the very success of generative AI searches is determined by the quality of precisely-written prompts. Let’s begin with the term “generative AI.” McKinsey Explainers concisely describes it this way: “Generative artificial intelligence…

A Few Hidden Gems among AI Apps

April 13, 2023

In the flurry of launches of generative AI apps this year, there are some that I find are gems that don’t get enough attention. These are ones that I think colleagues in higher ed might use every day. First, let me note that I have no investment in, have received no compensation from, or stand…

A man (Ray Schroeder) is dressed in a suit with a blue tie and wearing glasses.

Ray Schroeder is Professor Emeritus, Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) and Senior Fellow at UPCEA. Each year, Ray publishes and presents nationally on emerging topics in online and technology-enhanced learning. Ray’s social media publications daily reach more than 12,000 professionals. He is the inaugural recipient of the A. Frank Mayadas Online Leadership Award, recipient of the University of Illinois Distinguished Service Award, the United States Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame Award, and the American Journal of Distance Education/University of Wisconsin Wedemeyer Excellence in Distance Education Award 2016.