Spring Forum 2024: Martin Compton: I Only Know That I Know Nothing: Why We All Need To Be Engaging With AI

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Dr Martin Compton, Programme, Module & Assessment Design Lead, King’s Academy, KCL

Abstract

As much as social media, popular culture and your average person on the South Kensington omnibus might crave it, few issues and phenomena can readily be accepted as completely good or bad. Nuance and complexity define many of the issues we (all of academia from academic staff to professional services to students) grapple with. AI broadly and Generative AI in particular is a fascinating example of how even the most highly educated can lean heavily into binary thinking and become trenchant resistors or ardent evangelists for innovations which we still know very little about in terms of implications broadly as well as for teaching, learning and assessment. In many ways it’s understandable. How are we supposed to make sense of the competing narratives and draw conclusions about utility, relevance and ethics for our own work and the ways in which we support students? In this session, Martin will argue that despite the many (some HUGE) unknowns and ongoing issues, we have an obligation to engage with these technologies to a degree. How and to what extent we need to determine for ourselves but in making this case Martin will offer some examples from his own work and those he supports at KCL.  

Biography

Dr. Martin Compton has been an educator for over 30 years, affording him ample time to realise that it takes a lifetime of teaching to start to get the hang of it. In that time, he has had the privilege of teaching children, young people and adults. His teaching has spanned secondary schools, international schools, further education colleges and universities both in the UK and overseas. In July 2023 he took up a post at King’s College London where he leads on curriculum and assessment design which means that much of his time currently is looking at ways in which the opportunities and threats of generative AI (as well as broader technological changes) will necessitate changes to pedagogy, assessment and feedback practices across higher education.  

Health Librarianship: The Next Generation

UHMLG’s 2024 Spring Forum brings together a range of fantastic speakers to look at the future of health librarianship. The conferences spans two half days (21-22 March, 2024), it’s free, online, and registration is open – our core audience is UK / Republic of Ireland health and medical librarians from the Higher Education and NHS / health sectors, but we welcome delegates from any area of librarianship, and from anywhere in the world.

More information / Book your place

For full information about the conference, and to book your place, please visit our Spring Forum 2024 page.