Reflections on United Nations SDGs:
n.4 Quality Education

 

Universitat Ramon Llull has realized this insight through the written article of Prof Elisabet Golobardes Ribé, Vice-Rector for Academic Organization and Quality | Digital University, and the video of Carlos Vazquez Parra, student in the same University

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 with the goal of providing a path for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. The core of the Agenda is represented by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which represent an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership to adopt strategies that aim to end poverty and other deprivations, improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth. The Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities is collecting insights from SACRU experts and students on the SDGs. 

This contribution is by the Universitat Ramon Llull on SDG n.4: Quality Education

Artificial Intelligence, Education and Humanism

Written by Elisabet Golobardes Ribé, Vice-Rector for Academic Organization and Quality | Digital University

The irruption of ChatGPT, last November 2022, entered with great force into the heart of society, in homes, in companies, in schools and in the university. Suddenly, there is news about Artificial Intelligence (AI) every day and in any media. It is worth saying that the concept of AI was born around 1956 and aimed to group algorithms that performed tasks that would be considered intelligent if performed by a human. And, of course, a software, ChatGPT, that “converses better” than many humans confuses us. Both for the use and for the abuse we can make of it. Then a new earthquake comes, the results of the latest PISA 2022 report, which indicate that reading comprehension and mathematical knowledge are declining. Is AI responsible? Will AI displace education? Or could it be the path to follow?

Let’s stop for a moment. Remember that AI and ChatGPT are just tools. What we have to offer the members of university campuses are spaces to think, to discuss, to exchange points of view, to learn from each other, to respect each other. It is up to us to train responsible, ethical, and critical people and professionals. That they are able to listen, understand what they read and know how to write and communicate properly. What is needed is more humanism. That AI is a well-used tool that can also help enhance these more digital and, at the same time, more human skills. In fact, we, on our campus, have prepared and made available to everyone recommendations for the proper use of Artificial Intelligence-based tools, which have been developed by the Working Group on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Tools Applied to Teaching-URL.

We must continue to educate, educate, and educate.

For reference: https://www.url.edu/en/pedagogical-innovation-and-quality/recommendations-proper-use-artificial-intelligence-based-tools

 

International Doctoral Student Collaboration
on Vulnerability and Healthcare

 

One Ph.D. student from each SACRU University will participate in a series of online webinars on the theme “Vulnerability and Healthcare”. The final webinar, to be held on November 14, 2024, will aim to showcase the doctoral students’ work to a broader SACRU and external audience

 

The Working Group “Vulnerability and Healthcare” addresses vulnerabilities in healthcare at all levels, determining ways in which new conceptions of vulnerability—as a unifying and empowering notion that points to the fundamental capacity of all human beings to be responsive to the relational reality of the other and to the common good—can help to rethink some of the ethical and practical problems that emerge in contemporary healthcare, not only in times of pandemics, but also now as we move forward in the shadow of one.

To facilitate the research into the broad question of Vulnerability and Healthcare, the Working Group is establishing an international doctoral webinar collaboration in which one Ph.D. student from each SACRU University has been selected to participate. During these webinars, doctoral students will be able to present their own work to fellow doctoral students and academics at partner universities. This will provide an opportunity for a unique interdisciplinary exchange of ideas shaped by the multiple contexts in which the Catholic Universities that make up SACRU operate: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, and the USA. The aim is to enrich the doctoral work of the individual students, to provide opportunities for collaboration, and to foster research networks on the theme of vulnerability and healthcare.

For each webinar, two papers will be circulated in advance by two doctoral students. These will be read by all participants before the webinar. A respondent, from among the doctoral students, will begin the webinar with a 15–20-minute presentation that responds to both of the pre-circulated papers. The aim of this ‘response’ is draw out interesting themes, comparisons, questions, or issues raised by the two papers in relation to the overarching theme of the webinars, namely, vulnerability in healthcare. What do these papers mean for our topic of vulnerability and healthcare? The paper contributors will then be given about five minutes each to respond to the respondent. The chair will then open the discussion to the broader webinar group for the remaining time. The final webinar, to be held on November 14, 2024, will aim to showcase the doctoral students’ work to a broader SACRU and external audience. The doctoral students will form the panel for a webinar discussion on the topic of vulnerability in healthcare that will be widely publicised for live attendance as well as recorded for later distribution.

 

 

Laudato Si’ and the emerging contribution of
Catholic research universities to planetary health

This paper has been published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health and is the outcome of the collaboration among academics in the SACRU Working Group Laudato Si’

Climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss stem from human misuse of the Earth’s natural resources, especially fossil carbon. The paper emphasizes how these threats to planetary health fall disproportionately on minority and marginalized communities. Technical and legal solutions to planetary health are necessary and frequently effective, as seen in the sharp declines in the manufacture of chlorofluorocarbon resulting from the Montreal Protocol. However, the researchers underline how all these solutions have been just reactive, and none of these policies offer durable protection against hazards yet to come and go beyond the GDP logic.

To this extent, the paper recalls the engagement of the Holy Father Pope Francis through his 2015 encyclical letter, Laudato Sì: On Care for our Common Home, which examines the current planetary crisis, offering insights into their root causes and suggesting strategies for planetary restoration going beyond one-off solutions. To implement this vision, Pope Francis has developed a 7-year implementation plan inviting everyone to take concrete and scientifically informed actions to advance lasting and fair solutions to the planetary crises.

In response to this challenge, Catholic universities are forming interdisciplinary institutes designated to generate new knowledge about planetary threats and their impact on human health and wellbeing. The Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU) is an example of this cooperation, as the Alliance conducts basic, applied, and transnational research grounded in the concerns of the communities. For instance, to translate science from the academy to the world and advance equitable food policy, SACRU has established a collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Going forward, SACRU is well positioned to nurture the profound realignment of people’s relationship with the planet and each other, which Pope Francis calls for in Laudato Si’ and which the world urgently needs.

Full paper here

The Future of Catholic Universities in the Age of AI:
A Roadmap of Central Issues

This position paper is the outcome of the SACRU Scientific Colloquium on AI, hosted at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, on July 13 and 14, 2023. The paper was written by a group of researchers from the SACRU partner Universities 

Given AI’s increasing power and transformative potential, the SACRU conference was an occasion for examining not just the benefits and risks of a specific technology but the basic purposes and aspirations of a Catholic university in a technologically advanced society. At its best, what might a Catholic university be? What are the distinctive goods that Catholic universities can achieve and that give orientation and coherence to their activities? What are the essential and defining roles within a university, and what virtues and skills are required for persons to succeed in those roles as members of a university community? In answering such questions, this paper develops what might be called a normative vision for Catholic universities in a technological age. Because this was a meeting of Catholic research universities, the normative visions of the university can be divided into two broad areas: teaching and research. Because this was a meeting of Catholic research universities, the normative visions speak to the distinctively Catholic approach to higher education, including a conception of spirituality, the dignity of human persons, and the university’s proper role in furthering the common good of society.

The position paper adopts a realistic approach that addresses two challenges: the educational and the anthropological ones. It is divided into sections identifying the most pressing issues for the Scientific Colloquium. The issues are organized under three headings, based on the central tasks of the Catholic universities as understood by the authors: teaching, research, and service to society. The point is not to provide a rigid taxonomy but to give some organization to this complex technological revolution. In each section, the authors try to be aware of both the benefits and risks of AI in universities. Questions about possible connections between AI and the normative visions of the Catholic university are also included.

On July 13 and 14, 2023, the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities hosted the Scientific Colloquium “The Future of Catholic Universities in the AI Age.” The multidisciplinary initiative involved different disciplines in the discussion on the impact of AI on universities. The Colloquium was organized in plenary sessions, which included a keynote speaker from each SACRU University and two parallel sessions (AI, Education & Research; AI, Universities within Society) in which the issues presented by the plenary speakers were further addressed. Following the Conference, a group of academics from SACRU synthesized the results in the position paper The Future of Catholic Universities in the Age of AI: A Roadmap of Central Issues. 

Read here

 Boston College’s Summer Visiting Doctoral Research Fellowship

In keeping with Boston College’s strategic initiatives—including increasing its impact around the globe—and to highlight its leadership as a premier Jesuit University in Global Engagement, this fellowship is designed to support the next generation of scholars through research opportunities and hospitality. The summer research fellowships will support graduate students matriculated at a partnering university  who are seeking to undertake 2 months of research at Boston College.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

 

2024 Applicants

Start Date: June 10, 2024

Time Period: June 10- August 10

Benefits:
•Round-trip, economy-class airfare to Boston
•Housing, provided through University services
•A modest living stipend, to cover living expenses (including fellow’s purchase of health insurance)
•Library privileges
•University internet access

Application Details: The applicant should submit a cover letter and CV. The cover letter should include a description of the intended research project (not to exceed two pages in length), including how the applicant’s time spent at Boston College would contribute to the overall success of the project. 

Deadline: January 31, 2024

Requirements: The fellow must have a major research project. The fellow has the option to deliver one public lecture during their stay.

Sponsor: The Office of Global Engagement

 

 

WEBINAR

AI, Trust, and Explainability

Click on the picture or here to follow for event

Australian Catholic University earns
historic Carnegie Classification 

Australian Catholic University has become one of the first Australian higher education institutions to receive the new Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. The historic announcement makes ACU one of the first universities outside the United States to receive this significant Classification, which was formally implemented in Australia in June this year.

The Classification recognizes ACU as a higher education leader in institutionalized community engagement, committed to working with the community to transform society. Established by the US-based Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Carnegie Classifications have been used to recognize and advance the community-engaged practices of higher education institutions. The Community Engagement accreditation is an elective classification describing the collaboration between higher education institutions and their larger communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.

Community Engagement at ACU encompasses activities and initiatives that build capacity and affirm human dignity through sustainable and reciprocal collaborations with communities, especially those that have historically experienced disadvantage or marginalization. ACU undergraduate students participate in Community Engagement opportunities as part of the Core Curriculum. ACU staff can also apply to work with community organizations on research projects that address real-world challenges and opportunities. They can additionally apply to receive up to 35 hours of time release throughout the years to participate in approved community engagement activities. Other community engagement initiatives at ACU include the Clemente program, the award-winning Solomon Islands Initial Teacher Immersion Program, extensive and sustained multi-disciplinary programs in Timor Leste, and the Order of Malta and ACU Community Hub in Melbourne.

ACU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Zlatko Skrbis said ACU’s successful Carnegie Classification was a momentous achievement for the university. “ACU is delighted to be one of the first Australian universities in the history of the Carnegie Foundation to receive the Community Engagement Classification,” Professor Skrbis, who is also the President of SACRU, said. “As a national university –with an overseas campus in Rome- ACU serves and works closely in at least ten local communities connected to our campuses and leadership centers. The Carnegie Classification reaffirms our commitment to working with these communities and partner organizations to improve the lives of members living in our communities and to take on research that serves the common good.”

UC Chile Global Research Program

The Global Research Program is an on-site/virtual international experience program that supports research and creative projects in UC Chile within the Global Internships for Research and Practice-Based Learning framework. The program aims to enhance and stimulate research collaboration at a global level, connecting UC Chile researchers with master’s and senior undergraduate international students within new, creative, and innovative international research opportunities.

In its second version, 15 projects are offered from different areas of knowledge such as biological sciences, chemistry, education, engineering, international relations, theatre, among others. Students in the senior year of their bachelor’s degree and master students are welcome to apply to the research opportunity of their choice until December 3rd. It is the applicant’s sole responsibility to submit the necessary information and documentation, which must include:

  • A statement of purpose
  • Updated CV or resume (One page)
  • Transcripts or records of the last academic period (non-official transcripts admitted)
  • English of Spanish proficiency tests, if required

You can find the information about dates and projects in these links:

Global Research, program information (dates and requirements), link

Research opportunities, link

Student application form, link

UC Chile will support students through and after the application process. Should you have any doubts about the program and research opportunities, you can contact:

Javiera Ballesteros, Special Programs and Internships Officer, javiera.ballesteros@uc.cl

Read here

Where lies the grail?
AI, common sense, and human practical intelligence

An article published by William Hasselberger and Micah Lott in the journal Phenomenology and Cognitive Science. This article is the fruit of the SACRU Working Group on AI collaboration

The creation of machines with intelligence comparable to human beings—so-called “human-level” and “general” intelligence—is often regarded as the Holy Grail of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research. However, many prominent discussions of AI lean heavily on the notion of human-level intelligence to frame AI research, but then rely on conceptions of human cognitive capacities, including “common sense,” that are sketchy, one-sided, philosophically loaded, and highly contestable. Our goal in this essay is to bring into view some underappreciated features of the practical intelligence involved in ordinary human agency. These features of practical intelligence are implicit in the structure of our first-person experience of embodied and situated agency, deliberation, and human interaction.

We argue that spelling out these features and their implications reveals a fundamental distinction between two forms of intelligence in action, or what we call “efficient task-completion” versus “intelligent engagement in activity.” This distinction helps us to see what is missing from some widely accepted ways of thinking about human-level intelligence in AI, and how human common sense is actually tied, conceptually, to the ideal of practical wisdom, or good (normative) judgment about how to act and live well. Finally, our analysis, if sound, also has implications for the important ethical question of what it means to have AI systems that are aligned with human values, or the so-called “value alignment” problem for artificial intelligence.

 

Read here

Catholic Universities’ Ethical Engagement
Through Environmental Sustainability Education

Chapter published by Maria Manzon, , , ,  ,  and from the SACRU Working Group 2 on Laudato Si

This chapter aims to contribute to the ongoing academic debate on the issue of sustainability in a higher education context by focusing on the role of Catholic universities around the world from an ethical perspective of the two-fold pedagogical style typical of Catholic higher education. The first “fold” is critical dissidence that defies what Freire called “the scourge of neoliberalism” and its cynical fatalism (1998, p. 22); the second is creative counter-imagination that is underpinned by the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si′ (LS) and moves decidedly towards integral and sustainable development. To clarify the actions taken by Catholic universities and their approach to achieving sustainable futures, the chapter is organized as follows: The first section briefly presents the framework of international agreements and conventions that have been signed and effected to help produce education systems that respond ethically to the sustainability of the environment in which people live.

Next, we examine the ethical relevance of religion in the discussion of environmental sustainability. The final section illustrates the impact of the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si′ and its ethical principles in provoking a worldwide debate about the ecological question, especially in upholding the commitment and engagement of Catholic universities with the pressing environmental challenges of our time. Finally, the conclusion section addresses the suggestion that, by their ethical missions and identities, Catholic universities should see themselves as particularly well-positioned and equipped to lead the world toward a more just future for all. Catholic universities can become models of counter-conduct and critical nonconformity to the disproportionate anthropization and exploitation of our planet, which must be urgently stopped.

Download here