Trends

One of the most fascinating trends in Information Technology to date is the advent of AI and synthetic data, which is “computer simulations or algorithms that provide an inexpensive alternative to real-world data that are increasingly used to create accurate AI models.” (https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2021/06/08/what-is-synthetic-data/acceessed on Dec. 4, 2022). It is what makes cars driverless and allows humanlike interaction in customer service, as well as in training AI devices to understand languages through machine learning (think Amazon’s Alexa). It is not hard to imagine the possibility of utilizing synthetic data in the generation of eLearning and distance education courses, especially in conjunction with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies, which are already gaining traction in the education field. In the spirit of making the classroom student-centered, AR/VR has so much potential to provide engaging and interesting content like gamification in learning material. I envision a classroom where the student is given more control and the teacher becomes the guide and facilitator in getting the student to achieve the course-level objectives.