Applying Science Fiction to Course Design - A case of computer science

Entry-level technical and scientific courses are provided for both tech and non-tech students in universities. Currently, the teaching materials used in these courses are mainly academic papers and real business cases. Learning with only formal materials that are full of terminologies is lacking pleasure and challenging for entry-level students. Previous studies also show that teaching technology and science with science fiction (SF) could have many benefits, including can successfully engage students (Vrasidas et al., 2015), let students remember knowledge a longer time (Negrete & Lartigue, 2010), and brings up discussions about ethics (Burton, Goldsmith & Mattei, 2015). However, a study focuses on teaching computer science with SF materials is lacking. This study focuses on applying SF to teaching computer science. A case study is conducted. An SF video: Hated in the Nation is selected as additional teaching material for the course Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. Students who enrolled in the course voluntarily join the research. A questionnaire and an open question are used for data gathering. Both the students’ answers to the questionnaire and to the open questions are analysed to answer the research questions: 1) What are the attitudes of students to using SF in teaching AI? 2) How does watching the SF stories Hated in the Nation support students in learning AI at entry level? The results of the case study demonstrate that the benefits of including Hated in the Nation as an additional learning material can be summarized as three points: 1). making the learning process more interesting, 2) inspiring students from many perspectives, and 3) enhancing students’ critical thinking. The main challenges of teaching with Hated in the Nation are: 1) learning with Hated in the Nation has a relatively low learning-time ratio, 2) Hated in the Nation contains exaggerating AI technology, 3) and explanation about AI technology is limited in Hated in the Nation. Overall, the results of the study encourage educators using SFs to introduce technology concepts and science theories at entry level, and also using SFs to teach ethics related to technology and science development. Which needs to be clarified is that SFs should be used as additional materials to increase the diversity of teaching activities and increase learners’ interests in learning. SFs are not a replacement of formal and traditional teaching materials

Building an Argument for the Use of Science Fiction in HCI Education

Science fiction literature, comics, cartoons and, in particular, audio-visual materials, such as science fiction movies and shows, can be a valuable addition in Human-computer interaction (HCI) Education. In this paper, we present an overview of research relative to future directions in HCI Education, distinct crossings of science fiction in HCI and Computer Science teaching and the Framework for 21st Century Learning. Next, we provide examples where science fiction can add to the future of HCI Education. In particular, we argue herein first that science fiction, as tangible and intangible cultural artifact, can serve as a trigger for creativity and innovation and thus, support us in exploring the design space. Second, science fiction, as a means to analyze yet-to-come HCI technologies, can assist us in developing an open-minded and reflective dialogue about technological futures, thus creating a singular base for critical thinking and problem solving. Provided that one is cognizant of its potential and limitations, we reason that science fiction can be a meaningful extension of selected aspects of HCI curricula and research.Comment: 6 pages, 1 table, IHSI 2019 accepted submissio

Assistive robotics: research challenges and ethics education initiatives

Assistive robotics is a fast growing field aimed at helping healthcarers in hospitals, rehabilitation centers and nursery homes, as well as empowering people with reduced mobility at home, so that they can autonomously fulfill their daily living activities. The need to function in dynamic human-centered environments poses new research challenges: robotic assistants need to have friendly interfaces, be highly adaptable and customizable, very compliant and intrinsically safe to people, as well as able to handle deformable materials. Besides technical challenges, assistive robotics raises also ethical defies, which have led to the emergence of a new discipline: Roboethics. Several institutions are developing regulations and standards, and many ethics education initiatives include contents on human-robot interaction and human dignity in assistive situations. In this paper, the state of the art in assistive robotics is briefly reviewed, and educational materials from a university course on Ethics in Social Robotics and AI focusing on the assistive context are presented.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Challenges for an Ontology of Artificial Intelligence

Of primary importance in formulating a response to the increasing prevalence and power of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in society are questions of ontology. Questions such as: What “are” these systems? How are they to be regarded? How does an algorithm come to be regarded as an agent? We discuss three factors which hinder discussion and obscure attempts to form a clear ontology of AI: (1) the various and evolving definitions of AI, (2) the tendency for pre-existing technologies to be assimilated and regarded as “normal,” and (3) the tendency of human beings to anthropomorphize. This list is not intended as exhaustive, nor is it seen to preclude entirely a clear ontology, however, these challenges are a necessary set of topics for consideration. Each of these factors is seen to present a 'moving target' for discussion, which poses a challenge for both technical specialists and non-practitioners of AI systems development (e.g., philosophers and theologians) to speak meaningfully given that the corpus of AI structures and capabilities evolves at a rapid pace. Finally, we present avenues for moving forward, including opportunities for collaborative synthesis for scholars in philosophy and science

Optimistic Fiction as a Tool for Ethical Reflection in STEM

Greater emphasis on ethical issues is needed in\ua0science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)\ua0education. The fiction for specific purposes (FSP) approach, using optimistic science fiction texts, offers a way to focus on ethical reflection that capitalizes on role models rather than negative examples. This article discusses the benefits of using FSP in STEM education more broadly, and then explains how using optimistic fictions in particular encourages students to think in ethically constructive ways. Using examples of science fiction texts with hopeful perspectives, example discussion questions are given to model how to help keep students focused on the ethical issues in a text. Sample writing prompts to elicit ethical reflection are also provided as models of how to guide students to contemplate and analyze ethical issues that are important in their field of study. The article concludes that the use of optimistic fictions, framed through the lens of professional ethics guidelines and reinforced through ethical reflection, can help students to have beneficial ethical models

The Faculty Notebook, September 2016

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost