The Values and Risks of Emerging Technologies for Higher Engineering Education

Project introduction and background information

This project aims to develop a reader on the values and risks of emerging technologies in Higher Engineering Education. Artificial Intelligence seems to be the new engine for educational innovation with such emerging technologies as Adaptive Learning, XR (as AR, Virtual Reality, MR) technologies, Learning Analytics technologies, Computational Thinking and others. This datafication process challenges the current educational system, educational practice, ethical responsibilities, and not at the least big data use. Years ago, education was overwhelmed by promises of learning technologies, now we know better and have to act better. We need to deepen our knowledge about the consequences of the datafication for learning and teaching to claim ownership and show involvement in educational innovation.

Objective and expected outcomes

The objective of the book is to stimulate the discussion on the values and risks of emerging technologies for Higher Engineering Education.

Outcomes or Deliverables

This book is to stimulate and broaden the discussion to better decide about the value for education, to better understand the possibilities and limitations of these technologies and develop a better judgement about the industry involved. The book will contain an opening chapter and approximately 10 papers covering the Emerging Technologies issue on course level, the level of the institution or policy level. This combination gives a rather broad overview of the issues at stake, when talking about the digitalisation of education.

Results and learnings

The lessons learned so far come partly from an explorative research (2019) done by 4TU.CEE on emerging technologies for education. The main conclusions:

• Emerging technologies are expected to affect education more profoundly than anything before.
• To decide about the value for education we must develop an understanding of these technologies, which will allow students, teachers and institutions to judge if and how such technologies can help to improve teaching and learning.
• Due to the complexity, the diversity, the speed of development and the decay, education is challenged to develop an approach that can make these technologies work.
• For education to fully benefit from the opportunities it is eminent to develop a pro- active, sustainable strategy as part of an inter-institutional approach to deal with these challenges from an educational perspective.