WHAT TO EXPECT

The COVID-19 Pandemic has created massive disruption in the realm of higher education. Students are facing depersonalized, unengaging methods of learning through screens. But what if e-learning didn’t have to be so “distant”? Higher education is on the brink of a digital revolution. 

Elliot Grossbard is the VP of growth at ElevateU, an AI textbook publishing and e-learning platform, disrupting the field of higher education by bridging the gaps between classroom learning and online instruction. ElevateU aims to personalize the modern learning experience and stop the educational bleeding caused by ineffective methods of digital learning. To achieve this, ElevateU recognizes there must be a collaboration between both administrative and academic forces, as well as their partners, within educational institutions.

SEGMENT #1 – Elliot Grossbard

We explore the purpose of AI in higher education, challenges of distance learning, and the future of AI eLearning.

SEGMENT #2 – AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Today on Ahead of the Curve, Joyce shares the key strategies to extending lifespan.

[8:35] “We believe that the quality of education whether higher ed or any level of schooling should be the same whether in person, an online environment, or blended. There should be that same quality of learning and artificial intelligence certainly helps us get there.”

[14:50] “Why are we pulling students to areas where they are not? Why should they have to learn something else? Let’s meet students where they are and make it easier for them to learn.”

 [32:04] “If higher education does not change by the time my son goes to school in 2022, he won’t reach 50% of his true potential. I can’t let that happen.” 

[33:00] “It’s just a choice, to continue to watch higher education be disruptive or be an active member of the disruption.” 

[47:52] “The biggest opportunity we have as human beings is to prevent disease.”

Benefits/Purpose of AI in Higher Education [7:00]

[8:35] “We believe that the quality of education whether higher ed or any level of schooling should be the same whether in person, an online environment, or blended. There should be that same quality of learning and artificial intelligence certainly helps us get there”.

Why implement artificial intelligence in higher education? Elliot Grossbard discusses two prime benefits of artificial intelligence/AI textbooks in the classroom.

1. AI teaching saves the time teachers would spend planning lessons and prepare for classes, allocating more time for teachers to engage with their students. This personalized method of teaching also helps prevent teacher burnout. 
2. Of particular interest during distance learning, AI presence allows learning materials to be embedded in one single location rather than multiple windows. This is preferable to several tabs of content not working simultaneously or especially for students with older computers. 

The Covid-19 Pandemic and Distance Learning’s Effect on Higher Education [10:08]

[14:50] “Why are we pulling students to areas where they are not? Why should they have to learn something else? Let’s meet students where they are and make it easier for them to learn.” 

The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly taken a toll on higher education. This generates the question- was our classroom learning ever truly effective before? How can we meet students where they are in order to make learning during this crisis easier? 

Teachers have attempted to teach the same way they would in a classroom through a screen, and it’s simply ineffective.  Students are lacking the in-person engagement with their professors needed to better understand coursework. Peer-to-peer learning is also absent amidst distance learning, and the compensation of breakout rooms isn’t working. How is AI aiming to fix these rampant learning gaps and inhibitors? 

Elliot shares his own experience with his son’s university and the astonishing lack of adequate communication on the learning material. He reflects on the 2021 predictions which estimate higher education to lose over 193 billion dollars in revenue. Surely this loss of funding will impact the quality of education. 

Why AI textbooks? Why now? [19:30]

 [32:04] “If higher education does not change by the time my son goes to school in 2022, he won’t reach 50% of his true potential. I can’t let that happen.” 

[33:00] “It’s just a choice, to continue to watch higher education be disruptive or be an active member of the disruption.” 

How can students get the bang for their buck in higher education during a pandemic? ElevateU provides a solution. AI textbooks are disrupting the realm of higher education by implementing a system based on the concept that we all learn uniquely. AI is giving students the ability to choose how they learn and is moving textbooks from staticity to immersive. In addition, AI textbooks save students 60% of textbook spending funds while creating a new stream of revenue for educators.

Ahead of the Curve: Normal 2.0 [37:20]

[47:52] “The biggest opportunity we have as human beings is to prevent disease” 

The United States lacks severely behind other developed nations of the world in terms of average lifespan. Fortunately, we can work on an individual level to change this. Joyce shares four key strategies with us, as well as a personal tip she has implemented to improve her health. 

1. Diet- The Mediterranean diet is beneficial in maintaining telomeres, chromosome structures associated with the aging process. In addition, coffee and alcohol in moderation are proven to increase lifespan.
2. Weight- A certain weight is not essential to health, rather, a BMI under 25 increases your lifespan by approximately 17 years.
3. Exercise- Sports like tennis are ideal for maximizing lifespan because of their inherent social aspect. 
4. Extreme dieting- Calorie restriction leads to the consumption of fewer free radicals.

Joyce reflects on intermittent fasting, a practice she has adopted which not only provides her system opportunity to rest but burns fat rather than muscle during her workout. 

WHERE TO WATCH OR LISTEN

The Geeks, Geezers & Googlization TV Show is live every Wednesday at 1 PM ET on Facebook, YouTube, Talk 4 TV, and broadcast on W4CY Radio, part of Talk 4 Radio on the Talk 4 Media Network.  The podcast is also available on Talk 4 Podcasting.

Following the broadcast, the replay will be available at the same links for YouTube and Facebook, our podcast website Geeks Geezers Googlization, and on most podcasts including Apple Podcast, iHeart, Spotify, Amazon, Stitcher and more.