192: The Human Element in AI Education: A Conversation with Jason Gulya

In this episode, I speak with the Jason Gulya who is one of my top voices of AI and education. 

Note that this was a conversation we had back in November 2023, but due to a computer crash and loss of files it has taken me time to restore and fix all files. I was able to save this file thank goodness.

Here is his bio so you can learn more about him

I am currently Professor of English at Berkeley College. I have been working in higher education for about 10 years and--before coming to Berkeley--have held positions at Rutgers University, Raritan Valley Community College, and Brookdale Community College.

As a professor I teach onsite and online courses on a variety of topics--including composition, literature, film, and the humanities more broadly. I am also a proud member of the Honors Program faculty at Berkeley. In 2020, I received my college's award for Excellence in Teaching.

My research focuses primarily on literature, pedagogy, and grammar. I have published in a wide variety of journals, including (but not limited to) "Literary Imagination," "Pedagogy," "Dialogue," and "eCampus News." I have also written chapters for the books "Allegory Studies: Contemporary Perspectives" (forthcoming from Routledge), "Adapting the 18th Century" (University of Rochester Press, 2020) and "Reflections on Academic Lives" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017). My research has been supported by fellowships and grants from Berkeley College, Rutgers University, Harvard University, and Cornell University.

 

WHERE CAN I LISTEN?

No matter how you listen to your podcasts I should be there.

Check the link here to follow and subscribe

And I recently started posting on my YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/@coffeechug

Direct Link: https://coffeechug.simplecast.com/episodes/190

 

Challenges & Goals

• Jason's main challenge is adapting traditional teaching methods to incorporate emerging technologies like AI. His goal is fostering an environment conducive for experimentation and innovative learning practices.
• How do we face the challenge of reducing low-level managerial tasks without compromising foundational knowledge? Perhaps a goal is to use AI to automate certain tasks, freeing up time for more enriching activities.

Surprising Takeaways

• Jason advocates for educators being open about trying new things, even if they are not fully formed ideas yet.
• Emphasizing the importance of restorative breaks where individuals engage in mindless yet mentally refreshing activities.
• Jason would never automate his social presence because he learns from talking and writing.
• Giving students the ability to choose, not just whether they're using AI, but how they're using it and how it's actually being worked into their process.

Emerging Patterns

• Both of us are grapple with shifting from traditional learning methods towards technology-enhanced ones.
• There's a common theme among educators that while automation can be beneficial, it should not replace all human elements in education or daily routines.

Key Moments

Quotes from Jason:

• I think one of the productive things that can come out of this level of disruption is a culture of experimentation.

We ask our students to experiment all the time. Like that's that, especially in the K to 12 certainly. And higher ed too that we want our students, you know, we give them something new. We do this all the time. I don't even think about it. We say here's something new to read, something new to watch, something new to process and engage with it. Just