Personal Essay: Future of Duke

The goal of education is to enable individuals to continue their education. — John Dewey

This semester, we have discussed many multifaceted topics that have the potential to significantly impact how people learn or how schools are utilized, such as:

• LLMs and AI
• Personalized Learning
• Privacy vs. Surveillance
• Gamification
• Real-world project based learning
• Alternative Grading

However, we have also discussed how difficult change can be, even when focusing just on Duke University let alone the wider educational system.

Submitting your Work

Email me a PDF document, between 3-5 pages.

Specifications

Imagine at least two scenarios, set at least 5 years in the future, where one or more technical and educational trends have been applied at Duke University. You may combine topics, provide a wider context in which Duke now exists, and go beyond the topics given above. While envisioning the future, it is useful to sketch out both an idealistic, best-case scenario and a pragmatic, realistic trajectory. Here is a TED Talk that can help you imagine future scenarios.

Consider the following questions in writing your essay:

• what is so positively impactful for learners of your proposed change(s)?
• what institutional advantages do you foresee?
• what institutional impediments do you foresee?
• what intermediate, near term, steps might make your vision more likely?
• what possible negative ethical, equity, bias, and inclusion do you foresee?

Provide links to at least three resources you used to develop your scenarios, their impact, implications, and issues.