The IDEMS Podcast

In this episode, we explore the future of AI in education through a discussion with Lily and David, focusing on the potential and limitations of AI technologies. They break down the future into four key categories: tasks that AI will never achieve perfectly, tasks that are a matter of "when" not "if", transformative innovations on the horizon, and areas with substantial unknowns. The conversation...

How do you build data systems for contexts where there is low digital literacy? As part of IDEMS’ support for Manor House Agricultural Centre in Kenya, we’re looking to create digital systems which can help them manage the complex farm and training centre. David and Lucie discuss the origins of this idea, the practical implications, and the opportunities.

In this episode, we dive into how AI can revolutionise education by shifting the focus from traditional methods to fostering critical thinking skills. Lily and David discuss the importance of adapting questions in a way that leverages AI capabilities, ensuring students develop deeper analytical skills and greater ownership of their work. They explore various case studies and examples of AI applica...

In this episode, we are pleased to introduce guest speaker Helen Crompton, who shares her research and teaching experiences focused on AI in education. Helen and David suggest productive ways that lecturers and students can engage with AI to support and enhance their skills and teaching effectiveness.

In this episode, Lily and David discuss the current state of education, and the potentials that AI creates for the future. They look at what it means to treat AI as a friend for lecturers, and then what it means to treat it as a foe, using case studies. They then question how lecturers can productively approach teaching given the current AI context. Note that this podcast is also the third episode...

In this episode, Lily and David aim to demystify data science across various disciplines. They use the Post Office to illustrate the power of AI systems, and then look at other case studies to highlight some limitations of AI systems. This episode is part of the series aimed at Responsible AI for Lecturers, but is still relevant for those not following the course.

R-Instat is a free open-source statistics package. In this episode, Lily and David introduce R-Instat and discuss the motivations for creating it, based upon the need for a user-friendly, comprehensive tool for low-resource environments that can handle multilevel data efficiently. They consider its broader implications for data literacy and statistical education, emphasising the ongoing ambition t...

Santiago and David continue their discussion on the intersection of gaming and advertising, exploring innovative business models that prioritize social impact and inclusivity over traditional revenue streams. They consider the concept of providing digital services related to games that are accessible to all, including those who cannot afford to pay, aiming to develop a system where educational and...

Santiago and David discuss the conventional business models in the gaming industry, which rely on advertising or paywalls. Motivated by the potential educational value of games, they envision an innovative business model that prioritises social impact over revenue.

Does anyone? Directors David Stern and Kate Fleming discuss the inherent uncertainties faced by early-stage companies and the broader world. The conversation explores how social enterprises must balance impact with profitability, the challenges of sustainable tech development, and the need for innovative business models that serve society, emphasising the importance of deep observation and scienti...

Lily and David discuss the importance of working with multi-level data. The conversation highlights the need for integrating the concept of multi-level data into data literacy education, from basic to advanced levels, to help people better analyze and interpret complex data sets. They also touch on the practical implications of ignoring multi-level data, such as in the 2020 UK examination algorith...

David Stern interviews Polly Noyce about the history and impact of Manor House, a Kenyan institution focused on teaching sustainable agriculture to smallholder farmers. Polly shares her experiences starting the project in the 1980s and the transformations it has undergone over the past 40 years. They discuss the importance of agroecology and how contemporary technologies and approaches have influe...

Can AI-generated information be trusted? In this episode, Lily and David dive into the issue of AI-generated “hallucitations”, where generative AI models like ChatGPT provide ostensible citations referring to sources that do not exist. They discuss the implications of such misinformation, including defamation cases. They emphasize the importance of responsible AI systems and the challenges of fund...

In episode “061 – Simplicity versus Complexity”, David claimed that if a problem is solvable by throwing money at it then it is not inherently complex or “wicked”. In this episode, Santiago challenges this claim via the thought experiment from another episode, “031 – Who Wants to be a Trillionaire”. This prompts a discussion that spans topics including the sustainable development goals, the uninte...

David talks to Chris Sangwin, creator of STACK, the online assessment system designed to support the teaching of university level mathematics. They review what makes STACK so useful and how they are collaborating on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership program. STACK presents huge opportunities to improve mathematical education at scale and Chris and David discuss how a separate, human system of quest...

Open access software tools like ODK (Open Data Kit) have been a game changer in enabling access to digital data collection. Lucie and David discuss what makes ODK so interesting, and compare its development and use to that of R-Studio, another open access software that has made waves in data analysis. What will be the next step change in data collection? Does ODK’s impact represent an alternative...

IDEMS works on complex, real world problems, but what does complexity mean? Lucie and David discuss the concepts of simplicity and complexity, with David suggesting that mathematics can be seen as a realm of simplicity compared to the complex real world. They touch on the dangers of oversimplifying problems and highlight how modern research tends to overvalue simplicity.

In this episode, Lily and David consider foundational data skills in data science education. They discuss Lily's recent teaching experience at the doctoral training school in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of the AIMS initiative. The conversation explores the significance of teaching basic yet essential data handling and analysis skills to data science students, emphasising how these foundational abiliti...

How do you get a project off to a good start? In IDEMS’ Research Methods Support work for the Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems (CRFS) in West Africa, we facilitate Inception Meetings to support projects make the right decisions. David and Lucie reflect on 9 CRFS projects’ joint Inception Meetings held in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

We’re used to participatory research with farmers, but what does scalable participatory farmer-focused research look like? Lucie and David discuss this principled approach to agroecological research, which has the potential to not only create great benefits for researchers and farmers alike, but to also shake up research systems and power dynamics between researchers and the community.

Santiago Borio and David Stern discuss STACK, an open-source online assessment tool for mathematics and STEM subjects. They explore how STACK can provide scalable and effective feedback across diverse educational settings, emphasizing its success in universities with large class sizes and limited resources, particularly in Kenya and other similar environments. They reflect on the value of communit...

Lily Clements and David Stern discuss their recent collaboration with a PhD student on complex data modelling. They highlight the challenges of accurate statistical interpretation, the importance of responsible research practices, and the need for more accessible modelling tools. Their conversation underscores the significance of improving data skills to enhance the reliability of research and AI...

Santiago Borio and David Stern delve into the distinctions between scalability and sustainability within IDEMS’s internship models. They debate the potential for internships to drive significant societal and economic changes, particularly in rural African settings, by fostering economic growth through digital opportunities. The conversation also examines how these scalable initiatives could profou...

In this episode of the IDEMS podcast, Lily Clements and David Stern explore the intersection of technology and humanity through the lens of Amazon's AI-powered shops. They discuss the concept of "phygital" initiatives, such as the mobile phone-based money transfer service M-PESA, where physical and digital realms merge to create jobs and enhance human interactions. They consider the future role of...

David Stern and Kate Fleming discuss how social enterprises can offer “investment as a service”. They consider how shifting priorities away from growth can lead to positive outcomes, fostering sustainable practices that prioritise social impact whilst delivering for investors.