A few weeks ago, I wrote a review of this interesting course about Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Worth the Wait
In my review, I mentioned waiting for the peer review of my first assignment. Even though I had passed this course and received my certificate, I still had an “unresolved” feeling. From time to time I checked my course page and finally, on September 14, my answer was reviewed and passed. My course result went up from 76% to 81%. Considering some of the errors I made during the single chance to answer the assessment questions, I was quite pleased with my result.
It was ironic. As I was responding to another student in the discussion forum who was concerned about her assessment being delayed, my own course page updated and the final result appeared.
An Unusual Graduation Ceremony
I have completed nearly 100 online courses, but this was the first one that incorporated an actual graduation ceremony. Students who finished the course by the end of June were invited. And in a true display of the wonders of the internet, on September 6, I was able to watch the proceedings as they happened in Helsinki, Finland, from my home in Australia. A bonus was that, for me, it was a 5 pm event. I didn’t have to miss sleep in the wee hours of the morning. Later, a graduation afterparty (not broadcast) was a great social occasion and networking opportunity for those attending.
A link to the recording of the graduation was subsequently posted to the course discussion board, but watching the event live really made me feel connected.
Some Snippets From the Graduation Ceremony
Looking at the live stream, I estimated that about 1000 attended the ceremony in Helsinki.
90 000 students have enrolled so far, with more enrollments coming in all the time. 7500 people have passed the course, including many after June 30. About half of them are from Finland and the others are from about 80 countries around the world. The course is still available, so these numbers continue to rise.
By my calculation, that is about an 8% completion rate, which is a better result than some other free online courses.
The course Lead Instructor is Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki Teemu Roos. Roos quoted the Latin phrase “scientia potentia est” which means “knowledge is power.” He went on to explain that humans have been using knowledge throughout history to make our world a better place. Unfortunately, throughout history, humans have also used knowledge to harm. In this respect, AI is no different from many other tools and technologies.
Some discussion of possible future uses of AI were mentioned, although in the course’s own words, “Anyone who claims to know the future of AI and the implications it will have on our society should be treated with suspicion.”
Education in Finland
Course staff are currently translating the course into Finnish. In my English-speaking arrogance, I did not pause to consider the fact that this course was first released in English in a Finnish-speaking country.
I did some research into the education system in Finland. Britain’s The Independent wrote an article in January 2018 which highlights several advantages of the Finnish system. These include mandatory play time, minimal homework and free college tuition. A few years ago, Finland held the number one spot on the world’s education ladder. Despite slipping down a few places, Finland still has one of the top ten education systems, according to the World Top 20 Project.
In early 2018, the University of Helsinki joined with the innovative company Reaktor to challenge companies in Finland to take an AI Pledge. The goal was to educate 1% of the Finnish population on the basics of AI by the end of 2018. Several projects including this Elements of AI course allowed the target to be reached months ahead of schedule. The Finnish centre of AI was founded.
A follow-up course to Elements of AI will be launched in the spring of 2019. Interested graduates of the Elements of AI course are encouraged to take a basic course in Python programming language in preparation.
A Final Thought
When playing hide-and-seek, many children shout “Coming, ready or not!” AI is not just coming, it is here, whether or not we are ready.
By Pat Bowden, published 18 September, 2018.
