This week's must-read stories
Artificial intelligence should augment, not replace, human beings
Fear of automation is everywhere. A recent study reveals that the greatest fear of the US market regarding AI is that automation will lead to unemployment. The recipe for coexistence between the consumer and the machine, according to the report, is that companies assume a code of conduct that puts the user first, avoiding deception and manipulation.
TecPrize: Science fiction to evolve higher education
How will teacher and student interact? Will professors be human? Will there be classrooms? What is going to be AI’s role? TecPrize has the purpose of answering these questions. It wants to mold the future of education with a contest for brilliant minds. It challenges visionaries to imagine a better higher education in the year 2049.
Study shows mentoring programs boost college enrollment and improve college persistence
The positive effects of mentoring in college enrollment and persistence are encouraging. With guidance, high school students seem to take better decisions and are better prepared to face university challenges.
Reading competency and historical research
With the aim of improving reading and writing, fundamental competences that are evaluated by the OECD and the PLANEA test, a group of teachers of Social Sciences, Literature, and Arts developed research that they could use as material for their classes. The texts had a positive impact among the students and the activity allowed the teachers to enhance their research skills.
The University of Texas puts down roots in Mexico City
The University of Texas at Austin aims to increase collaboration with educational and scientific organizations in Mexico, and it recently opened an office in the capital. This department, named by the UT as Mexico Institute A.C., is a nonprofit organization that pursues interdisciplinary collaboration with a mission in education and scientific research.
Latin-American countries rank poorly in PISA’s collaborative problem-solving test
The PISA test, which analyzed collaborative problem-solving skills on high school students in more than 50 countries, shows that most Latin-American nations are falling behind on that area. The analysis revealed that students who reported positive relationships with their peers scored higher in collaborative problem-solving.
What we are reading
Are university degree models stuck in the past? (The Guardian)
Six must-know strategies for great blended learning (eSchool News)
Research councils take note: there is no innovation without scientific research (paywall) (Times Higher Education)
How Metacognition Boosts Learning (Edutopia)