As part of the panel discussion titled “Existential Questions in Education”, Michael Menchaca of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa will be presenting a keynote titled “Research and Innovation” at The 3rd IAFOR Conference on Educational Research & Innovation (ERI2023).
To participate in ERI2023 as an audience member, please register for the conference.
This plenary will also be available for IAFOR Members to view online. To find out more, please visit the IAFOR Membership page.
Abstract
Featured Panel Discussion: Existential Questions in Education
This presentation aims to foster discussion on the existential questions that we encounter in education today. It will feature two perspectives on current research, innovation and the vital questions they raise. Michael Menchaca will share insights on the AI discussion in the field of design and technology, highlighting the importance of reframing perspectives. Kālewa Correa will then discuss how reimagined historical research can help correct deep-seated inaccuracies in said narratives and refine cultural understanding. The presentation will conclude with an open discussion, allowing delegates to share their own diverse perspectives from their fields.
Research and Innovation
Research and innovation play significant roles for progress. With progress, debate follows. Major innovations throughout history, while often beneficial, also cause concern and disruption, whether military innovations like the atom bomb, economic innovations such as the free market, or work innovations like the assembly line. Usually, debates surrounding concerns are confined to academics or industrialists. However, the recent eruption of the progress of artificial intelligence has caused almost universal consternation. Universities, corporations, military institutions, banks, and even K-12 schools express concern and debate the challenges of AI. We’ve heard stories about AI systems lying to get humans to do their work, or suggesting one researcher leave his wife for the system, and recently Elon Musk and other scientists have called for a halt to the “AI race”. This almost universal reaction has led us to ask deep, existential questions about the role of research, innovation, and technology, about its effects on knowledge and education, and about an inconceivably changed future.
Speaker Biography
Michael Menchaca
University of Hawai’i at Manoa, United States
Michael Menchaca is Chair of the Department of Learning Design and Technology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He specialises in distance education, and has designed, implemented, and coordinated online and hybrid programs for over 20 years. He served as editor for the IAFOR Journal of Education: Technologies and Education Special Edition. He was an IT specialist for many years in the public and private sector. He currently teaches and conducts research in the areas of online learning, technology integration, and social justice with technology.
